BLARSBL is a SCAM RBL

Ok, here are a few facts:

I run a clean server here. I don't send spam. I offer some advice and promote spam blocking services. I even wrote a program to help MS Outlook users process and report spam a bit quicker and published it as GPL. (See: A semi-automated spam reporting script for MS Outlook)

It's easy for me to make claims about not sending spam, but why not check with the RBL (Real time Blocking Lists) and see if anyone has ever received and reported a spam email from me? DNSStuff.com will check 200+ RBLs for you... go ahead, click the link and tell me what you see:

http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/ip4r.ch?ip=66.13.172.18
http://www.mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx?IP=66.13.172.18 is another list of ~150 RBLs

What? I'm listed? Oh, right, BLARSBL has me listed as a spammer. That is ONE RBL out of 203 last time I checked.

Yes, I was just as shocked. What happened? Did I actually send something wrong? What could have caused this listing?

According to his information, I A) sent a spam and B) don't have a working abuse address. But if I go to his web site, there is no record of WHAT spam I suposidly sent. Not even a subject line. And I checked my abuse addresses by sending an email to each from my yahoo.com email account. They all went through.

The SCAM:

So I figured it was all just a mistake and I started looking for the procedure to request removal from his blocking list. Check this out, directly quoted from his web site at:

http://www.blars.org/errors/block.html

If you would like a site be added or removed from BlarsBL, you may hire Blars at his normal consulting rates (currently $250/hour, 2 hour minimum, $1000 deposit due in advance for non-established customers) to investigate your evidence about the site. If it is found that the entry was a mistake, no charge will be made and the entire deposit will be refunded. Send Blars email from a non-listed account to verify current rates and arrange payment.

I'll pause for a second to let that sink in...

A) I get listed with no proof that I ever sent a spam and with a claim that I have no abuse address which is demostratibly not true. Send me an email to abuse@ this domain and see if I respond.

B) to get unlisted I can pay $1000 and hope that he admits a mistake.

Trying to be reasonable:

I sent an email instead: 

> From: James M Newton [mailto:jamesmichaelnewton@yahoo.com] 
> Sent: 2005 Jul 25, Mon 02:43
> To: 'abuse@blars.org'
> Subject: May I please know why you block 66.13.172.18?
> 
> James Newton

No reply.

I sent another email 

> From: James M Newton [mailto:jamesmichaelnewton@yahoo.com] 
> Sent: 2005 Aug 19, Fri 16:59
> To: 'abuse@blars.org'; 'blarson@blars.org'
> Subject: Please remove 66.13.172.18
> 
> You have me listed as 127.1.0.17
> 
> As far as I can tell from
> http://www.blars.org/errors/block.html that means that you 
> feel I've sent spam (I haven't) and that I have no working 
> abuse address (I do)
> 
> I have NEVER had any complaint on the emails that I have 
> sent. I do send a lot of email updates to our customers and 
> part of the site also sends email updates to people who have 
> requested them when a page changes. I very strongly support 
> anti-spam measures. I've even written GPL software to allow 
> Outhouse users to more easily report spam to spamcop 
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/ol-vbs-spam-rpt
> 
> If you have a copy of the spam that was supposedly received 
> from my server, I would love to see it.
> 
> abuse@efplus.com works just fine. I'm ccing myself at that 
> address to verify that I get a copy of the email, but I 
> already tested it and I know I will.
> 
> Please remove me from your blocking list. You are the ONLY 
> RBL that has me listed as per;
> http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/ip4r.ch?ip=66.13.172.18 which 
> lists 254 different RBLs. Yours is the ONLY one that doesn't like me.
> 
> Thank god no email providers or other services of note seem 
> to pay attention to your listing, but I still see it as an 
> insult to my character. I run a clean ship and I really 
> dislike being told otherwise unless I'm also told why so I can fix it.
> 
> http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/2005-March/000309.html 
> What I really don't understand is why the people 
> who list RBL's would degrade their lists by including such a 
> "wild card"
> 
> James Newton

I'm still listed.

Let me make two statements, that I believe to be true:

  1. Blar is guilty of damaging the reputation of many fine web domains without provocation.
     
  2. Anyone who uses BlarsBL or lists it in a list of valid blocking lists is damaging the reputation of other RBLs and handing the spammers a weapon to use against the rest of us.

Seriously, look at the picture of him on his web site: http://www.blars.org/blars06c.jpg This is the man you are trusting to list only spammers.

What others have to say:

See also:

What I would love to see:

A) If you are Blar: Stop it!

B) If you run a list of RBL's: Please consider removing BLARSBL or at the very least, print a warning against anyone taking it seriously.

C) If you run an ISP: For goodness sake, NEVER use BLARSBL to block email.

D) If you are a lawyer: Please consider filing a class action suite against Blar for damages caused to innocent hosts. Or forward this to a lawyer who might be interested.

E) If you care about stopping spam: Beg all of the above to do the right thing. Forward this to YOUR ISP, if you don't, people from whom you wish to receive email may not be able to send it to you. Send an email to abuse@blars.org to let him know what you think. Send an email to abuse@dnsstuff.com, dr@moensted.dk, and info@mxtoolbox.com asking them to remove BlarsBL or list it but not use it or at least warn people about it.

Thanks

In any case, thank you for taking the time to read this.

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