I get a TON of junk/spam emails like all other domain owners and human beings that spend above average time on the Internet. Alex who seems to be an agent or fake name for the owner Chris James of NewFoundland has taken it to the next level. I have received at least 12 emails over the last 3 days with some coming as many every couple hours asking me to buy puddl.com (I assume because I own puddles) . Here is the typical email I receive with a little bonus of a famous quote at the end that changes with each new email.
Preferred Domain Availability Notice:
puddl.com will be listed for auction in a few days. This domain might be useful for you, since you own a domain similar to this domain.
To confirm interest in owning this domain, fill out the simple form here: puddl.com
Sincerely,Alexander
718 Thompson Lane
Suite 108142
Nashville, TN 37204
If you do not want more of these messages, please click the link above and follow instructions at the bottom of the page
Advice to consider: Work while it is called today, for you know not how much you will be hindered tomorrow. One today is worth two tomorrow’s; never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today. — Benjamin Franklin
All would be well in fine but there is not unsubscribe button and emails responding to take me off the list don’t work. I’m using the “bounce” method, that bounces the email back looking like the email is no good but so far it doesn’t work. Again, I realize these types of emails are a part of life on the Internet but it pisses me off when another domain investor does it to me. I’ve always wanted to see Newfoundland. I’ve heard it’s pretty this time of year. Looks like I am going to have to make a road trip to “have a little talk” with this James fellow
Another harasser is Calvin Washington email [email protected], I have asked this person to remove he keeps spamming shopped around emails at what he thinks are cheap prices, but his domains have been spammed to end users so do not buy.
correction his email is [email protected], add him to spam block
Shane,
That is not the domain owner doing it, that is a dropcatcher that lurks on potential end users via automated script in hoping they want a similar domain to the one they already have, you are not alone.
You need to contact and expose Intrust domains.
I made a post about him recently on Namepros. I believe he also has his own host “Host For Web” which he uses to send out e-mails. So reporting him to the host won’t get his site shut down. Even the ISP is listed as Host For Web.
This is what ICANN has to say (Taken from their website):
Is ICANN the proper authority to report spam?
No. ICANN is a private, non-profit technical coordination body for the Internet’s name and numbering systems. The content of an e-mail message, ftp file, or web page bear no inherent relation to the assigned domain name, and therefore fall outside of ICANN’s policy-making scope. If you have a problem with the way somebody is using the Internet, you should take it up directly with that person or with the applicable Internet Service Provider or governmental agency depending on the circumstances.
If you believe that Whois data was used as the source of address data for this mailing, we encourage you to complain to the sponsoring registrar. Use of Whois data to send spam is a violation of every ICANN-accredited registrar’s terms of use for Whois data.
Also, if the content is of an illegal nature, or you believe that you are being spammed in violation of the law, you may want to seek legal advice and/or bring your concerns to the attention of a relevant governmental law enforcement agency.
I’ve been getting these types of emails now and then, but a few more than usual lately. The domain is normally related to something I already own. Sometimes I’ve bought a few good domains that way, but never do I get as many as you have on that domain. Just recently I got an email like this on a domain that I had dropped!
I’ve been getting 3-8 per day from this joker. Thunderbird does a decent job of flagging them as spam but I still have to check my spam folder. And my mail server still has to deal with it. Thankfully it’s only related to one domain similar to another I own but what if he targeted close-spellings of all the names I owned? I suppose if that happens I’ll have to get tricky with Postfix but for now I’m stuck just hating “Alex”.
I’ve been getting emails from this spamming douchebag also. At least three a day for the last two weeks, sent from a variety of domains.
In my case, he’s pimping a domain that is the plural of a domain I registered for a friend a couple of years ago.
I sent him an email last week simply stating “Alex, please fuck off” but the spam keeps coming, regardless.
Consider yourself lucky.
On some days I get 10 or more from Alex and some other named Clown.
The people behind this Alex are Toxic.
