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Help to get urgent emails past spouse's work email filters


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1st, not sure if this is best forum to post this question - don't know what solution / method it may involve (if any).

Last couple mos, spouse's work email server started filtering nearly ANY msgs I send. In past yrs, never a prob. We don't send msgs daily or dozens / day. Need to get msgs thru that won't wait. Spouse's msgs out to me, often get filtered, like: "Meeting after work - be home late." Or, "Please call doctor & make appt." Some teachers complaining msgs from parents also getting filtered.

No doubt something's changed w/ school's software & / or having probs, but still need to find way around it. Usually nothing in msgs that would trigger "normal" spam filters. Might be like, "Dr office called - call nurse 555- 555-5555." If happened in just a few, I could understand. Tried changing my mail server - same prob. Tried sending msgs to spouse's private mail acct (not school's email acct) - filtered that, too, because still has to retrieve thru school's server.

Spouse can't get phone calls during work & may not hear (or have time to respond) to text msgs, need other ideas to try & see if can get * at least * important msgs past their server.

Spouse can't "legally" install software on school issued laptop. I could get past (probably have to change) admin PW to allow installing say, encryption software, etc., but COULD get in trouble if they find out. I think most mail providers w/ some kind of encryption require installing some software to use their service?

Any ideas of other ways - using some particular mail provider, etc., that could help? In general, their server doesn't like many types of attachments. In past, most attachments got filtered, if not whole msg, even for PDF, DOC. Never tried attaching a simple txt doc - but assume server could / would scan as well. Spouse doesn't have any encryption software to decrypt msgs, AFAIK, so that seems unavailable.

Thanks for suggestions.

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Hello,

I am a little unclear on the setup, does your spouse work at a school, or at a business and access the business email using a laptop issued by a school? Does filtered mail bounce, get marked as spam, directed to a junk folder or something else entirely? Does your spouse have the right to receive personal email at work (or is it school)? Knowing the answers to these may make it easier to get some additional suggestions.

From your description, it seems your spouse's work (or school) has gone overboard with filtering beyond what a reasonable person might expect from their work IT department, unless there was some reason for this, such as working in a secure environment, past problems with email abuse, working in a regulated industry, etc.

Without knowing more, here are some suggestions for things which might work:

• Use two-way pager for text messaging

• Use already installed instant messaging software

• Use already installed telnet client to attach to a remote machine acting as a MUD (text chat) server

• Use browser-based client to receive messages

It would probably be a very good idea to figure out just why your spouse is blocked from communicating with you, though, and whether any of these workarounds could get them into trouble.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

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No doubt something's changed w/ school's software & / or having probs, but still need to find way around it.

No offense, but only knowing you and your situation from a forum post, you could be a stalker for all anyone knows. I guess I don't get why a cell phone is out of the question since they can be silenced and carried to the restroom for discrete communication. You're also talking about not having time for SMS but then go on about the need to send/receive attachments?

Just seems like 'spouse's' communication is limited during work hours to actually working. Were I you, I would leave it that way lest someone gets fired or the police get involved.

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txt important messages, if he has a mail enabled phone add gmail, yahoo, etc to it. work mail is for work purposes, many have incorporated a middleman procedure where it gets sent to their supervisor for review prior to sending or it goes through their supervisor for approval for receive. your email address may have been flagged as do not send or recieve and then nothing you can do with your current email can be received or sent to.

personal txt or phone messages would be the way around it.

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No offense, but only knowing you and your situation from a forum post, you could be a stalker for all anyone knows. I guess I don't get why a cell phone is out of the question since they can be silenced and carried to the restroom for discrete communication. You're also talking about not having time for SMS but then go on about the need to send/receive attachments?

Just seems like 'spouse's' communication is limited during work hours to actually working. Were I you, I would leave it that way lest someone gets fired or the police get involved.

my exact thought. Cell phones are free nowadays on very cheap contracts so needing to get past a filter to send a msg that should be sent to txt anyways sounds very stalkerish.

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Thanks for replies.

R.F. - don't think you read my post too closely. I certainly don't mean to be sarcastic or unappreciative, but answering some questions would just be restating OP. But to clarify,

- Yes, it's a school & spouse is a teacher.

- Laptop is issued & completely maintained by school.

- email from me (& some parents) gets sent to spam acct - spouse must check a spam acct - is not able to read msgs there - only sender's name / address

- the school discourages personal email (for obvious reasons -some just chat all day), but there ARE important msgs that sometimes need immediate attn - like "need to contact your doctor's office ASAP". AND some important msgs that are private & no one would want to relay through a school secretary (may as well post on bulletin board).

