NZ Blacklist www.nzblacklist.co.nz Online debt collection solutions

New Zealand firms are hurting each other and setting themselves up to be locked out of the credit market as a result of the way they are prioritising payments, according to research released yesterday.

Dun and Bradstreet (D&B), a leading credit reporting, sales and market data and debt collection company, said the research showed that eight in ten firms were prepared to miss supplier payments if they were unable to pay all their accounts.

Half of firms were settling their bills late as a result of cash flow issues or because their own customers were paying delinquently. D&B general manager John Scott said firms were hurting each other and themselves.

The research showed that many firms were unaware of the implications of paying late on their ability to access credit. Six in ten firms indicated that if they knew late payments would detrimentally impact their credit standing they would be more likely to pay on time.

The finding comes at a time when financial institutions and trade credit providers continue their stringent focus on trade reference checks as part of the credit assessment process. “Cash is absolutely critical to business survival and prosperity in an economic recovery,” said Scott.

“However, the payment habits of New Zealand firms are making cash flow management increasingly difficult.”Around half of firms admit to paying their bills late – this is causing cash flow to come under increased pressure despite improving economic conditions.”

Scott said firms were indicating they would be willing to miss payments to their suppliers – the very payments that were recorded on their credit file and assessed by lenders and trade credit providers when they applied for funds.

“This means firms could find themselves unable to access credit as lenders continue their vigilant focus on risk management.”

Scott said the likelihood that a credit provider was unaware of a firm’s poor payment behaviour was very low.

The Business Payment Priorities Study follows D&B’s latest economic and risk forecasts which show that despite renewed business optimism, it could be some time before executives’ confidence is translated into business actions that support the real economy. While cash flow issues remained prevalent, business investment and hiring intentions would continue to come under pressure. D&B was forecasting real GDP growth of 1.1 per cent in 2010.

NZPA

Debt Collection, Debt Collectors, Commercial Debt,  Bad Debt Recovery, Commercial Debt recovery,  Terms of Trade, Credit Reporting, Legal Services, Skip Tracing, Tracing and Investigative Services

First thing’s first. The current Blacklist.

London’s establishments of shame that have wronged me in one way or another, resulting in the stamp of disapproval. The word on the street must be spread. They shouldn’t have crossed me.

Bar Music Hall

Cutty sark

The Langley

Smiths of Smithfield

Jewel

Electricity Showrooms

The Book Club

Lena’s

Help the list grow…….

So does this guy make any sense? First he’s kicking people in the ass telling them to get out of his community, and now he’s trying to work with them? Please… The dude’s on crack, or some other drug. Maybe he’s bi-polar. Who knows. I just love cracking on him though…. It’s so much fun.

NZ Blacklist www.nzblacklist.co.nz Online debt collection solutions

The holiday season seems to lure us into overindulgence. Eating too much stuffing or drinking too much eggnog is one thing. Charging too many gifts on your credit cards is another.

Although the holiday season may entice you to spend more than you can afford, a little self-discipline can help you keep your purchases to a manageable limit.

Why You Should Limit Your Holiday Card Purchases

Credit cards are only an illusion that can buy more gifts than you actually can afford. Here’s why you should limit your credit cards purchases this holiday season.

• Gifts bought on credit end up costing more. Add in months of finance charges and you’ll ultimately pay more for your gifts than you would if you’d used cash.
• Credit scores fall from high balances. Spending more than 30% of your credit limit will cause your credit score to drop.
• The best laid plans…. Unexpected post-holiday expenses might postpone your credit card payment plan, lengthening your credit card debt.

By sticking to a few spending principles, you can keep your holiday spending to a minimum and avoid paying for holiday gifts until the next holiday season.

How To Avoid Holiday Debt

When you’ve made the decision to keep your credit card purchases within a reasonable limit, here’s how to put it into practice.

1. Save up. Spending cash instead of using credit for your holiday purchases allows you to avoid holiday debt all together. If you haven’t started saving, put aside something each paycheck starting now and use that to finance your holiday purchases.
2. Set a budget before you shop. Setting a spending limit and sticking to it will keep you from overspending. Be disciplined and don’t go over your budget, no matter what.
3. Make a list. Santa makes a list and checks it twice, so should you. Even though you might feel compelled to splurge on everyone in your life, you don’t have to. People appreciate simple and meaningful over expensive and useless.
4. Don’t shop for yourself. Avoid the “one for you, one for me” shopping mindset. You’ll end up spending double what you would had you shopped only for the loved ones in your life.
5. Ignore “big” sales. More often than not, they’re not really sales at all. Those “Buy 2, Get 1 Half Off” deals only trick you into buying more than you would otherwise. Remember, stick to your list.
6. Shop online first. The internet makes it easy to shop around. It also makes it harder to buy on impulse. Since most retailers have inventory on their websites, you can decide exactly what you want to buy before going to the mall.
7. Leave your credit cards at home. Without your credit cards, you’ll have a hard time charging them up. If you must use credit for your purchases, pick one credit card and stick to your spending budget.
8. Don’t buy if you can’t afford to pay. Keep in mind that when you use credit, you’re borrowing from your future income. You know your finances better than anyone. Only charge what you can afford and you’ll avoid paying on your holiday debt until the next holiday season.

