Use Email Headers When Reporting Spam

Why are headers important?

Without the headers from an email, CITES Security won't be able to help solve your problem. When reporting spam email, it is essential that you include the header information from the original email message. Email headers contain vital information about the path the email took and where it came from, but they are usually hidden from view by your email software.

For example, an email viewed in the CITES Express Email web interface usually looks like this image. However, when you view the headers, you see many more lines of information at the beginning, like this image. The additional information helps the Security team track down the source of the email and the way it arrived.

Tips for spam reporting

• Make sure you can see the headers in the mail you send.
  If you can't see the headers in the contents of the message you're forwarding, CITES Security won't either. Many email programs ask if you want to forward a message "as an attachment." Don't send the spam as an attachment because it will conceal the headers, which are the most important part of the message for spam-fighting efforts.
  
• Don't add extra information in the same message as the forwarded spam.
  If you have questions, please send them in a separate email. Extra information such as signature files or comments have to be removed before the Security team can process the spam.

How do I include full headers to report spam, phishing, and the like?

You should send your spam or phishing email to report-spam@uiuc.edu (and, if it's a phishing email, uce@ftc.gov). Links to instructions for the most popular email clients are presented alphabetically below.

• Apple Mail
• CITES Express Email
• Eudora
• Netscape Messenger
• Outlook 2003
• Outlook 2000 / 2002
• Pine