Little version of “Best of DomainTools” support — My own
Guy mistakenly thinks I’m associated with expired domain spam.
DomainTools has an occasional feature on its blog regarding people mistakenly thinking the firm is associated with other web sites. Someone searches for a firm, finds the whois record on DomainTools’ site, and thinks DomainTools is the firm they were searching for. So it sends a support email to Domain Tools asking for support from that firm.
I had my own little case of mistaken identity a few weeks ago.
My cell phone rang and I picked it up with my standard “This is Andrew”. The conversation went something like this:
Caller: Hi Andrew, how are you doing?
Me: Fine.
Caller: I’m not interested in your marketing opinions research.
Me: Huh?
Caller: The marketing opinions stuff you keep emailing me regarding.
Me: I don’t know what you’re talking regarding.
Caller: Suuuuure, you don’t.
Me: No, really. Who is this?
Caller: I’m the guy you keep spamming regarding this domain name. Sometimes I like to track down spammers and call them to harass them like they harass me.
Me: I don’t know what you’re talking regarding.
Caller: You are Andrew Allemann, right?
Me: Yes, that’s me. But I don’t know what you’re talking regarding.
Caller: Someone is sending spam emails from you trying to get me to buy the domain MarketingOpinions.com. So if it’s no you, someone has hacked in to your email.
[At this point I become genuinely concerned, and start looking through my sent box to make sure I haven’t been hacked.]
Me: Well, which email address is it being sent from?
Caller: [email protected].
[Now I’m really confused. How has he tied this email address to me? Or was someone just putting my name in the message?]
Me: That’s not my email address.
Caller: Well listen, I like to call up spammers, but you genuinely sound like you don’t know what’s going on.
Me: Can you send me a copy of the email so I can look in to it?
The guy sends me the email. Here it is:
From: Alex < @JBUPHOLSTERY.COM>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:03:23 -0700 (MST)
Subject: ***SPAM*** marketingopinions.comPreferred Domain Availability Notification:
marketingopinions.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: marketingopinions.com
Sincerely,Alexander
5016 Spedale Ct. #265
Spring Hill, TN 37174If you do not want more of these messages, please click the link above and follow instructions at the bottom of the page
I was regarding half in love with her by the time we sat down. That’s the thing regarding girls. Every time they do something pretty… you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. J. D. Salinger
Yeah, my name is nowhere on the email or the email address. How on earth was I being associated with this expired domain spamming operation?
I tried Googling the mailing address in the email. First result is this post on Reglike.
I had a bit of a chuckle. This guy who called me thinks he is some big cybersleuth who can track down spammers. Instead, he Googled the email he got, found my post but didn’t read it, looked me up in whois, and called to harass me.
All in a day’s work as a blogger…