Everyone one of them from the people who employ them and the software people who have written programs for them need to be fined out of business. They know what they are doing are is wrong. You have written about this issue as well as other industry blogs and yet they keep doing it over and over. They completely disregard common sense and all regulations.
John Berryhill are you listening? Feel free to include us in a Class Action lawsuit.
I got e-mail from this guys as well. I don’t remember the name but I contacted the registrar, and told them to do something about the spammer or I would e-mail the Feds. The registrar politely responded, and the e-mails soon stopped.
Shane I get heaps of emails like this.
Some of the emails are ‘kindly’ offering to sell me domains that I let drop.
Some offer to sell me domains related to those that I own, more often than not these are domains that are freely available to register. A couple of times I’ve seen these emails and proceeded to register the domain through my registrar – so these emails can (on rare occasion) be useful!
Having your details on a heap of whois records unfortunately invites spam, in your case being a well known blogger makes you more of a target. Short of using whois privacy (which I don’t do) there’s not much you can do to avoid the deluge of spam.
Hello. I am sorry to the people who have issues with my emails, but the emails do have unsubscribe information and we help many hundreds of people a year with domain registrations for a relatively cheap price compared to what ‘domainers’ ask.
right, waste your time to see nothing …spamming is a part of life …
The unsubscribes don’t work and the emails are sent from tons of different email accounts daily. Does anyone think someone needs the same email from 10 to 20 different made up people with different emails?
@Luke: One option is to use a sneakemail.com address on your whois contact. It’s a perfectly valid address since it redirects to your real email address. If the spam gets too bad, then create a new throwaway address and mass update your domains at your registrar. Pretty painless.
Note that it does nothing for preventing spam from idiots like “Alex” and/or the Intrust spammers, but it does give you a way of preventing the cruft on your real email address from building up, so to speak.
Here is an email I received from Calvin Washington, cut and pasted entire email(domain edited), where is the unsubscribe link, I actually replied REMOVE, and I still get spam. Calvin, nobody wants your crap .org etc spam you send to similar domain registers. You have been reported to gmail, and godaddy for CANSPAM violations, and whois scalping, Govern yourself accordingly.
Hello,
I am contacting your company because I am selling the following domain:
GarbageDomain.org
Please let me know if you would be interested in acquiring this domain. If necessary,
please kindly forward this message to the appropriate person.
Kind Regards,
Calvin Washington
804-874-5624
Calvin December 5, 2011 3:03 am
Hello. I am sorry to the people who have issues with my emails, but the emails do have unsubscribe information and we help many hundreds of people a year with domain registrations for a relatively cheap price compared to what ‘domainers’ ask.
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Calvin,
What ”Domainers” ask?
What elite group are you, you purchase a crap domain, then try to spam it down peoples throat for 30x reg fee the same day? What domainers ask? Domainers have a right to ask whatever they want for their quality domains, only person you help is yourself.
Class action suit against Alex of Intrust Domains would be very nice, many times they try to sell me domains I let drop, and they send email to private registrations as well, so that doesn’t help.
To all the Calvin Washington and Alex’s out there, you are on the radar, google youself……..
I have reported this clown, and his/her cohorts, to the BBB, the local authorities in their purported areas for harassment as well as the FTC as well as contacted their IP owner’s abuse person and hosting abuse person. Please note that this is more than one person. Nashville, Richmond, Riverside….. the come from dozens of more “locations”.
Nothing more than scammers for for those who try to scam others, there are legal remedies. Trust me, these people are being w-a-t-c-h-e-d…….. 😉
More Spam Today from Spammer Calvin Washington, no UNSUBSCRIBE LINK Calvin? You are so full of it!
[email protected]
This person is in violation of the CANSPAM ACT, and seems like he needs money to pay for renewals!
Do not purchase domains from this person, he is a spammer!
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Domain Specials! Today’s List
The following Domains are for sale. Reply with SOLD to claim a name.
Educated Offers are welcome.
The following domains are $2750 each.
*** ALL CRAP DOMAINS REMOVED***
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