Debt Collection, Debt Collectors, Commercial Debt,  Bad Debt Recovery, Commercial Debt recovery,  Terms of Trade, Credit Reporting, Legal Services, Skip Tracing, Tracing and Investigative Services

Seriously? We don’t look anything like Led Zeppelin!?!?

Well…I’m getting all geared up for my end of the year reviews and Top 10 favorites, so I haven’t been spending as much time checking out the new tunes that are buried deep in the hidden cracks of ITunes. However I have picked up some good songs here & there and I always check out the new releases. Here is what I have found in the last couple of weeks…

Norah Jones – “Even Though” (adult contemporary)
I’m not a huge fan of Jones’, however there is something smooth about this track. And you can’t deny that she has varied up her sound a bit on her latest album. I like the subtle guitar in this song and it’s easy on the ears.

John Mayer – “Heartbreak Warfare” (adult contemporary)
This album is listed as “rock”, but I don’t know how anybody could ever say that Mayer is a rocker. Sure…he can play a decent guitar, but overall? He’s easy listening chick music. That being said, I don’t mind me some Mayer when I’m in a easy-going frame of mind and I kinda liked his “Room For Squares” album. This album? I dunno…but this track is catchy even if it is maybe :30 too long.

The Crash That Took Me – “Tragic Sense Of Life” (alternative)
This is an AWESOME track from a band with a really odd name. Don’t know anything about them other than that this track is cool and poppy. I dig it.

Wolfmother – “White Feather” (rock)
Here is a band that is unafraid of showing their rock roots! Seriously…close your eyes and listen and you hear Led Zeppelin. And it is awesome! Oh…and by the way…we need MORE cowbell!!!

People Under The Stairs – “Trippin’ At The Disco” (rap)
Picking up where Jurassic 5 left off, this band is one of my favorite rap bands. Very old school and catchy as hell. Guaranteed to have you shakin’ your butt while you’re hanging in your cubicle…

Train – “Hey Soul Sister” (pop)
My wife likes this track. It’s getting a lot of airplay around here so I downloaded it for her. It’s easy enough on the ears and decent pop. Check it out of it’s your thing!

Aesop Rock – “None Shall Pass” (electronic/dance)
Going back a couple of years but I heard this track over the sound system at Pac Sun and had to download it! Yeah…I’m a bit late to the party but this track is AWESOME in a workout mix. Another guaranteed booty shaker!

Adam Lambert – “For Your Entertainment” (pop)
I totally thought THIS one was gonna be a flop but it is pretty damn catchy and, while overproduced a bit, shows that Lambert might very well be the latest hit maker from the American Idol line. I really like this track and I can’t wait to see what else he has lined up!

Kris Allen – “Before We Come Undone” (pop)
The 2009 American Idol winner released his new album this week and, like the Lambert track, sounds a little overproduced (which is an AI debut album trait), but for his style, vocal ability & his audience, I think he’s put together a decent collection of pop tunes here. Just listening to the snippets, they all sound decent enough. But this is the track I downloaded and it’s good pop stuff with a little rockin’ edge. Check it out!

Rakim – “Won’t Be Long” (rap)
This guy has been around forever (remember Eric B & Rakim?) and deserves your attention. Critics love him and he has a great flow. Anyway…this track is excellent and will work great in a spinning mix. Could I be smelling a hit? Dunno…

Puddle Of Mudd – “Spaceship” (rock)
Coming off sounding like a Nirvana wanna-be band (which they might be, I honestly don’t listen to them), I heard this song on the radio and decided to download it. After repeated listenings I realize it has it’s place on rock radio but it’s not something I’ll be listening to in January. But for now…I got it in my workout playlist!

