Update, 2003-01-30:
The next step in CM's evolution: New domain blacklist

In this update: There's a new domain blacklist (found under "Listings" in the navigational text on the site) that includes newly-collated data about each listed domain. This new format displays the domain name, owner, the domain's usage (mail origin, response links, redirect destinations, image hosting or From/Reply-To/Return-Path), the date of the first- and latest-received UCE involving the domain, and the number of UCEs received that use the domain in some capacity. The list is also sortable by most column headings. The new version of the list is generated by a FileMaker Pro database, although it isn't served in real time yet; it will be updated about once a week.

For the present, there will be two kinds of blacklists on the CM site: the original company-based blacklist containing comments (found here on this page), and the new database-generated domain blacklist.

As the database and reporting functions are improved, more refined data will be used for the new list. For example, some mailers have proven themselves to be "Domain Morphers." While using true WHOIS record info, putting up "legit-looking" web pages, staying put at one host and mailing from a consistent IP range, they frequently create new domains in order to circumvent filtering and blocking. This tactic makes blocking them by domain name impossible. For now, domain morphers will remain on the same list, but at some point we hope to segregate them to a "lower-level" list. There are also a few bits of data missing here and there, but the new format reveals more information about the Clueless (and not-so-clueless) Mailers involved.

Enjoy!

...Bob

2003-01-08:
The Smell of Profit...

Here's a fun tidbit I dug up...

I've recently gotten several pieces of UCE from a new "offers" marketer, so I decided to pay their website a visit. All in all, it's the typical minimal site using what appear to be generic stock images, with the usual sales pitch about email marketing, and pages for subscribing and unsubscribing.

On the unsub page, though, the stock image is that of an ancient Roman coin.

This started me thinking, so I Gargled for info. This particular coin turns out to be a silver denarius struck in 75 A.D., during the reign of Emperor Vespasian.

Coincidentally, I'd recently seen a TV documentary that talked about Vespasian. Interesting guy. I Gargled for a little more info on this particular Caesar, found some pages, and read this text...

Read the full article...

First and foremost, Clueless Mailers is about education, not punishment. Even though there are plenty of companies out there that are knowingly spamming, some mailers and marketers honestly don't know they are. Some don't fully understand what it takes to ensure that their lists truly are permission-based. Some list brokerage/list management companies offer legitimate confirmed opt-in mailing lists, even as they offer unconfirmed lists. And some marketers and advertisers don't realize that some lists they're buying may contain addresses that were added to those lists without the address owner's knowledge or permission. If you have a relationship with — or just happen to have contact with — a mailer, marketer or other entity that's mentioned on this website as having sent unsolicited commercial email (UCE), please make a good-faith effort to explain to that entity the importance of — and the practical reasons for — the decades-old Internet standard prohibiting the sending of UCE. And take the time to explain the tenets and simplicity of using a closed-loop confirmed opt-in subscription system.

We want the information on this site to be 100% factual and complete. In this website's short history, several marketers and mailers have already contacted the owner of the site, and have provided important information about their own mailing operations. Because of this, some of the info here has been corrected or clarified. In particular, some marketers have explained that they have left their previous host due to the host's spamming activities; some hosts have notified us that they have terminated clients for spamming; and some marketers have learned of the potential hazards of participating in some co-registration networks, due to those networks' acceptance of unconfirmed address submissions from a variety of unvetted sources.

Clueless Mailers wants to hear from you if you're an entity mentioned on this site, and there's information here that you think should be corrected or clarified. Just drop us a note via the contact form!

Email marketing works... when your recipients really do want your email. And it's easy to be positive they do... just follow the best practices for mailing list management , and you'll save yourself and your recipients time and money... and you'll save your reputation.

Here's to better business, and less unwanted email!

For more on Clueless Mailers and the growing problems of unauthorized info propagation, see About CM and our new Information links, below.

offermail.net
edirect.com
edirectnetwork.net
opt-in-net.net
optin-offers.net

backturner
extortionist
listpooler
maybehaus
stonewaller

ImazingOffers
AKA TrianaCorp LLC.

intervolved.net
giantrewards.com

jdrmedia.com: owned by JDR Media, and not used for spamming?
JDRDirect.com
RewardShoppers.com

jdrmedia1.com: domain registered by Lions Pride Enterprises while hosting JDR Media, allegedly without authorization from JDR. See notes.