- giveaways spouse works in a school:

Some teachers complaining msgs from parents also getting filtered.

...still has to retrieve thru school's server; ... school issued laptop :)

However, you had some ideas:

• Use two-way pager for text messaging [wouldn't be allowed]

• Use already installed instant messaging software [have to check if have one - school modifies what's on laptops. Not sure if school could still monitor IMs (use, if not content)]

• Use already installed telnet client to attach to a remote machine acting as a MUD (text chat) server [doubt it's an option - can check]

• Use browser-based client to receive messages

[this could work - have to try. Though "checking private email" definitely frowned on. If WAS able to install software (they're not), could keep server from seeing spouse was checking a web mail provider acct. Possible if server logs show teacher(s) logging into Gmail, etc., every day, admins would send out "reminder" or they'd just block access to the address (yeah, they'd do that). But, maybe important msgs would not get filtered as w/ email - or could say in webmail, "check you're text msgs."

Ironic - students can get around school FWs / blocking software to access porn, game sites, but teachers can't get important emails. :p ].

Forget pager - same reason as "no personal phone / cell calls. Same really applies to personal texting. Big NO NO. A district policy. And yes, admins do walk in all the time to see what teachers are doing.

Fairly often, there's little time between classes that isn't taken up by other required duties (parent conferences, covering other teachers' classes, etc. More often than most would imagine. On those days, (aside from true emergency), email is only logical method.

Often really poor cell phone reception in bldg. If it was a matter of extreme emergency, I could call front office & get msg through.

Soulsiphon - Not a helpful reply. "a stalker" - really? LOL. Don't you think either my spouse (or my stalking target) or the school / company could block emails from a abusive party? If you checked, I've been member here a long time.

...why a cell phone is out of the question

answered above.

Were I you, I would leave it that way lest someone gets fired or the police get involved.

LMAO. Police? You made my day! Not helpful... but amusing.

I mentioned attachments - 2 reasons. Possibly get by server scanning body of email & filtering. Sometimes documents need to be sent immediately, or need a signature, etc. Lots of reasons. This is 2011, not 1911.

You obviously aren't married or have kids, or one / both spouses have medical issues that sometimes need fairly immediate attn. I could go on. We live in 2011 & now have laws where in most work places, people can now actually go to the restroom when needed, for example. Sometimes they NEED to talk to their doctor during the day, not after work hrs, when Dr. is already gone. Dozens of other reasons.

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If it's "important"/urgent, then e-mail is a terrible medium. then you call the school and leave a message or have them call him up. of you have him set up his phone so that while at work only messages and calls from you will b e accepted, for semi urgent stuff, send a message and he can read in the break and for urgent stuff call him. I'm pretty sure they won't fire him for answering the phone when you call to say the the house is on fire and the baby is stuck inside on the second floor.

But how many "urgent" messages do you really need to send him ? sound like your idea of urgent differs from everyone elses. Maybe he's just saying stuff gets lost in the spam because he doesn't want to be bothered replying to your deluge of mails all day when he's trying to work :p

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Circumvention isn't really a neowin approved topic. And really if a block has been put in place in the spam filter to block your email address or entire domain, the only thing that can be done is a whitelist approval which your husband would have to go through the appropriate channels to do so. It can be done, it has been done before, and they do have access to whitelist your specific email if they want to.

Circumvention isn't really a neowin approved topic. And really if a block has been put in place in the spam filter to block your email address or entire domain, the only thing that can be done is a whitelist approval which your husband would have to go through the appropriate channels to do so. It can be done, it has been done before, and they do have access to whitelist your specific email if they want to.

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couldnt she make a google voice account and you can text her right on the pc & she can text you right to your phone ?

Thanks for a good, possible suggestion. Don't know if it's possible here, but will investigate.

Question - since it's Google & they scan most everything that passes thru servers, there are a few msgs that might not want them scanning (some couldn't care less or are oblivious).

Other question - never used google voice acct. If the text would go to spouse's desktop, "& she can text you right to your phone," would they be texting me back from their PHONE, or from laptop - or a choice of either?

What is the exact advantage (other than regular email not going thru school servers) of google voice acct, vs using webmail - assuming they didn't wind up blocking certain webmail server addresses? I understand it's text msg vs email, but it still must go thru school server - yes? (as an ISP?)- for the google voice text msgs? Maybe that the school won't be filtering this particular method?