Impulse Buy Of The Week: Blacklist – “Midnight Of The Century” (alternative)
I was gonna download the new album by Them Crooked Vultures, but after listening to the snippets I didn’t think it was anything to write home about. So I searched around and came upon this band. Although the sound definitely isn’t new (think The Cult, Peter Murphy, any other number of 80’s alt bands), I thought they sounded worth downloading. If you’re in the mood, it’s like a trip back through time. For me, it put me right back in college, spinning albums for my college station at 1am in the morning. Good stuff and the entire album is pretty consistent. Not gonna break down any walls but not bad for a band I’d never heard of. $10 well spent…

And that’s all I got…

In dealing with some companies, there are some that try to scam freelancers.

It is not my intention to blacklist anyone. But some employers need to be blacklisted. Such businesses can be found here.

This is the third attack on the InBoxRevenge antispam forums within one month. The first DDoS attack which was posted below was on October 28, 2009.

Since about 10:45 Eastern Time on Monday, November 16th, 2009, IBR’s forums are once again offline.

We will give you more details as they become available. It seems that spammers are definitely still very angry with the content posted on IBR.

We will continue to spread information online via various twitter accounts, blogs, and other websites about collecting information which leads to shutting down illegal spammer operations. Attacks such as this one and others do not stop our efforts as we continue to report spamming operations.

As a reminder, check out our other websites online for updates:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/inboxrevenge
Other blogs:

http://garwarner.blogspot.com/

http://inboxrevenge.blogspot.com

http://inboxrevenge.spaces.live.com

Wiki:

http://spamtrackers.org

Please note: that SiL also has his two blogs, which also accept moderated comments:
http://ikillspammers.blogspot.com

http://spamitmustfall.blogspot.com

NZ Blacklist www.nzblacklist.co.nz Online debt collection solutions

NZ Herald reports

A big chunk of the surviving finance company sector is unlikely to outlive the retail deposit guarantee, the Reserve Bank indicated yesterday.

In its twice yearly report on the stability of New Zealand’s financial system, the RBNZ noted that the local banks and their Australian parents had “withstood the crisis better than most” overseas, although they remained overly dependent on offshore money markets and asset quality had deteriorated as reflected in recent results.

However, Deputy Governor and head of financial stability Grant Spencer said the non-bank finance sector, “remains under pressure”.

“Strains are particularly evident in the deposit taking finance company sector where a substantial number of companies are in moratorium or receivership.”

The RBNZ said the same underlying economic issues that were driving surviving finance companies to the wall were also negatively affecting those companies that have secured moratoriums from investors, already driving one into receivership.

The comments come just a day after Hanover Finance said ongoing property market weakness meant it would be unable to make full repayment to debenture investors, as forecast when it sought their approval for a moratorium last year.

READ MORE

Debt Collection, Debt Collectors, Commercial Debt,  Bad Debt Recovery, Commercial Debt recovery,  Terms of Trade, Credit Reporting, Legal Services, Skip Tracing, Tracing and Investigative Services

NZ Blacklist www.nzblacklist.co.nz Online debt collection solutions

For those consumers who can no longer to afford minimum credit card payments, Ethan Ewing, president of Bills.com offers tips to help consumers understand their odebt relief ptions for help, including: “Now that credit card reform legislation has passed, it’s a great time for consumers to take control of their debt,” said Ewing . “To do so, consumers need to understand the available debt relief options.”

Debt settlement. A debt settlement company works on consumers’ behalf to lower principal balances due, often obtaining savings of 50 percent of the total debt. The firm does not make monthly payments to creditors, but rather negotiates with the consumer’s creditors while the consumer accumulates funds for the settlement. Debt settlement firms charge consumers a fee for their services, typically a percentage of the debt enrolled or a percentage of the debt reduced.

Consumers who persist with a debt settlement plan can resolve their debts in two to three years at significantly lower cost than that of a debt management plan. Debt settlement typically provides better repayment terms than a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing and does not leave a permanent bankruptcy judgment on one’s record.

Debt settlement may have a negative impact on credit ratings and profiles and is best suited for consumers in serious financial hardship who cannot afford to make minimum payments on bills and who cannot afford the higher monthly obligation typical debt management programs require.

Debt management. Debt management companies, also known as credit counseling agencies, maintain pre-arranged agreements with credit card companies to lower interest rates on a consumer’s existing debt to a creditor-issued “concession rate.” Debt management companies collect a monthly fee from consumers, as well as revenue from the credit card companies called “Fair Share” payments.

In debt management plans, monthly payments decrease, but principal amounts owed do not. Consumers who are able to continue with the payment plans typically can pay off debt in approximately five years. Debt management plans also require higher monthly payments than debt settlement programs, and are best suited for individuals who are facing a less-severe financial hardship than a typical debt settlement customer.

