Welcome to CluelessMailers.org!

Launch date: January 5, 2002.
Version 1.71
Updated: January 31, 2003, 2:10am PT
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ON PROBATION  |  OFFENSE CODES  |
"I cannot consent to pay for a privilege where I have intrinsic right." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Surrendering an email address in order to stop spamming abuse means giving in to extortion
Information:
for Blocking Lists and Admins  |  for Mailers & Marketers  |  for Email Users  |

Update, 2003-01-30:
Messages for Contributors:

anonymiss — Please get back in touch with us via the contact form, and please leave a working email address (free accounts are great for this stuff). Yes, we're aware of the mailing operation you referred to. Some of their domains are on the new domain blacklist. We really appreciate the info you contributed, but we need to know specifically what we can publish and what we can't... and we'd like to get a confirmation from an additional source if possible. Remember: your contribution only helps if it can be used. Thanks!


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


Articles:

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...


What we're about

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.


All content in RED is newly added or changed.
BLACKLISTED | NETWORK MARKETERS | MAILERS | ADVERTISERS | ISPs/WEB HOSTS |
All incoming mail originating from or referencing domains on the CM webmaster's personal blacklist is sent directly to /dev/null (oblivion) on the webmaster's mail servers, or is archived for without being read. Email received from/through the blacklisted mailers/marketers/advertisers by the CM Webmaster has been solicited from them by the recipient.
"NETWORK MARKETERS" ...These companies either buy and use unconfirmed lists, or allow "members" to add unconfirmed addresses to a central database, so spammers are signing up victims for not only their own spew, but spew from others.
COMPANY DOMAIN(S) OFFENSE UPSTREAM(S) COMMENTS
allthingzfree.com www.allthingzfree.com listpimp adz.cc Spamvertized themselves through a Postmaster General mailing. (Mindshare Design customer ID "goshop") They "share your personal information with their marketing partners."
Custom Offers astonishingfinds.com
consumerbaseinc.com
consumerbaseusa.com
customoffers.com
customoffersmail.com
dentistlookup.com
email-lookup.com
excitingemail.com
mdlookup.com
mosaic.com
mosaicdatasolutions.com
mosaicretail.com
mosaicrm.com
offerstore.net
rewardemail.com
backturner
listpooler
extortionist
stonewaller
Exodus.net Update, 2003-01-08: Business as usual for long-time Exodus UCE client Custom Offers; they've added two new domains to their stable — astonishingfinds.com and excitingemail.com — probably so they can "avoid consumer burnout" as email marketers often say ... and, coincidentally, they can also avoid the blocking and filters previously set up in reponse to their unsolicited email. They may stop sending you UCE regarding their other domains, but begin sending it using these. — also updated their domain list. — Exodus auto-replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action. Spamvertizers/Partners: Winfreestuff.com, WinningKey.com, FreeTreasures4U.com, FreePrizePalace.com, Inbox-Offers.com, Tel3.com; Partner in spam: eDirect Network (offermail.net) (see their listing on this site).
DandyOffers.com dandyoffers.com listpooler   Part of the listpooling "itsImazing Network." First spam received on 1/28/02: "Welcome to DandyOffers; As a member of the itsImazing Network, you are already receiving valuable offers. We are pleased to introduce ourselves as the newest partner to the itsImazing Network. You can expect to receive more exciting promotional offers from us..." Sends mail thru roi1.net... and straight to /dev/null, baby.
eDirect Network
(now merged with Naviant, eDirect, Inc., was a
100% owned subsidiary of Seisint, Inc., formerly known as eData.com)

