Sponsor's Message

Yes, here's another idiot who thinks he's onto a good thing by sending out bulk email to promote a decidedly below-average website -- but in this case it's even worse than that.

Lymree are another bunch of wannabe Internet marketers -- or could it be that maybe there's just one person behind this spamhaus? If so that would probably be one Michael Reehall, according to the registration info for that domain.

But let's have a look at all the parties associated with this spam...

Firstly, it appears that the bulk emailing was done from a Clear.net.nz DSL connection.

On Saturday I sent email to abuse@clear.net.nz including a copy of the email and the headers, along with the suggestion that, since this guy is obviously running a spamhaus, the normal "first-timer warning" be skipped and that his account be terminated forthwith.

No response has yet been received from ClearNet. Not even an acknowledgement that my email was received. What's more, other Net users have reported that they're still receiving copies of this spam some 18-hours later so it appears that nothing like prompt action was taken.

That's bad form TelstraClear! Let's hope that my complaint (and the complaints of many others) aren't just being ignored for the sake of a few extra pennies in your coffers.

Readers Say (updated irregularly) Time to stop spam... - Cliff Lymree spam... - D.Marshall Spammers... - Rob Paradise/TelstraClear... - Tom Lymree.co.nz. spam... - Brett Have Your Say

The registry information also cites Gary Benner from Corporate.co.nz as the technical contact. Does Gary know what his client is doing?

Then there's the guys at 123.co.nz who provide the hosting and nameserver service for the Lymree site. Are they knowing accomplices to this spammer's activities or will they kick him and his spam-promoting website off their network?

If they don't, will MaxNet, the upstream provider, step in and have a quiet word in their ear?

Remember -- this isn't just the simple case of a customer who has spammed, it's a situation where that customer clearly intends to continue spamming on behalf of others as part of his core business!

Then there's the matter of where Lymree got their mailing lists from in the first place.

On their gaudy and amateurish website, Lymree claim they "have the New Zealand Companies, their Directors Database. This database contains New Zealand listed and unlisted companies, incorporated trust, up to two directors names, address, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. The number of NZ companies and incorporated Trust in the database is approximately 220 000".

So did they get this info from Companies Office or from other source?

As a company director, I don't recall ever giving permission for my email address to be harvested and used for marketing purposes -- is that a breach of NZ's weak-kneed Privacy Act I wonder?

Then there's the issue of where this pond-scum got the email addresses he used in this weekend's spam-run.

One correspondent tells me that this information almost certainly must have come from the NZ domain registry database. He verifies this by noting that the copy he received contained a spelling error in the name that was only ever made on the registry database.

Will Domainz or InternetNZ sue the snot out of Mr Reehall for apparently breaching their clear and boldly stated terms of service?

Given that the registry database has become a frequent and fertile source of email addresses for spammers -- does the consistent lack of prosecution by Domainz simply make those warnings nothing more than a joke?

So, while this appears to be just another no-brained idiot out to make a fast buck at the expense of other Net users, it can be easily seen that many other parties are effectively tarnished with the spammer's brush.

In the case of Mr Reehall, he was even stupid enough to directly implicate WebFarm.co.nz by linking to them as an example of the wonderful websites he's created.

Not only was this a blatant act of "passing off" but it also unfairly implied that WebFarm was somehow associated with Lymree's spamming activities. That deserves a big fat lawsuit and hefty damages!

I've been assured that WebFarm has no such relationship with Mr Reehall or his spamming operations.

If Mr Reehall really wants to become a "Markiting Xspurt" then perhaps he ought to run this query on Google and check out what the first entry (excluding sponsored links) has to say on the subject of bulk-email.

Time for a blatantly commercial reminder that website ranking is one of the professional services I offer and back up with demonstrable results that are plain to see, not just lame promises :-)

Oh, and I've decided that it's time to re-instate my Payback Page because I believe, in the true spirit of Christmas, it is far better to give than receive :-)

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