Bankruptcy. Bankruptcy Attorneys concur that BK’s can leave a severe negative impact on a filer’s credit rating for many years. Credit repair is not as easy as some debt counselors may lead you to believe.  Under bankruptcy reform enacted in 2005, it is harder and more expensive to obtain than it used to be. Under the new law, fewer people can eliminate most consumer debt by filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, taking more people to Chapter 13 filings. Chapter 13 requires consumers to pay back debt on a repayment plan (which can take up to five years), while still suffering the negative repercussions of a bankruptcy on their credit reports and public records. Generally considered a last resort, consumers considering a bankruptcy filing should speak to a bankruptcy attorney licensed in their state.

 Read the complete press release online at http://www.emediawire.com/releases/debt/credit/prweb2493574.htm

Debt Collection, Debt Collectors, Commercial Debt,  Bad Debt Recovery, Commercial Debt recovery,  Terms of Trade, Credit Reporting, Legal Services, Skip Tracing, Tracing and Investigative Services

In general, using Blacklists to control spam is a highly ineffective and innaccurate choice.  And that’s mainly because of the sites like the NoMoreFunn or No-More-Funn list. 

If you want to incorporate Blacklists, the best way is to use that information very minimally, as 1 method of detecting spam.  For instance, if there are multiple characertistics of spam then adding the use of a Blacklist can help.  Or if a domain is on multiple Blacklists, that can be an issue. 

But when you are checked against 99 Blacklists, and your domain is only listed (erroneously) on ONE blacklist, then the odds are that you are on the error-prone NoMoreFunn list who adds entire blocks of addresses to his list.  At my office, this is what we generically refer to as “a guy in his garage”.  It’s the guy who can fix some cars…in his garage.  He can play some music…in his garage.  A lot of people are frikkin’ geniuses, in their garage.  

When I examined the listing, he said he’s blacklisting an entire block of IP Addresses from my ISP - not my mail server, not my IP address – an entire block.  An ISP has thousands and thousands of addresses with thousands of customers.  To arbitrarily make these false accusations against companies is not just ineffective but it’s irresponsible (it’s interfering with work).  It’s like saying you got of piece of junk mail from company “x” in New Orleans, so the most effective way to eliminate junk mail will be to block all the mail from New Orleans.   The NoMoreFunn lists weakens the entire world of Blacklisting.  Because he lists entire blocks, a mail server can never send a single piece of spam, yet still be listed on Dr. Mash’s NoMoreFunn list (a Blacklist that contains non-spamming mail servers is a completely useless list).  Like it says when you attempt to remove yourself from his list: If you don’t want to get listed again, don’t send spam.  As though that’s the only way anyone gets on that list. 

NoMoreFunn is NoMoreGood

So that is why Blacklists are ineffective and that is why Dr. Mash’s NoMoreFunn Blacklist is the most ineffective list of the 100 lists it was compared with by MXToolbox. 

One of  the best ways to identify and authenticate your mail server is to use Sender Policy Framework (SPF).  It uses existing infrastructure (DNS) and it’s FREE.   When shopping for SMTP Security / Anti-spam services, be sure to look for systems that can take multiple actions based on SPF validation.   The use of DNSBL or RTBL should not be relied on. 

If you’re using Blacklists, I’d recommend that you (A) Don’t reject messages solely based on these lists and (B) Don’t rely at all on the NoMoreFunn list. 

The guy running the blacklist provides some information about himself - if your System Administrator is letting your business’s communications rely on this guy’s blacklist, then your System Administrator might be an idiot.  

I’m living with my wife, Berit, and our cats Louis, Lauritz and Agnes at Nøddeboparken in Vallensbæk, south of Copenhagen, Denmark.
 
When I’m not working or trying to sell my house, i’m probaly e-mailing, drinking beer, drinking more beer, bowling, playing backgammon.

Generally, we’ve had trouble with RoadRunner account – looks like those idiots aren’t sure how to effectively fight spam.  We’ve encouraged our business customers to get a host who is more effective than RoadRunner.  We’ve also had trouble with one or two small companies (under 5 people).  All of the mid-size and up companies have IT personnel on staff who can weed out useless blaklists like No-More-Funn.

If you want to check up to 147 Blacklists, go to http://www.mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx

Ihr kennt sicher den Film “Und täglich grüßt das Murmeltier“. Weiterer Worte bedarf es nicht, oder?