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

backturner
extortionist
listpooler
maybehaus
stonewaller

for offermail.net: WebUnited.net > CW.net; part of sweepsclub.com? . . . for edirect.com, edirectnetwork.com: ciberlynx.net > traci.net > sprintlink.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. — eDirect/OfferMail says they mail to "confirmed" addresses; unfortunately, they are actually sending opt-out spam. They also practice address matching ("email appending"). OfferMail.net's WHOIS listing says their address is The White House. Proprietor: Scott Hirsch (owner of pornhaus DoMeLive.com and its parent company, the Internet Video Group). Some of their spamvertiser customers: Netflix.com, DirtCheapDomain.com, et. al. . . . www.offermail.net (used in response links) redirects to www.edirect.com. Partner in spam: network marketer customoffers.com (see their listing on this site).
em5000.com em5000.com backturner
listpimp
listpooler
Verio.net
(Formerly
twistedhumor.com (owned by spamhaus) > cybercon.com > Level3.net
em5000 is part of the massive Lions Pride/RankYou.com/Lead Greed/etc. operation. Cybercon (their former upstream) says they were finally terminated for spamming. [See listing for the now-clean(?) JDR Media for more info]. em5000 has moved to Verio; Lions Pride domains now spam through new domain 2np.net, apparently owned by Lions Pride or a subsidiary. — em5000 claims on their website not to own mailing lists, but rather to coordinate website co-registrations among their list-owner customers. Since these registrations are apparently not confirmed opt-in, this earns them both the listpimp and listpooler offense codes. Spamvertizers: hpsfreebies.com, I-Want-My-Free-Dish.com AKA mini-dish.com (DirecTV retailer), gotomypc.com / expertcity.com / desktopstreaming.com, et. al.
Freeze.com freeze.com backturner
listpooler
stonewaller
Rackspace.com > swbell.net Rackspace auto-replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action. Freeze is a long-time network marketing mailer. Tried to educate them, but they failed to get a clue, even after many emails exchanged, even with top management. So, they go straight to the Bit Bucket. Partner in spam: optinglobal.com (see their listing on this site)
Glooby.com
(website now in stealth mode?)
glooby.com backturner
listpooler
Softaware.com Softaware does not acknowledge abuse reports; they apparently are forwarding all reports to the mailer without taking action. — 1/6/02: Glooby website front door currently makes it look like they could be dead, but referral links still work.
GroupLotto grouplotto.com
etracks.com
networkpromotion.com
backturner
extortionist
listpimp
listpooler
spamclown
stonewaller
for grouplotto.com:
navisite.net >
internap.com

for etracks.com:
home.net
Navisite does not reply to abuse reports. It's not known whether they discipline spamming customers, forward the complaint to the spammer, or just twiddle their thumbs. GroupLotto is one of the original Clueless Mailers, and one of the most infamous. Lots of scamming spamvertizers, including Miss Cleo and magazine cons Consolidated Media Services (AKA "WCP"). GroupLotto sold at least one of my email addresses to CustomOffers.com... and on down the line.
iExpect.com iexpect.com backturner
listpimp
Exodus.net Exodus auto-replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action. iExpect auto-replies to abuse reports and takes no action. iExpect bills itself as "A Free Reminder - Notification Service on Your Personal
Interests; Movies, Books, Music, Shopping and more". It's the "more" that'll kill ya. Read the fine print: if you sign up, they sell your personal info. So, in reality, they're a spammy listbroker / marketer. Spamvertisers: long-time spammer jobsonline.com, and clickhereforcellphones.com, many more. No response so far from iExpect to abuse reports.

ImazingOffers
AKA TrianaCorp LLC.

imazingoffers.com backturner
listpimp
listpooler
Verio.net Abuse reports sent to Verio get zero results; spam continues unabated. Got my first spam from them on 1/9/02. Company buys lists or partners with other companies (listpooling), as well as soliciting memberships on their own site. Partner in spam: opt-inworld.com (see also their listing on this site). Same owner as ItsImazing (see their listing on this site)
Inside Offers inside-offers.com backturner
listpooler
stonewaller
Epoch.net Epoch auto-replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action.
Intervolved /
Giant Rewards

