Need direction on establighing new email account

[Goodyt]

Apparently I am doing something incorrectly with my post, or my issue is so mundane as to not seem important to members of this forum. My general lack of technical expertise in things email-related make this issue of great importance to me, but even with a large number of views there has not been any responses to my plea for assistance. I would very much appreciate it if a moderator and/or member could provide some guidance for my situation.

I have a major issue with my Yahoo/AT&T email service. This is an account that I have used for 20+ years, but has now become so cumbersome with spam, and other issues, that I feel it is time to change.

I have always gotten spam messages, but Yahoo/AT&T has been reasonably competent at catching them. However, a few months ago, I began receiving massive onslaughts of emails wherein the "blocking" mechanism in Yahoo is useless because the spammers are changing their addresses with each hit so that my blocking efforts via their address does not work.

Aside from the 15 - 20 emails each day, I am also concerned about the recent notice that Yahoo has been bought by Verizon/Oath. My perception is that Verizon is maybe second only to Google Gmail with regard to the amount/kind of data it captures and markets on its subscribers.

My basic questions are:
1. When trying to completely start anew should I look at paid versus free mail service? I do not object to paying for the email account, but I am not knowledgeable enough to know the ins-n-outs of who, what, and how.
2. Will it be possible to capture all of my archived messages and/or contacts with a new email server?
3. Are there steps/actions that I can take to better insure not having the same spam problem I currently experience? (Please review the attachment of previous spam emails that I have captured and the issue of the sender(s) changing their address slightly to circumvent my efforts at blocking their messages.)
4. Are there recommended places/sites that would provide step-by-step instructions on how to successfully change the email service with the greatest chance of success/

Thank you in advance to all of you who might take in interest in assisting/counseling me on this dilemma.

Respectfully,

Tom Goodson

 

[EQ Admin]

Hi Tom,

Limited support for free email accounts is one of the troubles associated with them. I'll try to provide the simplest answer for each of your questions.

1) It's not necessary to switch to a paid email service. Gmail does a great job at filtering spam. If your preference is guaranteed customer service then I recommend buying your own domain name and using LuxSci email hosting. You wouldn't need to worry about their HIPAA features, I have been recommending them for years simply based on the level of customer service that their customers receive.

2) Yes, email can be migrated over IMAP from the Yahoo email service to your new email service. If all your email is in your inbox it might be possible to use the pop connector within many free email services too to get the old emails migrated.

3) I see a lot of prodigy in there. Can you try blocking *.prodigy.net? Again, spam moves around. Last I knew, the old Prodigy service is hosted by ATT, so maybe that's why it's having an easier time getting past the spam filtering.

4) I can continue to help guide you on a best effort basis on getting your email migrated. If you go with a paid service such as LuxSci, they have an option to help with getting your email migrated too.

Hope that helps! Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

[Goodyt]

Popowich,

Thank you so kindly for taking the time to respond to my request for assistance with my email issue. On the matter of LuxSci, I am preparing to make an initial contact with them, but would appreciate further input from you first.

I am not at all sure what hosting my on website means from a "real world" view point. Will I need -

• additional hardware-other than my Dell All-in-One computer?
• will LuxSci be interested in me as a customer in light of the fact that I 1) am an individual and not a business, 2) would probably need only their most basic service/pricing level of account, and 3) am quite obviously a true technical neophyte that will need some hand-holding along the way?

As to other points you made in your response -

• am I misinformed with regard to my belief that Gmail is 1) not a very secure program and 2) that Google surreptitiously collects and uses personal data that one may not wish to be collected?
• it is difficult for m to properly apply the term "guaranteed customer service" in my thought processes because, in the 20+ years that I have used Yahoo/AT&T I cannot remember ever having contacted them for assistance. I just sort of muddle along with matters to get me though the basics of daily email communications, and make the best decisions I can based on my limited knowledge of what might be happening at the moment.
• I would not know how to begin about blocking "*.prodigy.net" in the Yahoo system. The blocking I currently perform is a process within Yahoo wherein I highlight the offending emails and then click on "block." However, this process requires that there be an email with the address, so how would I block just "*.prodigy.net?"

I truly hope that I can get a better handle on my understanding of the technical aspects required before you just tire of my queries. Again, thank you so much for your assistance.