Montage wie diesen hier kennen wir doch alle. Viel zu früh quält sich der/die Studierende aus dem Bett, quetscht sich in die viel zu überfüllte Bim, schlurft die viel zu vielen Treppen viel zu weit hinauf und sitzt mit viel zu vielen Leuten in einem viel zu kleinen Raum. Viel zu viel nervt mich heute, viel zu lang meine BlackList. Ärgernisse gibt es zu hauf und aberhauf. Da geht einem richtig das Herz auf.

Und dann gibt es noch Leute (kennen wir ebenfalls alle), die einfach nicht verstehen (wollen?) dass sie potenzielle BlackListEntries sind. Und während ich an diesem Post hier arbeite, wird mir bewusst, wie nah dran an der Realität so ein Blog sein kann.

Ich bin mir sicher, dass viele von uns solche GroundhogDays erleben. Immer und immer wieder. Vielleicht ist zur Aufmunterung zu sagen, dass es auch Bill Murray geschafft hat, aus diesem Schlamassel wieder rauszukommen. Sollten wir uns alle zu Herzen nehmen:

Lebe jeden Tag, als wäre es dein letzter.

Kein Problem.

© by 5teffii

Download FrostWire “Arctic Shield”

The newest FrostWire release “Arctic Shield” (version 4.18.5) has arrived.

By the request of our users the latest version adds some serious connection and anti-spam improvements.

FrostWire “Arctic Shield” is by far the most significant update of 2009 and we strongly recommend this update.

Refresh Connections

An entirely new tool that lets you Refresh Connections, this will retrieve a list of fresh and active ultra-peers to connect with when your application cannot find any initial ones is a true lifesaver for some.

FrostWire “Arctic Shield” has updated UPnP code for improved router/firewall interaction to fix possible bootstrapping issues.

Ready for your new 64-bit OS

FrostWire “Arctic Shield” is compatible with the latest operating systems Microsoft’s Windows 7 and with Apple’s Snow Leopard, while keeping backwards compatibility with older versions.

Spam Battle Continues

Nonetheless, the most significant improvement to the software comes in the form of updated FrostWire’s IP BlackList technology that helps to remove over 70% of spam and fake search results from showing up on your screen.

Your Pictures on the Splash Screen

FrostWire developers have also included a special functionality in this release that will display different user submitted Splash Screens every time FrostWire loads to showcase the creativity & involvement of our community.

Pictures of the FrostWire Stickers all over the world have been selected for many of the splash screens. We encourage everybody to get their set of free stickers and submit their own pictures for a chance of being featured on FrostWire loading screen on future updates.

If you have some pictures already, you can send them to contact [at] frostwire [dot] com.

We give attribution to the following photographers for the splash screens of 4.18.4: Nany Wilson, luis_fonseca2, xmarcelinaxx, Green_713, bigdogbee, Katay Santos, jacksonenterprize, Steven Blue and the FrostWire Team.

Here are the detailed release notes:

FrostWire Version 4.18.5 “Artic Shield” (November 2009 hotfix)
- Fixes two NPEs that was causing FrostWire to kill uploads. (related to httpcomponent/nio)
- Updates: License is upgraded from GPLv2 to GPLv3 to allow proper license compatibility with Apache Licensed components.

FrostWire “Arctic Shield” Version 4.18.4 (October-November 2009)

- New: “Tools > Refresh Connections”. A network of FrostWire Sentinels maintains a list of reliable nodes that can be used to bootstrap your connection.
- FrostWire IP BlackList technology updated to get rid of over 70% of spam and fakes (thanks Aaron.Walkhouse).
- Update: latest UPnP code merged from LimeWire Codebase for better connectivity.
- Update: Network core more efficient and stable thanks to the latest Apache HttpComponents (httpcore-4.0.1 and httpclient-4.0)
- Update: Random Splash Screens. Now showing different community submitted Splash Screens to spread the FrostWire culture.
- Update: The Chat Server is now a parameter on frostwire.props.
- Fix: Connection Doctor addresses more connection bootstrapping issues.

About FrostWire
FrostWire is a peer-to-peer file sharing program for the Gnutella and BitTorrent protocols. FrostWire is written in Java, and is a fork of LimeWire, another popular Gnutella client. Released under the GNU General Public License, FrostWire is free software.

Related Links:
FrostWire’s Website

Have you noticed that the more choices you have, the harder it is to decide between things that look and sound similar? If you aren’t already an expert, how can you choose? When buying a digital camera, how do you choose the right combination of mega pixels, optical zoom, digital zoom, wide angle, memory cards, batteries, and so on? You want a checklist that would say “Here’s what to look for.”

