| Result | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Valid | Domain exists, has MX records, is accepting mail. Safe to send. | Keep in your list. |
| Will bounce | Domain doesn't exist, has no MX records, or is explicitly rejecting mail. This email will hard bounce. | Remove immediately. Sending to these damages your reputation. |
| Risky | Domain exists but MX configuration looks unusual — could be a catch-all, defunct domain, or spam trap. | Treat with caution. Only send if you have confirmed engagement from this address. |
or paste raw bounce emails below
Mailgun: Logs → Failures → Export CSV
SendGrid: Suppressions → Bounces → Export
Google Workspace: Admin → Reports → Email Log Search
Or: Simply paste the bounce email text above
Connect via IMAP — read bounces from your inbox
ClearPath connects to your mail server over IMAP (read-only), scans your inbox for bounce notifications from the Mail Delivery System, parses every error code, and builds a full bounce report. Works with Webfusion, cPanel, Fasthosts, or any IMAP-enabled mail server.
baloservices.co.uk — your specific situation
Based on your bounce error codes (550-5.7.26), your mail server at mail.baloservices.co.uk is sending emails on behalf of your domain but Gmail is rejecting them because DKIM and SPF are failing. The server then bounces back to your inbox. Something is triggering repeated outbound sends — likely a stuck mail queue, a compromised account, or a misconfigured auto-responder.
Connect above using your Webfusion email credentials
Use mail.baloservices.co.uk as the IMAP host, port 993. Enter the email address and password for your main baloservices.co.uk account. ClearPath will scan the last 6 months of bounces and show you every address that failed and why.
We identify every failing recipient
The addresses like singraman3310@gmail.com and sergejbragin219@gmail.com that keep triggering bounces — we'll find them all and show you where they came from in your mail system.
Flush the stuck mail queue
Log into Webfusion control panel → Email → Mail Queue. You'll see hundreds of stuck outbound emails. Select all and delete them. This stops the flood immediately. You need to do this manually in cPanel — ClearPath will guide you through exactly where to find it.
Fix authentication so it never happens again
Go to the Fix the root cause tab — it has your exact DKIM and SPF fix steps for Webfusion. Once authentication is in place, even if emails do go out they'll pass Gmail's checks.
550-5.7.26 means Gmail is rejecting all outbound email because DKIM and SPF authentication are failing. Below are your exact fixes.
| Code | Name | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
550-5.7.26 |
Unauthenticated sender | DKIM and SPF both failing. Gmail requires at least one. | Add DKIM record + fix SPF to include your sending IP |
550 5.1.1 |
User unknown | Email address doesn't exist at the destination server. | Hard bounce — remove address from all lists immediately |
421 |
Server temporarily unavailable | Destination server is busy or rate-limiting you. Soft bounce. | Retry later. If persistent, reduce sending volume. |
450 4.2.1 |
Mailbox unavailable | Recipient mailbox is full or temporarily disabled. | Soft bounce — retry once after 48 hours then suppress. |
552 |
Message too large | Email exceeds recipient server's size limit. | Reduce attachments. Keep emails under 10MB. |
554 5.7.1 |
Spam rejected | Receiving server's spam filter blocked the message. | Check blacklist status, improve content, add DMARC. |
550 5.7.1 |
Blocked by policy | Your IP or domain is on a blacklist. | Run a ClearPath scan and begin delisting process. |
DKIM is a digital signature that proves your emails genuinely came from your server. Gmail's error 550-5.7.26 is specifically rejecting you because DKIM is missing. This is the most important fix.
Log into Webfusion / Fasthosts control panel
Go to my.webfusion.co.uk or www.fasthosts.co.uk → log in → find your domain baloservices.co.uk
Find DKIM in Email settings
Go to Email → Email Hosting → select your domain → look for DKIM or Email Authentication. Webfusion/Fasthosts has a one-click DKIM enable button. Click it and save.
If no DKIM option: add manually via DNS
Go to DNS Management → Add TXT record
Host: default._domainkey.baloservices.co.uk
Value: Webfusion will give you a key in their email settings panel. If you can't find it, open a support ticket with them specifically requesting DKIM key generation for your domain.
Verify after 24 hours
Come back and run a ClearPath scan on baloservices.co.uk — the DKIM check will show green when it's live.
Your bounce shows SPF [yahoo.com] with ip: [217.154.41.178] = did not pass. This means Yahoo's servers sent email claiming to be from baloservices.co.uk — but your SPF record doesn't authorise Yahoo. The deeper issue: you should not be sending baloservices.co.uk email through Yahoo at all. Use your Webfusion mail server directly.
Host: baloservices.co.uk
Value: v=spf1 include:fasthosts.co.uk ip4:217.154.41.178 ~all
Add this in Webfusion DNS Management. If a TXT record already exists starting with v=spf1, edit it — don't add a second one.
Your server is retrying the same failed sends hundreds of times. This is the loop you're experiencing. You need to flush the queue to stop it immediately.
Log into Webfusion cPanel
Go to your Webfusion control panel → find cPanel → log in
Find the Mail Queue
In cPanel → search for "Email Deliverability" or "Track Delivery" → look for Mail Queue Manager or Exim Mail Queue
Delete all queued messages
Select all → Delete all. This will stop the bounces immediately. The emails in the queue are failed attempts to reach Gmail addresses — they are not legitimate emails you need to keep.
Check for auto-responders
In cPanel → Email → Auto Responders — if any are listed, disable them all. An auto-responder can trigger thousands of sends to dead addresses if someone spam-bombed your contact form.
Your bounces show SPF [yahoo.com] — meaning Yahoo's servers are trying to send email on behalf of baloservices.co.uk. Gmail sees this as spoofing and rejects it. You need to either remove this configuration or fix it properly.
Open Yahoo Mail settings
Yahoo Mail → Settings (gear icon) → More Settings → Mailboxes or Accounts
Find baloservices.co.uk identity
If you see baloservices.co.uk listed as a "Send mail as" address, click it.
Either remove it or reconfigure with SMTP
Option A (remove): Delete the identity entirely. Send from your Webfusion email directly instead.
Option B (fix): Change the SMTP server to mail.baloservices.co.uk, port 587, with your Webfusion email credentials. This routes sends through your own server where SPF and DKIM will pass.
Submit a support ticket and our team will guide you step by step through your Webfusion settings — or request the ISP escalation letter to send to Webfusion directly.