What ever they do, it won't just be for MY spouse - it'll be for all teachers. We send fewer msgs in 2 wks than most (younger) teachers send in a day.

txt important messages, if he has a mail enabled phone add gmail, yahoo, etc to it.

Don't have mail enable phone service - probably won't.

Again, IN THE PAST, spouse was able to send / rec email to doctors, etc., or occasionally to from / me. PARENTS' emails didn't get filtered. School either - must have cracked down because people abusing, or spam filters have gone nuts. In a public school, if you wait for them to fix something, may be waiting a long time.

your email address may have been flagged as do not send or recieve and then nothing you can do with your current email can be received or sent to.

quite possible. Have tried using accts w/ other providers, previously not used w/ school servers. Have addressed them & intro sentence as a parent of student. Seems to have gone through - so far. Part about that I don't like is, to make it realistic - as from many parents, I need to make the emails rude & offensive.

personal txt or phone messages would be the way around it.

Phone isn't an option. Sometimes too much important info for txt msg. Sometimes (Ex.) I'm go between for spouse & doctor, because doc's office can't reach spouse at work.

Sometimes, would require several msgs back / forth to hash (for Ex.) making Dr's appt - day, time, appt times open, etc.. Spouse doesn't have time to send multiple txt msgs back / forth. Obviously, (no offense) those replying don't (have a spouse or themselves) teach public school in TX. They have NO free time. In states w/ unionized teachers, they are treated like professionals. For me, when was working in a corporate office - MUCH different.

Circumvention isn't really a neowin approved topic.

Right - again, LOL. No one ever posts asking how to keep gmail from filtering msgs when addresses are on white list, or in already address book?

Kinda jumped the gun there, didn't ya'? I HAVE NO IDEA (and neither do YOU) that suggestions I'm looking for have anything to do w/ circumvention. If you read post, OTHER teachers are complaining of parents' emails getting filtered. I have no idea, nor has there been any official communication from school about my spouse's acct or any other teachers' being "oddly" filtered (OR PARENTS' EMAIL filtered), in ways diff than past many yrs. Read the OP, please, so as to not make unfounded statements /accusation that I'm trying to do something wrong.

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Again, IN THE PAST, spouse was able to send / rec email to doctors, etc., or occasionally to from / me. PARENTS' emails didn't get filtered. School either - must have cracked down because people abusing, or spam filters have gone nuts. In a public school, if you wait for them to fix something, may be waiting a long time.

Past has nothing to do with present. Your issue is now, so we are dealing with now.

Have tried using accts w/ other providers, previously not used w/ school servers. Have addressed them & intro sentence as a parent of student. Seems to have gone through - so far. Part about that I don't like is, to make it realistic - as from many parents, I need to make the emails rude & offensive.

you are technically circumventing policies and proceedures that have put into place by creating another account to get around restrictions. it works but for how long is the question.....

Your issue is that the spam filter that has been put into place, regardless of what or how it is doing it, your/parents mail is not getting through. this unfortunatly is an IT issue and needs to be brought up to the principal if that is the case or the school board if the principal of the school is not any help. What you are doing, regardless of intent, is circumvention. I am more than happy to help regardless, just so you are aware that this topic is crossing a line. Let the mods choose if they come in here, I am not reporting it.

The issue is that perhaps being that you are using certain words that are flagged and because that is flagged the school wants nothing to do with your emails. I don't technically know what spam filter the school is using, its capabilities, or the rules instituted, but I can assure you that once your email address is flagged, unless you find away to mask the from as someone else in the mail header it isnt going through under that account. And if you mask it as someone else the reply will not go through, unless he sends a new mail to your account....but if that account is flagged from going out as well you will not be receiving that mail unless he sends it to another unflagged accout.

Are you seeing a pattern here? Blacklisted account is not going to function properly, the only real work around is to use another account. Once that account gets flagged again, another account will need to be used, and so on. The fix is to get the IT dept to whitelist the account...if they do not do so then you will have to use multiple accounts for mail communications.

If this is your site that you are trying to fix, it is some what of a manual process. Depending on the mail filter and the rules put into place, any mail going out could be put into a whitelist so that it will always go through. They or you many have this feature disabled for more control of mail coming in or going out. You as the end user have no control over this, if you did have access to change rules then no spam filter would be safe and would be a waste of money to put in place...

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Regardless of the reasons you feel you need to contact him, his employer apparently wants him working during work hours.

Your request in the OP is security circumvention, and against the site rules.

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