I can’t help you with the camera, but I can make the task of choosing your Internet Service Provider (ISP) a little less daunting. First of all, let’s be sure we’re talking about he same thing. An ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet for a fee. An ISP might provide dial-up service, cable, DSL, or other types of Internet access. For a business, having cable, DSL, or another high-speed connection is essential, but it is just the start. To make the best use of technology today, you will want to be able to provide appropriate access to your network to employees and customers.

How do you know whether an ISP has what your business needs? These are some of the key questions to ask:

• Does the ISP offer permanently managed VPN (Virtual Private Network) links between offices or outworkers to the main office? A VPN allows for multiple locations to have a secure permanent connection over the internet. It also allows key employees to gain full access to all network services – in effect, enabling to them to work as if they were sitting in the office, no matter where they actually are.
• Does the ISP offer link services in every location you want to be in? If you do not have access to your ISP wherever you are, then it is not going to provide value to your business.
• Will the ISP deliver and install your communications service to your locations? If you have several offices, or remote locations, they all need to be connected to your ISP to take full advantage of high-speed connectivity.
• Does the ISP offer QoS (Quality of Service) so that services such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can perform well? VoIP is a new sort of phone service. It allows you to call and communicate with friends, colleagues and others, whether those people are also using VoIP, or whether they are using a conventional telephone service. VoIP lets you place voice calls using your broadband service as the medium that carries your voice, instead of using the ‘Plain Old Telephone Service (or POTS) to do it. In order for VoIP to work well, though, the network has to have the capacity to guarantee that data will flow without delay. QoS is the ability to provide different priority to different applications, users, or data flows, or to guarantee a certain level of performance. QoS guarantees are important if the network capacity is limited, for example in cellular data communication, especially for real-time applications, such as voice over IP (VoIP), since these are delay sensitive.
• Are anti-spam filters available? The fastest network can grind to a crawl when overloaded with spam (junk email.) You want an ISP that includes anti-spam filtering in its services. You should be able to “blacklist” senders that you never want to receive messages from, and likewise “whitelist” senders that you always want to allow through.

With an ISP as with most other things, you get what you pay for. So whilst yes’s to all these points may cost a little more, the advantages of getting FULL service from an ISP is well worth the investment. Put another way, what is the cost of a dropped call with an important customer? How much might it cost to have an employee idle because he cannot log on to his VPN account and get information to complete an important proposal? Choose an ISP with the emphasis on Service to give your business the best competitive advantage.

At Chill we take the heat out of IT. No matter what pressure you are under, we will always keep our heads and make sure you get back up and running as soon as possible. So don’t sweat – Chill IT. Click here for more information on our consulting services.

     Email marketing can be a great tool for expanding your business.  It would be advantageous to develop an email list to market to over and over again, with their permission of course.  It can leave you with a steady stream of customers as long as you are in business.  This email list can serve more than one purpose.  As well as being a constant customer base, your email list is also available to be a test market.  Through them you can send surveys periodically and ask them what they are looking for so you can provide it for them.  This is a great option for any internet marketer.

     What worries some people who are considering beginning an email campaign is being accused of spamming people.  Spam is unsolicited email when those people did not consent to receive email from you.  If you do this, you can get into a lot of trouble you will not want to be in. The people you send unsolicited email to can complain to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).  The result may be that you lose your email account; all the money you spent or all the hard work you may have done to build an email list will have been wasted.  Your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or domain names will be recorded and placed on a list, called a blacklist.  Once you are on this blacklist you will be prevented from sending email from these sources.  Email marketing will be over for you.

     There are things that you can do to prevent the above from happening.  Actually, there are things you should not do and you will be less likely to be accused of spamming your list.  The first thing you should not do is rent an email list.  Sending an email to a list of people and asking them to join your list is better than sending out a completely unsolicited email, but it can be considered spam, even though you are asking them for permission to send them email; the first email asking permission is still an unsolicited email.  The best thing is to have an opt-in list.  With an opt-in option, people can enter their names and email addresses into your sign-up form which will be sent to you.  An email is sent automatically to them from your autoresponder requiring them to click a link subscribing them to your email list.  If everyone does this, you cannot be accused of spamming them.  Further helping you stay off blacklists is to have an unsubscribe link in every email; it is a requirement.  Following these rules can keep you off of blacklists and keep you earning money from your email list.

     SPAM.  It’s such a hated concept that there are laws against it.  Spam, generally, means that an entity has sent mass mailings to the inboxes of people who have not requested to be on that person’s mailing list.  ISPs have spam filters which will scan an email for particular charge words.  Money is a good example of a word that the spam filters will send to their junk folders.  If your email contains the word money, the spam filter bets that your email is one of the many solicitations for business opportunities that were not permission-based.  By the way, opportunity is another one of those words to stay away from.  Your email may be permitted to be sent to your clients, but because you have those words in it, it loses its ability to be read. 