For JDRMedia1.com: twistedhumor.com
(owned by spammer Lions Pride) > 2np.net
> Verio.net

For JDRMedia.com:
Inflow.net >
SprintLink.net

Update 2002-09-10: JDR Resumed direct sending of UCE on 2002-08-26, after a few months' hiatus. Email was sent to JDR on 2002-08-26 requesting discussion of the problem. No response was received. A resend of the original request was emailed on 2002-09-06. JDR replied the same day, asking for a contact phone number. It was sent immediately. JDR finally contacted us on 2002-09-18, but the only result was that JDR complained in a slightly-threatening manner about a reference on the CM site. Proof was provided to JDR, CM's copy was clarified... but the spam still flows. It's obvious that JDR is frsutrated at not beig able to buy clean lists, but that frustration has yet to motivate JDR to solve the problem by confirming permission. No further word from JDR.

twistedhumor.com
(owned by the spammer) > 2np.net
> Verio.net

Spam from these dunces increases. Owned by RankYou.com, part of the Lion's Pride Enterprises spamhaus operation. Abuse reports go to the upstream, twistedhumor.com, which is also owned by Lion's Pride. Listpooling/listpimping evidence rom their site: "Co-Registrations: Get as many as 300,000 new names each month." Spamvertisers include long-time spammer SpectorSoft, maker of spyware. RankYou also owns blazinglogic.com, a DVD-copying-software pimp site, which has spammed through dandyoffers.com. [Lead Greed originally Added 2/13/02.]

Updated 2002-06-27: Upstream is now 2np.net owned by the spammer, Lions Pride.

Airwire terminated this spammer in March of 2002.

Former upstreams: airwire.com >
epik.net >
Level3.net

optininc.com
opt-track.net
oihost.net
OI2.net
oii1.net
oii2.net
0i1i.net
opthost.com
opthome.com
optmails.com
brain2002.com
vertcoms.com

Opt-In World
SPAMMER TERMINATED

Airwire terminated this spammer in March of 2002.

Former upstreams: airwire.com >
epik.net >
Level3.net

UPDATE, 2002-06-28: Naviant (eDirect) has asquired SweepsClub; they have also acquired DataOneMarketing and has acquired a majority interest in 24/7 Real Media’s 24/7 Mail division. This last acquisition reportedly has created "the Largest Permission [sic] Based Direct Marketing Company." According to one source, "SweepsClub's mascot 'Filmore Pockets' [now] graces the offices of eDirect/Naviant." More on this coming soon. — Major spamhaus; part of a major spamming company... SweepsClub.com is owned by SweepsClub, Inc., AKA Richard Kaufman. Apparently owns its own upstream (ciberlynx.net) and Web host (WebUnited.com), so spam reports are totally ignored. Also is owner of NetGainz.com, an incentive marketing site. SweepsClub sends mail thru / is partnered with Clueless Mailer HiSpeedMedia.com. SweepsClub pays a bounty of $0.45 for each submitted, unconfirmed email address, so rewarding and spreading abuse. (See also HiSpeedMedia.com, ciberlynx.net, netgainz.com, webunited.com).

Target Email Direct

totaledata.com
ted2.net
itsSkippy.com
itsZofert.com

Added 2002-04-29: Massive spam, zero response to abuse reports. UUnet is also taking no apparent action. — From their site: "Azoogle is a web based email list management and delivery service, providing the functionality for companies and individuals to practice responsible, permission based emailmarketing. Our customers include opt-in list owners, publishers and marketers who use the service for distributing subscriber-based newsletters, e-zines, promotions and informational digests.
Azoogle only offers service to customers practicing permission based email marketing with 100% opt-in list.
We do not allow the system to be used for unsolicited commercial email."

Uh-huh.

listbuyer
listpimp ?
maybehaus

Experian / Exactis

(Also qualifies as an advertiser, since they are marketing their own products / services.)