intervolved.net
giantrewards.com

backturner
extortionist
listpooler
listpooler
maybehaus
stonewaller
Level3.net Level3 replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action: "Our investigation has shown that the responsible ISP is: Giant Results" ...AKA GiantRewards, the Clueless Mailer. GiantRewards / Intervolved ignores virtually all complaints, occasionally offering to "close the member's account". Naturally, anyone they add to their spamming list somehow magically becomes a "member." — UPDATED 2002-06-28: Without saying it outright, language formerly found on this page on their website virtually guaranteed that you could send spam through them and not be reported or lose your Internet service for it... because they concealed the advertiser's identity in the email. (Even though they displayed a "No Spam" icon.) Naturally, if a complaint came in, Intervolved could say they were only mailing on behalf of a client, who owned the list... and/or say, "Just unsubscribe." But wait — Intervolved updated that page on March 5th, 2002, and that language is gone. They now say, "Before Intervolved delivers a single email for a network partner, that company must commit that its members have agreed to receive such email messages. Permission of new subscribers is fully verified before mailings commence." Unfortunately, the spam from them hasn't stopped arriving in our inboxes; some still doesn't identify the advertiser, or makes the name hard to find. And yet another CM-monitored email address was added, without permission, to their list(s) on March 23, 2002. Their policies may or may not have changed, but the spam continues to flow. — Among Intervolved spamvertizers: NetFlix, ColumbiaHouse, BMG, YourFreePresent.com, InPhonic (VoiceStream reseller)... and/or their unfettered affiliates.
itsImazing.com AKA TrianaCorp LLC. itsImazing.com
networkpromotion.com
backturner
listpimp
listpooler
etrafficers.com >
Verio.net
Abuse reports pending — Got my first spam from them on 1/10/02. Domain name and posted privacy policy similarities make it appear that they are a clone of imazingoffers.com. Company buys lists or partners with other companies (listpooling), as well as soliciting memberships on their own site. Partner in spam: itsabsolutelyfree.com. Their immediate upstream, etrafficers.com, hosts automated "Mortgage company websites." Bad sign. Transmitter of spam/link fulfillment provider was networkpromotion.com. Funny... Their website seems to be dead. Same owner as ImazingOffers.com (see their listing on this site)
JDR Media, Inc.
Update 2002-09-10: JDR Resumed direct spamming on 2002-08-26, after a few months' hiatus. JDR is slow to respond to requests for info. As of 2002-09-10, they are now back on the blacklist.

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.

listpimp
listpooler

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.

Lead Greed leadgreed.com backturner
listpimp
listpooler
stonewaller

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.

NetFlip netflip.com
metareward.com
backturner
listpooler
stonewaller
UU.net Incentives marketer, network marketer. NetFlip claims that if you join the service, they will not reveal your personal info unless you agree, and that advertisers are not given that info. NetFlip makes a lot of noise (even mentioning legal action) about being anti-spam, but ignores abuse reports. Advertisers: DirecTV, Shell Platinum MasterCard, FirstUSA, Columbia House, LuckySurf.com, Motley Fool, Chase iCard, CoolSavings, insWeb, American Express Platinum Card, NetFlix, People Magazine, ReliaQuote, Half.com, American Express Blue, Centennial Visa / MasterCard, Entertainment Weekly, GetSmart Visa, eBay, Fleet Titanium Cash Rebate Visa, Sprint Nickel Anytime (some possibly spamvertized by "affiliates")
OptInGlobal.com
SPAMMER TERMINATED
optinglobal.com
optin-global.com
backturner
listbuyer
listpimp
listpooler
maybehaus
stonewaller

Airwire terminated this spammer in March of 2002.

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

UPDATE, 2002-06-27: Airwire.com contacted the CM webmaster to say that they ejected these spammers in March. Thanks for the info, and thanks for terminating spammers, Airwire! — OptInGlobal.com: Well-known mailer used by spammers. Possible partner in spam: Freeze.com (see their listing here on this site). Images hosted at Freeze have been seen in VoiceStream ([email protected]) spams sent via OptInGlobal. OptInGlobal says on their site: "OptinGlobal does not sell or exchange your personally identifiable information to third parties without notice to you." Doesn't matter much if they allow customers to send email to unconfirmed addresses.
OptIn, Inc.
(AKA "The Opt-In Network")

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

backturner
listbuyer
listpimp
listpooler
maybehaus
stonewaller
Exodus.net,
webunited.com
Exodus auto-replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action. Well-known mailer used by spammers. — 2/12/02: optweb1.optmails.com seems to have been moved to (or created at) spamhaus WebUnited.com (AKA SweepsClub.com [see also]), while opt-track.net remains at Exodus. Obviously, these two huge spamhausen are now working together.

Opt-In World
SPAMMER TERMINATED

opt-inworld.com
opt-inworld-1.com
opt-inworld-2.com
opt-inworld-3.com
listpimp
listpooler
maybehaus

Airwire terminated this spammer in March of 2002.

