Email auto forwarding to Gmail doesn't work

[jdabud-Davud]

Hello All,

This is the second of my issues on Bell Email. The first is here. Both issues can be found with Gmail. Certainly the first and probably both are to be found for other providers.

When a Gmail message is used forwarded using auto-forwarding, Gmail sends a bounce message to the original sender like the one appended after "=============", below.

The problem should be diagnosed by Bell email experts (assuming there are any), but the likely cause is that the automated forwarding system forwards messages as is (which it does, but should not do) and does not forward them (as it should) in an envelope which identifies the forwarding user (for example me) in the From field.

In other words, Bell should forward messages as the forwarding users would if they forwarded messages manually.

As it is, Bell will look like a Spammer to the receiving system. Not good!

All the best,

David.

=============

This is an automatically generated message. French will follow.

Your message was not delivered. Try sending smaller sized messages or using another header. If the problem persists, it might be caused by the destination computer.

Votre message n'a pas été envoyé. Essayez d'envoyer des courriels de plus petites tailles ou de changer le sujet du courriel. Si le problème persiste, ceci peut être causé par l'ordinateur du destinataire.

Your message was rejected by gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com for the following reason:

5.7.25 [XXX.XX.XXX.XX] The IP address sending this message does not have a
5.7.25 PTR record setup or the corresponding forward DNS entry does not
5.7.25 point to the sending IP. As a policy, Gmail does not accept messages
5.7.25 from IPs with missing PTR records. Please visit
5.7.25 https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126#ip-practices for more
5.7.25 information. w5-20020a056e02190500b00323080c7301si27078515ilu.111 - gsmtp

[jdabud-Davud]

The problem (see the above for context) is that "the corresponding forward DNS entry (i.e., the Bell server performing the auto forward) does not point to the sending IP" (i.e., the server that sent the message that the auto-forwarded). Bell is performing a security violation by forwarding a message from a non-Bell server. Gmail is right to reject the message.

I know what I'm talking about here. I was a software designer on a secure email project.

The header of the message should use the email address of the Bell user who set up the auto-forwarding in the "From:" field.

The forwarded message should appear within the body of the message (just as in a manually forwarded message).

The actual forwarded messages (with all headers as received by Bell) should also be included as an attachment to the auto-forwarded message.

Another issue to follow.

David.

[jdabud-Davud]

Here is the other issue.

There must be a step in setting up auto-forwarding that requires the receiving users to manually (no robots allowed) verify their willingness to receive the forwarded messages.

This is obvious, right?

So why hasn't Bell implemented the step?

David.

[BellNick]

Hi there @jdabud-Davud 
Thank you for your post. We'd like to take a closer look into this and have sent you a private message.
Please check your Messages within your profile avatar in the top right corner.
Unsure how to check or send a private message? See How to send a private message

[Andy10]

The problem occurs only to some of our emails; any suggestions on what to check or other details to find out?  Here's what I know so far.

I sometimes have my sympatico.ca email forwarded to my gmail address.  This is set up by logging into my sympatico account at webmail.bell.net and enabling the forwarding to that gmail address.

If my wife writes and sends me an email from her iphone, then it arrives at sympatico, is also forwarded to gmail, and arrives there OK and with no error message back to her.  The iPhone is linked to a hotmail address.

If my wife forwards an email she received, then it arrives in my sympatico inbox but gmail reports an error and refuses to accept the email, with the following response.

The IP address sending this message does not have a
    5.7.25 PTR record setup, or the corresponding forward DNS entry does not
    5.7.25 point to the sending IP. As a policy, Gmail does not accept messages
    5.7.25 from IPs with missing PTR records

Is this also because the forwarded email is being sent from the iPhone but appears to be from the original sender instead of actually being a forwarded email being sent by my wife, so IP addresses or other info don't match properly?

I haven't done enough tracking of the issue to know if all forwarded emails fail, only some, or only ones from certain email domains.  

Andy

[CalayuganKings]

Similar Problem for me. 

I use Outlook Desktop, and I have three different eMails.

1. Bell Web Mail
2. Google GMail
3. Microsoft Hotmail.

If I send a message from Outlook using From my Hotmail eMail account to a Google GMAIL account, I get a message from Bell, which states that the GMAIL SMTP server rejected the message from Bell. The IP Address listed is the public IP Address on the Router, as given to me by Bell.

So, if Google's SMTP Server is correct in rejecting my FROM HotMail TO GMAIL, then how can I fix that?

I don't want to use the Bell Web Mail address in FROM, because I have my signatures set up in Outlook, and I don't want to worry about unique configurations for eMails I send.

Bell, if you have any information on this, respond here and I will collaborate.

Calayugan Kings

[BellDRock · Accepted solution]

It is recommended that users do not use forwarding to and from any network. All major email platforms now implement SPF policy. SPF policy is standard email practice.

SPF validation verifies if the sending server is allowed to send from the “mailfrom” domain. In this case, the message is being forwarded by the Bell server with the from address x@hotmail.com. This breaks the SPF.

From addresses with hotmail.com (and others) cannot be forwarded successfully by the Bell mail server. Additionally forwarding from any third party email platform to Bell, will not be delivered.

The mail servers are following instructions of the 3rd party domain /SPF record, by not allowing other mail servers to send of their behalf.

For this reason, forwarding email on any network is not recommended.

[jdabud-Davud]

Hi @BellDRock .

The problem is that Bell does not implement autoforward correctly . It should either forward within an envelope (as manually forwarded messages  are forwarded), or it should get rid of autoforwarding. As it is, Bell software (as you say) is using an outdated method