Experian, et. al.:

aboutcreditexpert.com
ccprotection.com
creditexpert.com
emitravel.com
encoremarketing.com
experian.com
experianintact.co.uk
experianintact.com
fortune-builder.com
growmorebusiness.com
healthandbeautyclub.com
hgsclub.com
identitywatch.net
innovativedirectinc.com
onlinecreditinfo.com
pfwc.com
preferredtraveller.com
shoppersdiscount.com

Exactis:

exactis.com
tm0.com

listbuyer
listpooler
listpimp?

123offers.com
123offers.net
adprosolutions.com
apshostmailer.com
apshostmailer.net
apsoffers.com
apsoffers.net
deal123.net
deals123.com
hi-speedemail.com
hi-speedemail.net
hi-speedoffers.com
hi-speedoffers.net
hispeedmailer.com
hispeedmedia.com
hispeedoffers.com
hispeedoffers.net
hsmdeals.com
hsmdeals.net
hsmoffers.com
hsmoffers.net
hsmspecials.com
hsmspecials.net
kooldeals.net
luckydeals.net
luckyoffers.net
offers123.com
offers123.net
offerscentral.net
offertoday.com
offertoday.net
quickydeals.com
quickydeals.net
reallycooldeals.com
reallycooldeals.net
reallycooloffers.com
reallycooloffers.net
speeddeals.com
speeddeals.net
wowdeals.net
yesdeals.net

Spam origin:
cogentco.com

Response links
(www.m-ul.com/…) :
nyc-ip.net
> alter.net (uu.net)

Moved from Probation to Blacklist on 2002-04-29: Repeated Spam reports have brought zero results. — Their site says they don't listpimp or listpool, and they say, "We are committed to protecting the rights and privacy of Internet users and we do not allow the delivery of unsolicited commercial email (UCE)
through our system." Yeah, right. Although they claim they require that their customers' lists be 100% opt-in, they obviously do not require confirmed opt-in. Thus, the spam. — Spams through "newsletters" like "FreebieBlast" and "Bargain Bazaar". Spamvertizers include: Ramseygems.com, CasinoHeat.com, FinalSmoke.com, PrintPal.com, ConsumerCreditUSA.com, OneStopCellPhoneSupply.com, HomeGain.com, CarPrices.com, NetFlix, BingoFun.com, NetSuccessNow.com, Net Detective, OnLuck Casino, and many other frequently-seen spammers. — Also provides image hosting for spams sent by InBoxMedia.com for FoundMoney.com affiliate spammer #9468. [Listing originally placed on Probation on 2002-03-30]

network60.com
dm360.com
EasyWinning.com
RadioStakes.com

backturner
extortionist
listpimp
listpooler
maybehaus

backturner
listpimp
listpooler
maybehaus
stonewaller

pm0.net
mb00.net
postmastergeneral.com
mindsharedesign.com

topica.com
email-publisher.com
tfmb.net

yesmail.com
yesmail.net
ym0.net
ym1.net
p03.com
postdirect.com

Exodus

Updated 2002-09-12: Two years after the incompetent staff at DigitalWork unsubbed a nonexistent address (after several attempts), DigitalWork is back to spamming the very same nonexistent address, and is also knowingly pimping that non-existent address to other companies... like YesMail. As a result, both are now on the blacklist.

packetcity.com >
sprint.net/sprintlink.net

Level3
(mailed via cheetahmail)

Innovate it

Update, 2002-06-29: NO RECENT SPAM; MAY BE REMOVED FROM PROBATION.

UPDATED 6/26/2002:

The new trends

Over the past few months, there has been a dramatic increase in unsolicited commercial email ("UCE" or "spam") that is transmitted by mailers and/or "network marketers" using unconfirmed address lists supplied by themselves or their customers. These mailers do nothing about the abuse, or demand that spam victims surrender their address in order to be "unsubscribed." This practice might be seen as a kind of extortion, and leaves the spam victim open to spammer retaliation and the sale of the spammed address to even more spammers.

Atqui, inquit, e lotio est!

