How to stop "could not be delivered" emails?
 

Hey everyone, I'm running a 3.8.2 VB forum and for years I've been getting like 20-30 "could not be delivered" emails in my account every day. I have a couple other VB forums and they never get them, but this one gets them constantly.

The email always goes something like this:


Title: Undeliverable Mail Returned to Sender
Error
ERROR: Your message could not be delivered.
Technical error details can be viewed HERE.
The text of the returned message can be viewed HERE.
text/plain Notification (1 KB)
This is the mail system at host gateway30.websitewelcome.com.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not
be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below.

For further assistance, please send mail to postmaster.

If you do so, please include this problem report. You can
delete your own text from the attached returned message.

The mail system

<somerandomemail@126.com>: host 126mx02.mxmail.netease.com[220.181.15.152] said:
550 User not found: somerandomemail@126.com (in reply to RCPT TO command)



I'm sure a lot of them are from spammers, but a lot seem to be from normal, regular user emails. I really don't know a lot about email. I'm assuming this is because the email address doesn't exist anymore? Either way, is there a way to disable/fix this? I'm getting way too many emails, and it only happens on this one forum.

Thanks for any help you can give, I appreciate it! :)

If its stating 550, then yes the email host that got the original email from you is telling you that the email account doesnt exist.

1. If that user doesnt have posts/threads & doesnt visit, delete their account.
2. If the user has post/threads & does visit, send them a PM & tell them to fix their email, as you run an out dated version, you dont have the notice system to popup a notice for a usergroup.
3. If they dont fix their account, simply disable all their notifications, remove their birthday if its set.

So there's no way for me to stop getting the emails unless I do those things? That's a lot of work for the amount of them I get. No setting I can check somewhere? It's just weird that this one forum gets tons of them every day, and the others have never gotten one.

Thanks!

this may be able to help you out I took a QUICK look at the source and it SHOULD work for 3x as is https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=310072

If it does not work, you can contact me via my site or PM me to request custom work.

If the user has subscriptions, then they will get notification emails if its turned on.

Using what Dr. suggested isnt a fix, as the system is just masking users with bad emails.

The users most like where spam account signups in the first place.

Thats why i keep seperate usergroups for users with bad emails, i lock their account down until the email issue is fixed.

If you keep up on it, its not a big deal to keep users in check.

Do you have validate emails enabled when registering?

How will the product I suggested not work, if everything is as described:

• It stops sending emails to addresses that are no longer valid
• It collects emails that "bounce" (are returned to you, the sender)

This should exactly solve his problem, should solve yours as well apparently. Now if the code works for vb3 or not I do not know I only took a quick look at it and saw no noticeable conflicts to keep it from working with vb3 as well.

I didnt say it wouldnt work lol, i just disagreed with that approach to solving the OP's issue.

Its still better to off the bogus accounts.

It's just weird how my one forum gets them constantly, but the others don't. And some of the forums are a lot more active, yet they NEVER get bounce-backs.

I've been checking the original emails from the bounce-backs, and they're all either activation emails that were sent when registering (spam accounts), or Happy Birthday emails to members that haven't been on the forum in a long, long time.

Maybe this is a bad idea, but I just changed the bounceback email in my admincp to some random fake email. No more emails now. lmao :D

Boom no more spam lmao

i would suggest making an account for it though (just in case)

yoursiteDotcomSpamemail@gmail.com

then just not link that account to your phone so you dont get blown up by it

If there are more than three links in the automatically sent mail, it is perceived as spam.

Edit the contents of the Mail text expression, delete unnecessary links.

One activation link is sufficient and the other remains as text.

Very good idea! :up:

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Good advice, thanks!