     The answer to this problem is computer software.  Software exists that will help you identify words that are targeted as words contained in spam emails.  The software will add characters to your email that will allow them to pass by the spam filters.  Your emails also need to be formatted properly in order to get past the spam filters.  Software can help you with this, too.  It will give you the ability to send emails to prospects asking them to opt-in and can give you the all-important unsubscribe link. 

     Bulk email marketing can present difficulties for those who would like to send mail to hundreds of thousands of email clients.  There are companies that can help you do this and help your emails pass the spam filters.  Some companies even suggest that they can send 70 million emails without ever being accused of spamming!  If you would like to take a chance with these companies you are free to do so, but it may end up causing more headaches than celebrations.  Starting out with the small list you have and doing it right as described in this blog, you may be less likely to be put on a blacklist. 

     You can do this all yourself.  You can use software that helps you create emails that are not targeted as spam and there is also software that will help you send out and manage a large number of emails.  With this type of software there is a one-time payment which eliminates the need to pay monthly fees to email marketing companies.  You may not have 70 million emails to send in a month, but it is better to be safe than to think you will have millions of customers to mail to and then end up being blacklisted.

     The last post explained about spamming and being on the blacklist.  This can be devastating to your business if it happens to you.  You can take precautions against being accused of spam, but it doesn’t always work; you can still be accused of spamming.  This may be an unfair accusation as you have followed all the rules, but still have someone complain.  This may happen because a second user of a shared computer may see your email and believe that it was unsolicited.  These types of complaints may be limited in number and it is less likely that you will be blacklisted because of these misunderstandings.  It may be that you are currently on a blacklist like the one described above, but you would like to begin an email marketing campaign.  All hope is not lost.  You can end up on the whitelist where your IP address and/or domain are considered safe and your emails will not be blocked.                

     If you are not sure whether or not your email or domain is blacklisted, you can check on this on several different websites.  After you find out you are blacklisted, it would be a good idea to find out what the CAN-SPAM laws say you cannot do with email.  This will make clear what you should unequivocally not be doing. 

     You may need to be whitelisted with AOL and Yahoo.  Both these companies have rules for you to follow when sending email such as sending email only from your own IP address.  Follow these rules and you will be whitelisted with not just AOL and Yahoo, but also with Netscape, MSN and Compuserve.  Hotmail will be a little more difficult and costly.  Hotmail requires an application fee, license fee and a bond fee.  This will require nearly $4,000.00, but this is for the privilege of sending 500,000 emails per month.  If you have a need to send out that many or more emails each month, it will be advantageous to you and your business to spend the money it requires to become whitelisted.  Anyone with a more modest email list will not have to be concerned at this time with following these suggestions. 

     To begin the process of becoming whitelisted, you will need to sign up with the various entities that you would like to whitelist your domain and/or IP address.  There may be applications to fill out and a process to weed through before you are approved.  For a list of less than 100, you will not have to worry about any of these steps.  When you grow to 150 names, you can begin with Yahoo and AOL and build up from there.  Anyone with 500,000+ names will have to follow the suggestions in the Whitelist Report, a guide that will help you do everything you need to do to become whitelisted.

NZ Blacklist www.nzblacklist.co.nz Online debt collection solutions

MADISON, Wis.— Concerned about proposed federal rules that would effectively eliminate its industry, The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC) recently provided the Federal Trade Commission data that supports the value of debt settlement to consumers in response to the agency’s proposed changes to the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR).

The FTC is seeking to create amendments—including a ban of advance fees—that would effectively eliminate a viable option for consumers who are struggling with unsecured debt. TASC outlined in a brief historical performance data that clearly illustrates the economic value its member companies deliver to consumers enrolled in debt settlement programs.

For example, based on a recent data analysis of its members, TASC estimates its members settled more than 94,000 accounts representing more than $553 million in debt in the first 6 months of 2009. This is an annual rate of more $1.1 billion in debt settled by TASC members for just 2009.

“We firmly believe that debt settlement should remain an option for those tens of thousands of consumers each year who choose debt settlement as their preferred—and often only available—program to handle their financial situation,” Chris Kesterson, President of TASC, said. “In our response to the FTC, we clearly demonstrate the value consumers receive from our companies who work diligently on their behalf each day to negotiate settlements with creditors.”

