Microsoft has strict anti-spam policies. Therefore, when hiring a Dedicated Server or VPS, some customers are faced with dirty IPs, having their emails blocked by internet giants such as Microsoft.
When I tried to send an email from my server to a @hotmail.com address, the email was returned with the following error message:
host mx4.hotmail.com [xx .xx.xxx.xx]
SMTP error from remote mail server after pipelined MAIL FROM:<[email protected]> SIZE=1826:
550 SC-001 (BAY004-MC2F38) Unfortunately, messages from xxx.xx.xx.xxx weren’t sent. Please contact your Internet service provider since part of their network is on our block list. You can also refer your provider to http://mail.live.com/mail/troubleshooting.aspx#errors.
The error above has code“550 SC-001“. When I consulted Microsoft’s error table, https://mail.live.com/mail/troubleshooting.aspx, I discovered that the IP was blocked for SPAM:
Mail rejected by Outlook.com for policy reasons. Reasons for rejection may be related to content with spam-like characteristics or IP/domain reputation. If you are not an email/network admin please contact your Email/Internet Service Provider for help.
In this short article, I’ll show you how to unblock your IP.
How can I unblock the IP of a server banned by Micrososft (Hotmail, Outlook, etc.)?
Luckily for us, Microsoft has made a very simple form available for you to fill in with the following data:
- Contact name/email.
- Domain to which the emails are being sent.
- IP address(es) from which the emails are being sent.
- Error message (bounce)
The form can be filled in at the following link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/getsupport?oaspworkflow=start_1.0.0.0&wfname=capsub&productkey=edfsmsbl3&ccsid=635997804625059841
From my own experience, my calls were answered and resolved in less than 24 hours. Once your IP has been unblocked, all you have to do is wait up to 48 hours for the unblocking to be fully propagated on Microsoft’s servers.