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

UPDATE, 2002-06-27: Airwire.com contacted the CM webmaster to say that they ejected these spammers in March. Thanks for the info, and thanks for terminating spammers, Airwire! — OptInWorld.com: No contact or company info whatsoever at their site. Opt-inworld supposedly uses confirmed opt-in (enabled by Subscribe Me 2.033E - Enterprise Edition), and say they will not complete a subscription without a confirming response. Partner in spam: imazingoffers.com (see also their listing on this site).
SweepsClub, Inc. sweepsclub.com
ciberlynx.net
webunited.com
backturner
listpimp
listpooler

spamdunce
stonewaller
ciberlynx.net (owned by spamhaus SweepsClub)

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

temd.net
TargetEmailDirect.com
backturner
listpooler
listpimp
adcnap.net > SprintLink.net > Qwest, etc. A massive spamhaus, yet there is much language on their site about not spamming— They even use the word "morality". And in their emails, they disclaim, "Your email has been submitted and verified for online promotions and offers." Verified as deliverable, perhaps, but certainly not in terms of permission.
Total eData

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

backturner
maybehaus
  Very large mailer / marketer. Their fingers are in a lot of pies. One example: they are the parent company of TrianaCorp, which owns the ItsImazing Network and ImazingOffers.com. More info to come.
Virtumundo virtumundo.com
vmadmin.com
treeloot.com
carhunt.com (out of business?)
speedyreward.com (dead?)
memberprize.com
backturner
listpimp
stonewaller
Exodus.net 2002-04-29: To date, Virtumundo is the most consistently prolific spammer from among the Clueless Mailers. Exodus auto-replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action. Virtumundo spams from lists it owns, on behalf of advertisers. Spamvertizers: Columbia House, BargainDog, Consumer Credit USA, X-10, CoolSavings, CreditProvider, Discover Platinum Card, PreferredTraveller.com, The Loan Page, EarthLink/Sprint, Dish Network, fastweb.com, Uproar.com, Snore M.D., PriceLine Mortgage... Oh, too many Clueless Clients or their Clueless Affiliates to mention.
WinFreeStuff.com
WfsDirect.com
winfreestuff.com
WFSDirect.com
listpimp
listpooler
stonewaller
First Technology Solutions (ftspower.com) >
UU.net
Update, 2002-06-29: First National Bank of Omaha contacted the CM webmaster to say, "One of our subsidiaries, First Technology Solutions, provides a hosting service to winfreestuff.com, but First National Bank of Omaha is not affiliated with winfreestuff.com nor do we endorse their services or e-mail practices." We've encouraged the bank to direct their subsidiary to enforce a policy of proven permission. Response is pending. — Update, 2002-06-29: Marketer that advertises through CustomOffers; is sponsored by FingerHut. WinFreeStuff.com is the registrant for WfsDirect.com. WfsDirect provides mailing ("access to over 100 million
customers"), "lead generation" as well as data appending and reverse-appending services. The appending-process diagram on their site shows that they clean a client's appended email list of bounces... but doesn't mention opt-in or opt-out. In other words, the recipient is added to the spammer's list whether they like it or not. 2/13/02: Moved from Probation to Blacklist after additional spam, further research and lack of response to spam complaints.
MARKETERS, MAILERS, REQUEST PROCESSORS ...These mailing companies allow customers to use their own mailing lists, so spammers can send thousands— even millions of spams without using their own ISP. These mailers usually demand that spam victims reveal their address in exchange for an end to the abuse. These companies may also serve to process encoded links and track spammers' commissions.
COMPANY DOMAIN(S) OFFENSE UPSTREAM(S) COMMENTS
Azoogle.com azoogle.com backturner alter.net (uu.net)

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.

eDeliverEase edeliverease.com
Now apparently defunct
backturner
listpimp

maybehaus
bellsouth.net Mailer used by spammers.
eMarketing.ph
(www.*currently dead?)
emarketing.ph backturner
listbuyer
listpimp

maybehaus
mozcom.net / mozcom.com Mailer used by spammers. Based in Manila.
Equifax equifax.com
...plus tons of subsidiaries' domains

listbuyer
listpimp ?
maybehaus

  Update, 2002-09-18: Since Equifax has bought Naviant, and Naviant had previously bought SweepsClub, and SweepsClub owns Ciberlynx and WebUnited... and all of those owned entities have long been involved in the sending of UCE, Equifax now moves to the blacklist. The combination of one of the world's largest credit-reporting agencies — with their massive database of personal information — with well-known spamming operations — including some apparent header-forging activities — is more than a little frightening.