TASC is the leading trade group of the debt settlement industry. The cornerstone of TASC’s mission as an organization has always been to promote fair legislation at the state and federal level designed to protect the consumer and to promote best practices of operations by its members.

Without advance fees, debt settlement companies would have to work for free for the duration of the settlement process, which typically takes three years. No company in any industry could accept this, Kesterson pointed out.

“We look forward to working with the FTC in exploring appropriate and comprehensive ways to regulate the entire debt settlement industry, rather than only one segment,” Kesterson said

Debt Collection, Debt Collectors, Commercial Debt,  Bad Debt Recovery, Commercial Debt recovery,  Terms of Trade, Credit Reporting, Legal Services, Skip Tracing, Tracing and Investigative Services

Italian banking site phishing URL spoofing CartaSi is live on compromised host: phone.codmanacademy.org – IP: 69.38.149.93 which is on AS19406 (Towerstream.com).

Munged URL:

hxxp://phone.codmanacademy.org/home/polycom/.redirecting.titolari.cartasi.it.portal.server.pt.acceso.reg.recupero.gateway.nome.utente.o.password.se.hai.dimenticato/

URL was already reported to Netcraft and Phishtank.

NZ Blacklist www.nzblacklist.co.nz Online debt collection solutions

An Auckland woman has been lumbered with a $320,000 debt after she claimed she was conned into buying a house at an over-inflated price.

Helen Rutherford bought the house in Meadowbank for $300,000 more than its worth.

Rutherford was taken to the High Court at Auckland by ANZ National over a loan for the house, and lost.

She told the court she agreed to buy 50 Temple St in Meadowbank on April 5, 2007, from Vijay Enterprises for $850,000.

She said she did not know the house was worth only $550,000.

Real estate agent Philip Cavanagh arranged an $800,000 loan so she could buy the house from his associate Raghu Aryasomayajula.

However, Cavanagh has since been declared bankrupt, leaving ANZ National to chase the money from Rutherford.

The bank pre-approved a loan of $427,000 to Rutherford, whose income was $50,000 a year. Days later she and Cavanagh – then an agent for Barfoot and Thompson Mt Albert – applied to the bank for the $800,000 loan. Read MORE

Debt Collection, Debt Collectors, Bad Debt Recovery, Terms of Trade, Credit Reporting, Legal Services, Skip Tracing, Tracing and Investigative Services

As of October 31st, 2009, the attackers were DDoSing InBoxRevenge website again. This is where the IBR anti-spam forum is hosted, though the content is definitely offline at this time.

Early morning 11/1/09 it was reported by @themarkgiles Twitter user that IBR was under a flood attack from 750 bot IPs at a rate of 50/second. Source IP countries: TH (Thailand), IN (India), BD (Bangladesh), RU (Russia), BR (Brazil), PH (the Philippines), etc.

The spammers are hitting the IBR website with IPs that are compromised and under control of a botnet. Obviously some spammer is not happy with the reporting we do of  cybercriminal activities.

We will continue to post more information as it comes available.

UPDATE on 11/1/09

Taken from the most recent IBR Blogspot entry:

Good news — DDoS attacks not over

Members may have noticed another recent outage for several hours. It was another confirmed DDoS, via a method called “syn flood.” In the past, these sorts of attacks have gone on for weeks. We just roll with it.

Why is it good news? It lets us know our efforts are worthwhile, because making internet crime less profitable is exactly what we’re trying to accomplish. If we weren’t making criminals want to attack us, we’d have to wonder what we were doing wrong. We never expect to achieve the amazing level of spammer ire that Blue Security suffered in its famous 2006 attack, but then we aren’t planning to try to keep the site on line during the attacks. We just fall back to the alternate methods of spreading information. If our attackers would like to try to simultaneously take down Google, Microsoft, Twitter, WordPress, and all the other sites we’ve established a presence on, they’ll get themselves a lot more law enforcement attention than they’re currently planning on.

Comments are open for this blog, though they have to be approved by a moderator. And if you have a comment that seems to merit its own “thread,” we can repaste it as a blog post that can get its own comments.

Remember that SiL also has his two blogs, which also accept moderated comments:
http://ikillspammers.blogspot.com
http://spamitmustfall.blogspot.com

And we have our other sites for announcements:
http://twitter.com/inboxrevenge
http://inboxrevenge.webs.com
http://inboxrevenge.blogspot.com
http://spamtrackers.org
http://inboxrevenge.spaces.live.com

As always, the best response to retaliation is to continue to do the reporting you were doing before — but to do more of it.  At the time of this post update, the IBR website loads as a 403 error as of 18:00 GMT on 11/1/09.