Exposing Those Who Profit from Selling Your Email Addresses
Frequently Asked Questions about
No On Spam
We search for and purchase lists from list brokers. We then merge any new lists with our existing database. We estimate that our database is the biggest database of email addresses that has ever been created. It's a good thing that our very own Dr. Dave is one of best database experts in the www (whole wide world) and knows how to create and manage this much data.How do list brokers get my email address?
There are numerous ways in which email addresses are collected. Software programs capture addresses of people who visit websites. Other programs 'harvest' addresses from customer lists.
Why would I pay you to give me this information?
Three reasons:
1) If you get a lot of spam, you may want to know who is selling your address(es). Knowledge is power.
2) If you are considering getting a new email address we recommend you run it through our system to check if that address is already on a list that someone is selling.
3) We will create an email complaint letter for you to the FTC.
What exactly do I get when I pay you $24.97 $19.97?
We tell you who is selling your email address, which may give you an indication who may be selling your other personal information. By knowing how many list brokers sell your email address to spammers, you have greater control. We also compose an email complaint to the FTC that all you have to do is click to send to them. We give you information, you make the decision. Also see next the question.
So what can I do with that information?
That's up to you. We provide information and you decide what to do. We believe that knowledge is power. For example you could contact the list sellers and, in a courteous and professional manner, ask them to kindly remove your name from their lists. If you are more of an activist, you can send the email complaint letter we draft for you to the FTC. If you are on a lot of lists you might choose to deactivate your spam-exposed address and get a 'clean' one. See next question.
What would be the benefit of running my new email address through your system?
Once customers cancel their email account, ISP's (Internet Service Provider - that's the company you pay to have an email account) usually reserve that email address for a limited period of time, maybe six months, in case the customer decides to reactivate the account. After that, the email address is made available to someone else. Wouldn't you like to know how spam-exposed a potentially new email address is?
This, unfortunately, is a PayPal error that occurs occasionally. Our system tracks you through the process to make sure you get what you pay for. If you get caught in the PayPal error, please check your email. Our technical team automatically sends an email to the address you provide to PayPal in the payment process. That email contains a custom link that will get you to our search page.
How do I stop all the spam I'm getting now?
Here are a few general recommendations. Check your address(es) with our system so you know how many lists you are on. If you are on a spam list, change your email address to a 'clean' address. Cancel the address(es) that the spammers are using. Be careful where you surf ... your new address may be captured again. Use a separate email address if you shop online, one that you can change often without having to inform your friends/family of the change. Check with your Internet service provider to see what kind of anti-spam tools they can provide you with.
What is Phishing and how could it affect my email?
Here is a definition, from webopedia.com:
(fish´ing) (n.) The act of sending an email to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The email directs the user to visit a website where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers that the legitimate organization already has. The website, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user's information. For example, 2003 saw the proliferation of a phishing scam in which users received e-mails supposedly from eBay claiming that the user's account was about to be suspended unless he clicked on the provided link and updated the credit card information that the genuine eBay already had. Because it is relatively simple to make a website site look like a legitimate organizations site by mimicking the HTML code, the scam counted on people being tricked into thinking they were actually being contacted by eBay and were subsequently going to eBay's site to update their account information. By spamming large groups of people, the 'phisher' counted on the e-mail being read by a percentage of people who actually had listed credit card numbers with eBay legitimately.
- Don't ever respond to a phishing email
- Don't ever click though any of the links in a phishing email
- Just ignore and delete phishing emails
- If you don't ignore and delete them, the Phishers will acquire more of your personal information ... a hotbed for identity theft
- If you get a lot of phishing emails, we recommend that you definitely change your email address
We cannot make that claim. Spam lists are being created and sold on a daily basis. We continue to purchase lists as we become aware of them and add them to our database. Currently, we have over three billion entries in our database.
If my email address is not in your database, does that mean it's not on any spam lists?
No, it only means it's not in our current database. We continue to purchase new lists as we become aware of them. However, it would be impossible for us to have a copy of every list that is being sold.
If the report summary shows that an address is on an 'adult' list, does it mean that the person owning the address has visited adult sites?
No. It just means that the address was put on an 'adult' list. The address may have been harvested at some point and sold to a spammer who sends out adult advertisements and after using the list for awhile, the spammer sold the list to other spammers. Or, a list broker bought a list of business owners, changed its name, and sold it as an adult list. That's how the business works.
The same applies to all list categories. Someone who is on a list of liberal Democrats is not necessarily a liberal Democrat, etc. etc. We are still amused about our friend Denny (whose initials are D. R.) who suddenly started receiving lots of direct mail addressed to Doctor Jones.
Can I have a refund if my addresses are not in your database?
No.
Image spam is spamming by using images that contain text. Spammers started using this technique because the spam fighting techniques using bayesian filters or other phrase recognition software is ineffective against image spam.
Can this stop image spam?
If someone is selling addresses to spammers sending image spam is in our database, we will tell you who they are.
What other kinds of services are available from No On Spam?
Our technical staff is working on several other services and as soon as we have beta tested them, we'll put them online. Check back often.
We are open to suggestions. Let us know what you would like to see. Click here to send us a note and be sure to include your email address so we can get back to you. If we implement your suggestion, we will offer you free service for a year.
Also click here for information on other services we offer.
Do you sell your customers' email addresses to list brokers or spammers?
Absolutely not. Please see our privacy policy.