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?

  Update, 2003-01-08: Moved from Probation to Blacklist; Experian is now the largest, most widely-connected company blacklisted here. But this creates a unique situation... Some email delivered by them via their Exactis arm is legitimate, so this admin must whitelist their mail to American Express account holders, etc. Readers are advised that this information should be viewed and used with extreme caution and circumspection. — After a closer look at CM's database of incoming UCE, it was found that Experian is directly or indirectly involved in much more UCE than previously thought... making UCE involving them more than just the work of rogue affiliates. It appears that Experian may allow or commission a number of marketers to send business their way, without vetting the lists those marketers use. In addition, Experian appears to run its own marketing companies. Many entities use several/many different company names for ownership of the domains they use, though not always for deliberate purposes of evasion. Connections were found among several "credit report" domains, and it now looks like Experian does business as, owns, operates, or partners with these other names and companies so closely as to make them indistinguishable from Experian itself: Experian Information Services Inc.; Experian Information Solutions Inc.; Encore Marketing International, Inc.; Innovative Direct, Inc.; CreditExpert, L.L.C.; Credit Card Protection Agency (AKA Credit Card Protection). An additional company, Synectics Solutions Ltd. may be separate, and may be serving as a vendor. Domains owned under these names/companies are now listed at left. If these companies are not all owned by Experian, they're certainly trying to make it look like they are. — Update, 2002-09-18: Oops... We previously stated here that Experian bought Naviant, but it was Equifax that bought Naviant. We inadvertantly combined two listings. Our apologies for the error. Experian may move to the blacklist, but because of its repeated use of unconfirmed addresses, or allowing its marketers to do so. — A moderate amount of spam involving them so far, and some legitimate mail is delivered by them, like American Express small business updates, but their data-gathering and listpooling practices earn them a spot here.
Hi Speed Media

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

  For HiSpeedMedia.com (email): ABAC.COM
For HiSpeedMedia.com (web): WebVision.com (formerly XO.COM) > Level3.net
For hispeedmailer.com and hispeedoffers.com: COGENTO.COM
For spamvertizer netgainz.com (OWNED BY SWEEPSCLUB, INC, AKA Richard Kaufman) -- CIBERLYNX.NET (SPAMHAUS) AKA SWEEPSCLUB.COM (SPAMHAUS) > SPRINTLINK.NET
Update 2002-09-13: Additional domains added. Only 4 of the 41 listed domains have not been involved in UCE sent to the monitored addresses, either through origination or response links. More interesting is that HiSpeedMedia has used 36 of the 41 listed domains for the origination of UCE. There seems to this webmaster to be no logical, practical or technical reason why a company would need or desire use so many similar yet unique domains for originating mail— other than to attempt to avoid blocking by ISPs and filtering by users. Why would an ethical company use tactics employed by header-forging, server-hijacking underground spammers? If there's a legitimate reason, we'd love to know. — Moved from Probation to Blacklist on 2002-04-29: "Over 120 million email addresses" ...a "Network of Sites". Another network marketer that gathers and pools addresses. Interestingly enough, their website doesn't mention the name of a single one of them. Spamvertizers include NetGainz.com, another spam marketing site owned by major spamhaus SweepsClub. SweepsClub is apparently sharing addresses with (is a marketing partner / network member of) HiSpeedMedia.com, and vice-versa:
http://mailer.hispeedmailer.com/
public/sweepsclub/unsubscribe.htm [Listing originally added to Probation list 2002-03-30]
Media Unlimited m-ul.com backturner
stonewaller

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]

NetGainz.com netgainz.com backturner
listpimp
listpooler

spamdunce
ciberlynx.net (owned by the spammer, SweepsClub)
> sprintlink.net
An incentive marketer owned by major spamhaus conglomerate SweepsClub, Inc. Read the fine print— They resell your personal information to other companies. (for more info about these pimps, see the SweepsClub listing on this site).
Network60.com