There is really no need for a spam victim to unsubscribe from something to which they never subscribed (it's also semantically impossible). But if the mailer just removes all addresses from their database for which they have no closed-loop confirmed opt-in records, then the recipient's address will be removed, and the abuse will stop. That is, if the ISP and the list owner understand what it takes to assure all their addresses are permission-based; if not, they'll simply keep demanding that the recipient give up their email address.

Unfortunately, in this sluggish economy, many ISPs and hosts are now allowing their customers to send this sort of "opt-out spam"... or these services are simply turning a blind eye to the activity. ISPs or mailers/marketers that allow opt-out spam and demand that you "unsubscribe" are performing a spam support service, called "list washing." In this new environment, the spammers aren't doing their own transmission anymore, the mailers are protecting the spammers by demanding opt-out, the ISPs are protecting their mailer/marketer customers — and no one is protecting the spam victim any longer.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

On the other hand, some mailers and marketers don't know that the lists they've bought contain addresses that were added without the address owners' permission. With the new popularity of "co-registration" networks, and the unfortunate abuse of some of those networks by opportunists, well-meaning network members are unwittingly sending email to recipients who never asked for it.

This mixture of clean lists with dirty ones, plus a mixture of deliberate spammers and unwitting senders of UCE, it's now harder than ever to tell the "white hats" from the "black hats."

So, unless the spam victim is willing to leave their email address open to mail bombing and/or additional spam after surrendering it to the sender, the only other option is automatic detection and deletion of UCE.

Wheat: In Box. Chaff: /dev/null

Because of these problems, the owner of this site now receives an average 120 pieces of unsolicited commercial email at his email accounts every day. This forced the creation of a private blocking list to use on his mail server. All mail from the companies listed is now being sent straight to /dev/null (oblivion), or it's being catalogued for tracking purposes. Either way, it never reaches an In Box. There's no other way to safely deal with it.

After creating this private blocking list, your CM webmaster realized that many of the mailers and marketers he was receiving UCE from were doing business with each other, and sharing their address lists. At the same time, ISPs and hosts began giving these purportedly legitimate companies new freedom to send unsolicited email. Knowing that this rapidly developing trend needed to be reported to email users, mailers and marketers alike, the CM webmaster created this site.

Permission granted?

The standards that define "permission" are, to some, varied and complex, while to others, either permission exists for a given address, or it doesn't. And methods of documenting the existence of any flavor of permission vary from company to company, and from community to community. But when all is said and done, either a recipient asked for a sender's email, or someone other than the recipient added the address to the list,

If an unauthorized person added an address to a list, that makes email sent to that address unsolicited. And since unsolicited commercial email has always created problems for users, admins and networks, UCE has always been a violation of Internet community standards. In turn, virtually all ISPs and hosts have contractual policies prohibiting UCE.

And there's the rub: many list managers say their lists are "opt-in". Unfortunately, because many don't adhere to the best practices for mailing list mangement, they have no real proof of permission. Even so, ISPs and hosts are accepting clients' claims that lists tagged "opt-in" are permission based, even though that's not always the case.

Plus, with the popularity of many co-reg networks' acceptance of unconfirmed address submissions, unauthorized address propagation is exploding.

We'll keep the light on for you

Hopefully, this site will illustrate some of these dangerous trends and policies, and will help educate and encourage mailers, marketers and ISPs to adopt and enforce the best practices for mailing list mangement.

The info on this site is compiled by the site owner, and represents the experience of just one spam recipient, so the data is anything but exhaustive. Your mileage may vary. In the future, the data here may be broadened to include user-provided info, but the foremost concern is that all of the information on the site is 100% accurate and complete. Doing our own collation and research helps assure that.

Speaking of which... If you and/or your company are mentioned on the CM site and there's some information here that you think should be corrected or clarified, please get in touch with us via the contact form. Only fair, accurate reportage will build and maintain the credibility of the Clueless Mailers website.

Spam is a financial draw for some, a financial liability for others, and an emotional issue for many. It's hoped that the facts can clarify, illuminate, and help to solve the difficulties arising from the rapid growth of the email marketing industry. We're working to help repair the unenlightened practices of many, and the unethical abuses of a few.

So, enough blabbage for now. Let's dig into the complex world of email marketing...

—Bob West