FC: Mail-block.com gets blocked for... spamming

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Suresh is the top anti-spam guy (and a thoughtful one too) at Outblaze, 
which many companies use for outsourced mail. Outblaze's market share is 
around 5%-10% of total Internet email addresses. I missed Suresh's mail 
from last month about Mail-block.com but found it and attached it below. 
Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-04699.html --Declan]

---

Subject: Re: FC: Email a Mail-block.com customer, get an advertisement
From: Suresh Ramasubramanian <suresh () hserus net>
To: declan () well com
Cc: politech () politechbot com, Support () mail-block com, media () directpop net
In-Reply-To: <5.2.0.9.0.20030429210841.010d4d10 () mail well com>
Date: 30 Apr 2003 08:10:48 +0530

Well, we are blocking them for spamming our postmaster desk with this,
a'la Spamarrest.

Their response was "this is an autoresponder.  are you on drugs, calling
it spam?"

Looked far more like an ad than an autoresponder to me ... and exactly
like what Spamarrest pulled.

I guess if you grep your incoming folder for politech reports, you will
find mail from me reporting this, sent last month.

        srs


> Received: from smtp.695online.com (smtp.695online.com [66.242.238.178]) 
by corpmail.outblaze.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id DE78B520CB for 
<postmaster () outblaze com>; Fri, 28 Mar 2003 08:31:12 +0000 (GMT)
> Received: from mail-block.com (blk2.mail-block.com [64.89.108.202]) by 
smtp.695online.com (8.12.8/8.12.5) with SMTP id h2S8aRWf003292 for 
<postmaster () outblaze com>; Fri, 28 Mar 2003 03:36:27 -0500
> Delivered-To: postmaster () team outblaze com
> Message-Id: <157392003352883128312 () mail-block com>
> X-Em-Version: 5, 0, 0, 0
> X-Em-Registration: #0040530110571F00BC00
> From: "Mail-Block" <bounce () mail-block com>
> To: "postmaster" <postmaster () outblaze com>
> Subject: Message from 695online.com
> Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 3:31:28 -0500
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII
> X-Antivirus: checked by Vexira MailArmor (version: 2.0.1.6; VAE: 
6.18.0.3; VDF: 6.18.0.20; host: corpmail.outblaze.com)
>
> [695online.com gif logo trimmed]
>
> Message from 695online.com
> This letter is being sent to you because you have used our Mail-Block
> System.
>
> Not to long ago, you sent a message to one of our customers currently
> using this system to stop unsolicited email from being sent to them,
> now you can see the power of using the Mail-Block Technology.
>
> This system is completely unique to any other anti Spam system
> currently being offered. Here at 695online.com we don't make the
> choices for you on what you can receive and not receive, that decision
> is left to you the customer and no one else!
>
> Mail-Block gives you that choice.
>
>
>
> In addition we have bundled this amazing technology with one of the
> lowest cost nationwide Internet services available today.
> 695online.com is just that $6.95 per month and it is just that
> simple.  You may just need a web based email account using Mail-Block
> and we do provide that to for just $29.95 per year!
>
> http://www.mail-block.com
>
> If we can assist you in saving money each month and at the same time
> receive the best technology today for stopping unsolicited email
> please contact us at our office at 386-253-8703 or by visiting us at
> http://www.695online.com
>
> For a limited time all signups will get the gold plan for a thirty-day
> preview period. And can upgrade at any time if they wish.
>
> Again, we want to thank you for reading this message.
>
> Thank you,
>
>
> Robert Craddock
>
> CEO / 695online.com
>
>

---

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 10:05:19 +0530
To: declan () well com
From: Suresh Ramasubramanian <suresh () outblaze com>
Subject: mail-block.com - yet another spamarrest type case

Spammed my postmaster mailbox with two ads for their service (what, they 
haven't heard of sort|uniq?) - apparently because someone using them mailed 
us .. sheesh.  Won't people ever learn?

        srs





Received: from smtp.695online.com (smtp.695online.com
[66.242.238.178]) by corpmail.outblaze.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id
DE78B520CB for <postmaster () outblaze com>; Fri, 28 Mar 2003 08:31:12
+0000 (GMT)
Received: from mail-block.com (blk2.mail-block.com [64.89.108.202]) by
smtp.695online.com (8.12.8/8.12.5) with SMTP id h2S8aRWf003292 for
<postmaster () outblaze com>; Fri, 28 Mar 2003 03:36:27 -0500
Delivered-To: postmaster () team outblaze com
Message-Id: <157392003352883128312 () mail-block com>
X-Em-Version: 5, 0, 0, 0
X-Em-Registration: #0040530110571F00BC00
From: "Mail-Block" <bounce () mail-block com>
To: "postmaster" <postmaster () outblaze com>
Subject: Message from 695online.com
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 3:31:28 -0500
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII
X-Antivirus: checked by Vexira MailArmor (version: 2.0.1.6; VAE:
6.18.0.3; VDF: 6.18.0.20; host: corpmail.outblaze.com)








Message from 695online.com

This letter is being sent to you because you have used our Mail-Block System.

Not to long ago, you sent a message to one of our customers currently using 
this system to stop unsolicited email from being sent to them, now you can 
see the power of using the Mail-Block Technology.

This system is completely unique to any other anti Spam system currently 
being offered. Here at 695online.com we don't make the choices for you on 
what you can receive and not receive, that decision is left to you the 
customer and no one else!

Mail-Block gives you that choice.



In addition we have bundled this amazing technology with one of the lowest 
cost nationwide Internet services available today. 695online.com is just 
that $6.95 per month and it is just that simple.  You may just need a web 
based email account using Mail-Block and we do provide that to for just 
$29.95 per year!

<http://www.mail-block.com/>http://www.mail-block.com

If we can assist you in saving money each month and at the same time 
receive the best technology today for stopping unsolicited email please 
contact us at our office at 386-253-8703 or by visiting us at 
<http://www.695online.com>http://www.695online.com

For a limited time all signups will get the gold plan for a thirty-day 
preview period. And can upgrade at any time if they wish.

Again, we want to thank you for reading this message.

Thank you,



Robert Craddock

CEO / 695online.com

---

To: declan () well com
Subject: Re: FC: Email a Mail-block.com customer, get an advertisement
In-reply-to: Your message of "Tue, 29 Apr 2003 21:09:09 EDT."
             <5.2.0.9.0.20030429210841.010d4d10 () mail well com>
From: Dave Close <dave () compata com>

>In the range of good-to-bad online behavior, Mail-block.com's ads are
>hardly noxious. They're just tacky. Couple that with poor integration with
>an email client that doesn't whitelist folks in your outbox, and you get
>this result.

To me, one of the biggest annoyances of these confirmation systems is
that they are Web-based. I sent email, dammit. I might reply to an email
address seeking confirmation, but I don't feel like opening a Web page.

The same problem happens with mail that offers to let me unsubscribe by
clicking a Web link. No way. I don't accept email from people who won't
tell me their email address.
--
Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA  "You can't go to Windows Update
dave () compata com, +1 714 434 7359    and get a patch for stupidity."
dhclose () alumni caltech edu                  -- Kevin Mitnick




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