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

listpimp   Moved from Probation to Blacklist on 2002-06-08; Their website and their mails make them look very much like all the other Clueless Mailers. Gathers addresses through their wholly-owned sites, EasyWinning.com and RadioStakes.com, almost making them a Network Marketer, but not quite.
Network Commerce networkcommerce.com
ncimarketing.com
bottomdollar.com
dirtcheapdomain.com
ehost.com
freemerchant.com
internetmall.com
shopnow.com
shopnow.net
speedyclick.com
techwave.com
(sends mail through Ombra [see also])

backturner
extortionist
listpimp
listpooler
maybehaus

  Not sure if they qualify as a network marketer, but they do solicit and pimp lists for others. Fairly large company. Sends at least part of their spew through Ombra Marketing's servers. Their NCI Marketing arm's privacy policy says they'll reveal your personal info to their "marketing partners". Network Commerce is registrant for domain registrar for DirtCheapDomain.com, for which NC spams through iExpect (see also).
Ombra Marketing 0mbra.com
ombramarketing.com

backturner
listpimp
listpooler
maybehaus
stonewaller

Exodus.net Exodus auto-replies to abuse reports, then forwards the complaints to the mailer without taking action. New round of spam sent through Ombra after many quiet months. Example Spamvertizer: FoundMoney.com
Opt In Freebies, Inc., AKA
E Free Promos, Inc.
optinfreebies.com
efreemailer.com — now offline
listpimp
listpooler
  Moved to Blacklist 2002-09-12: — Added to Probation list 2002-04-29: Just another "offers" spammer, with— as always— a privacy policy with provisions that allow them to share your address with "affiliated" parties. (link updated 2002-06-29). This is fairly typical of privacy policies for marketing companies that gather email and other information.
Postmaster General, AKA Mindshare Design

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

backturner
extortionist
maybehaus
Verio.net Extremely large mailer; Spam to CM Webmaster suddenly resumed after a supposedly "permanent" global opt-out had stopped all mail for approx. 2 years. At the same time, a large upsurge in anecdotal and statistical spam evidence coincided with the downturn of the economy. In addition, PM formerly protected spam victims by doing blind unsubbing; they now apparently forward spam complaints and reveal unsub addresses directly to their spamming customer. Spamvertizers: Too many to mention. Volume: sometimes 4 spams per day to a single address under our control.
ROI Network, Inc. ROInetwork.com
ROITrack.net
roi.net
roi1.net
opthost2.com
IMGdirect.com
listpimp   Marketer for very large companies. From their site: "ROI Network reserves the right to share, rent, sell, or otherwise disclose data it collects to third parties." At least they're honest about it. ROITrack.net has been used for responses from spams sent through Ombra by Network Commerce for inTune Telecom and for ServiceMagic.com. [Listing Added 2/13/02]
Sharp Email Marketing sharp-email-marketing.com listpimp
maybehaus
  And yet another Clueless Marketer spamming through Clueless Mailer Postmaster General. PMG UID: funnymoney (Sharp also spews for others)
Topica

topica.com
email-publisher.com
tfmb.net

backturner
listwasher

maybehaus
  Moved from Probation to Blacklist on 2002-06-08 — They used to be legit. Not any more. Topica now provides mailing and mailing list management (including listwashing) services to a growing number of spammers, including Aptimus, MegaMaal.com, spamvertizing CreditExpert.com (Experian), Myinks.com, eSylvan.com, and the infamous "Lori Anderson" of Yourfreepresent.com; GreatOffers.com / ConsumerToday.net / VistaPrint.com; emailrewardz.com / Date.com / 7stepdiet / WorldWinner.com / Gevalia.com / AmericasLendingPartners.com; 302media.com / Bay9.com / HomeBusinessCouncil.com / ConcordeGroup.com / HealthPlus.com / DirtCheapDomain.com / Dell.com / United States Navy / eharmony.com / University of Phoenix Online / BidZ.com / Five Roses Casino / Half.com / Referralware.com / VoiceStream Wireless / FoundMoney.com / MiningGold.com / Floweria.com / DebtSaviors.com / PriceWheels.com / save4less.com / ; Audible.com;
Yesmail
AKA Superhighway Consulting, Inc.

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

backturner
listbuyer?
  Update, 2002-12-22: UCE from Yesmail continues; it appears that Yesmail may not only be sending UCE on behalf of DigitalWork, but also is buying dirty address(es) from some clueless or malicious list seller, and is now sending their own UCE; UCE from Yesmail arrived in another of our inboxen with the subject: "Introducing Yesmail" ...but with an improperly-created multi-part MIME message that reveals no other info, only a series of dashes where the plain-text version should be. So, when it comes to permission, "Yesmail" is actually "Wehavenocluemail". — After a lull, Yesmail sent more DigitalWork spam; So, Yesmail was moved from Probation to Blacklist on 2002-11-30; Added to probation 2002-09-12: Yesmail earns a place on the list for buying unconfirmed addresses from and/or mailing to unconfirmed addresses provided by companies like now-blacklisted advertiser DigitalWork (see also).
ADVERTISERS ...These companies are engaging in unethical, irresponsible practices— the most common of which is sending "opt-out" spam. Some also engage in "address matching". And some are self-acknowledged senders of Unsolicited Commercial Email.
COMPANY DOMAIN(S) OFFENSE UPSTREAM(S) COMMENTS
Experian / Exactis See listing under Marketers / Mailers See… See… See listing under Marketers / Mailers
DigitalWork, Inc. digitalwork.com listbuyer ?
listpimp
spamdunce

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.

J.T. Sterlings jtsterlings.com spamdunce
stonewaller

packetcity.com >
sprint.net/sprintlink.net

Bought a spam list and put my address on their "daily specials" listserv. Packet City (supposedly the listserv operator) is said to be an abuse contact. BK Media is the IP block owner for the origin and jtsterlings.com, but WHOIS contact address is invalid. After weeks of complaints, there has been zero response from Packet City and Sprint/SprintLink, and the spam arrives every single day.
Loehmann's Department Stores
NO RECENT SPAM.
REASON UNKNOWN.
loehmanns.com spamdunce
stonewaller

Level3
(mailed via cheetahmail)

Updated 2002-06-29: The CM webmaster was contacted by Cheetahmail regarding Loehmann's. Fred Lindberg, Cheetahmail's CTO, asked for more information on Loehmann's, because "reverse appending ... is a violation of our AUP and contract." He offered to remove the spammed address from the Loehmann's list. Interestingly enough, this was several months after the last spam from Loehmann's arrived. At this point, it's not known if Loehmann's was ejected / disciplined, or if their marketing simply changed direction. — Loehmann's sent us a warm, fuzzy opt-out demand after they incorrectly matched a Clueless Mailers-monitored email address with the snailmail address of one of their former customers by the same name — and who had been deceased for more than three years. They had spammed the address every week through Cheetahmail. Loehmann's, Cheetahmail and upstream provider Level3 had all been totally unresponsive to dozens of abuse complaints, until the Clueless Mailers listing prompted a direct contact from Cheetahmail. Fake bounces sent to Cheetahmail's encoded bounce address had no effect. CheetahMail provides legitimate mailing services for many extremely large companies. It's unfortunate that it took a listing on the Clueless Mailers site to get their attention, but it's good to see that they have apparently taken action in this case — without forcing the spam recipient to surrender their address. Please note that Cheetahmail never made it onto the Clueless Mailers webmaster's blacklist.
MonsterHut

CORRECTION, 2002-06-29: While FingerHut has been involved in UCE, the company is apparently not affiliated with MonsterHut as was previously listed here.
monsterhut.com
emailpack.net
mailpromopack.net
NOW OFFLINE; TERMINATED FOR SPAMMING.
extortionist
listbuyer
spamclown
formerly at paetec.com; MonsterHut has been terminated by Paetec for spamming. See notes at right... Updated, 2002-06-29: After upstream provider Paetec attempted to enforce their no-spam policy against MonsterHut — a self-acknowledged sender of UCE — MonsterHut managed to win a temporary restraining order, and Paetec was forced to provide service to this massive spamhaus as they were dragged through the courts. Finally, after an unknown number of spam victims submitted affidavits and evidence and arguments were presented , a judge ruled that MonsterHut was in violation of its contract, and Paetec was within its rights to terminate them. The plug was pulled on this unrepentant spammer on May 5, 2002. . . . MonsterHut also hosts (/hosted) other spammers, so they could also be placed in the ISPs / WEB HOSTS category.
ISPs / WEB HOSTS
COMPANY DOMAIN(S) OFFENSE UPSTREAM(S) COMMENTS
Ciberlynx.net,
WebUnited.com
ciberlynx.net
sweepsclub.com
webunited.com
backturner
listpimp
listpooler
spamdunce
stonewaller
sprintlink.net Update 2002-09-13: See also listing for Exactis/Experian, this spamhaus's parent company, several companies removed. — SprintLink does not acknowledge spam reports, and apparently does nothing about this spamhaus. CiberLynx is a connectivity provider owned by major spamhaus downstream SweepsClub AKA Richard Kaufman (yes, a spamhaus that owns its own upstream... frightening, isn't it?). SweepsClub also apparently owns its own Web host, WebUnited.com, so spam reports are totally ignored. (See also netgainz.com, SweepsClub). Other downstream customers include: cardwish.com, an address harvesting/confirmation scam.
Frontline Communications Corp. fcc.net
dalanet.com
backturner
extortionist
stonewaller
Verio.net An ISP; Reports about one particular spammer were sent to them for 11 months before getting a single response. Abuse department claims the reports "never arrived". Abuse refuses to investigate the cause of the communication lapse. In addition, Abuse is taking the word of the spammer that he is not spamming, instead of asking to audit his list. Abuse drone called the situation a waste of his time. Attempts to educate the CEO failed completely; he continued to demand opt-out, in order to protect his spamming customer. Buh-bye.
Currently On Probation  ...but they'll probably make the blacklist soon, once more evidence is gathered.
COMPANY DOMAIN(S) OFFENSES UPSTREAM(S) COMMENTS

Innovate it

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

innovateit.se
adz.cc
affiliatenetwork.to
affiliate.top50.to
listpimp
listpooler
  Very close to being a network marketer, but they own and operate their own network of 30 websites instead of signing up others as "network members." Spammed the CM-monitored addresses via PMG (with ii's "Zero-Cost Newsletter").

Offense Codes  ...note that each company's listed offenses may change at any time, and not all offenses may be listed.
  backturner Mailer that does not perform due diligence in vetting third-party used by clients, and/or mailer seems to attract an inordinately large number of spammer customers. In short, they're allowing their customers to spam, through cluelessness, incompetence, or demonic possession.   extortionist Uses or allows use of unconfirmed subscriptions, and demands that the recipient reveal their address for "unsubscription" before the abuse will stop. If a mailer, refuses to take any other action against spammer. If an advertiser, refuses to stop spamming without surrender of victim's address.
listbuyer Purchases lists of addresses without performing due diligence in qualifying them as confirmed opt-in, then adds them to their own mailing list(s), and/or adds them to pooled/shared databases, and/or pimps them to others.   listpooler Marketer or Mailer-Marketer that apparently allows clients/members to add unconfirmed addresses to a central database, meaning spam is sent not only by list owner/spammer, but also other customers of the mailer.
  listpimp Marketer that does not perform due diligence in vetting third-party lists it buys and resells to / uses on behalf of advertising clients. listwasher An ISP, mailer or host that insists that spam victims surrender the spammed email address in order to "resolve the issue." What they are doing is not enforcing an anti-spam policy, but rather giving the victim's address to their spammer client for "removal." In this way, the ISP/Host provides a service to the spammer instead of disciplining them.
  maybehaus Mailer that is suspected of being a knowing spamhaus, in collusion with spamming customers. spamclown Outright spammer. Willingly acknowledges that they are sending Unsolicited Commercial Email.
  spamdunce Advertiser that uses unconfirmed address lists (opt-out); list building methods may include "address matching". They probably think their privacy/marketing policy is righteous, but regardless of whether the advertiser has/had a relationship with the recipient, it is spam if the recipient did not ask for email. stonewaller Refuses to respond to spam complaints, and/or obfuscates. (Mailers have been contacted directly, or reported through upstream providers.)

About Clueless MailersSM
Information:
for Blocking Lists and Admins  |  for Mailers & Marketers  |  for Email Users  |

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


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