This is outside the usual topics of this blog, but I wanted to share my experience as a “public service”. If I have missed something, please let me know.
I am not an internet expert, nor have I figured out how or why I receive as many spam emails as I do. However, I do know that simply clicking on a particular “unsubscribe” link can have the opposite effect. It verifies to a spammer that there is a real person there. So recently when I received an unsolicited “Free 30-day membership” from DirectBuy, I did some checking and this is what I found:
The email came from a company called Twilight Media Group in Humble, Texas. An online search for Twilight Media Group reveals nothing. No website or even a reference to their existence. All of the unsubscribe links go to various addresses at zblocked.info. which is a domain recently registered by Twilight Media Group. The address listed is an industrial area adjacent to Houston Intercontinental Airport. A search of the address reveals dozens of companies of varying repute that use that address with unique box #s. So likely it is one of those “rent a storefront” places for people who need a temp address other than their house. The phone number listed on the web registration belongs to a Browning Ferris recycling center in Abilene, TX. So if I want to find out where they got my name, I can send a letter to this “box #” and pray or call a recycling center several hundred miles away. Doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence. So let’s dig a little deeper.
The admin contact is stowell@abouge.info. If we look at abouge.info we learn that it is owned by Agile Promotions of Beaverton, Oregon (though they spell it Beverton in the registration). The name Agile Promotions not only makes me nervous, but like Twilight Media Group, does not show up in a search as a legitimate company. Abouge was registered a month before zblocked. So let’s keep clicking.
The admin contact for abouge is Robert Sanders or itrob@abara.info. The address is also an industrial park, this time in Beaverton with multiple box numbers and according to a Google search, a host of questionable activities. Abara is also owned by Agile Productions and was registered on the same day.
So, unless DirectBuy did not authorize these people to solicit, they appear to have contracted with people who are making zero effort to operate like a legitimate firm planning on being around awhile. This seems odd for a national firm like DirectBuy. However…
If you research the PO Box the email lists for DirectBuy, one discovers that Twilight Media Group is not the only entity that sends out DirectBuy emails with potential spam links (See article here) The company that this poster reports was created about the same time as the others and also has a box # address.
If that’s not all bad enough, when you Google DirectBuy there are paid listings for sites such as Userbuzz.com and Consumerreview.org that are made to appear like consumer driven sites but one “review” after another raves about how great DirectBuy is. Registration searches for both of these sites list unlisted owners and one an unpublished number in San Diego. There are no other companies reviewed on these sites.
If DirectBuy is such a great thing, why do they have to resort to such measures to sell memberships? If they are not responsible, and are an honest company, where is the evidence that they are doing anything to stop it?
Sarah
December 4, 2009
Thanks for this! I have been receiving these spam emails from a number of places this week at an email account that I rarely ever get spam. Have no idea how they got my address but I am tired of it already. I will stop trying to unsubscribe!
Marcy K.
December 4, 2009
Well, it does not surprise me since DirectBuy is so bogus. We were redoing our house and looked into DirectBuy. All I did was send an inquiry email and started getting phone calls to come in for an appointment. But I was told I could only come in with my husband, not by myself, and had to make arrangements for childcare since they don’t want you to bring kids into the place so you are not “distracted.” Real high pressure tactics.
They call and call to get you to make an appointment, but you can’t just stop by to look at what they have to see if it is what you might be interested in. So, I started to do some internet research and come to find out the fee to join is like $5000! It depends on where you live, too. Some places it is more and some less. And there were a lot of dissatisfied people with stories of being pressured to make decisions “right now.” Forget that. I think for all the furniture, etc. we bought it came to $7,000. I did not need to spend $5ooo to join such a rotten “club.”
Susan Peterson
December 5, 2009
Here is something similar which has me fuming. My order from Wintersilks was supposed to be “free shipping.” It came with the shipping charged, and something on it saying “go to this link and get your free shipping on this order”. I went there, and it asked for all my information including a credit card number to credit the shipping to. There was a “I accept the conditions” button, and I clicked to read it. It turned out you were joining a “club” to get refunds on shipping…and there was a cost to be in the clug, waived for the first sign up, but after that you were authorizing them to take it off of your credit card! I hit cancel and got out of there ASAP. I hope that means I am safe, but I am not sure. I feel like an idiot for even going there. And I am highly pissed at Wintersilks for leading me to this spam site!
I think I will buy my silk long johns from Land’s End from now on, even if they cost a bit more.
Wintersilks couldn’t get my order right and didn’t even apologize. Wintersilks, you just lost a customer!
Jakes
December 8, 2009
Interresting…
I did a bit of “clicking” and found that they use the following sites in exactly the same manner;
xlemley.info, zwokked.info, xgibeault.info all three appear to be from reputable sources, but are in fact phising emails.
Must be worth the effort as they keep coming into my inbox…
Mieps
December 10, 2009
I found your blog by doing a Google search on Twilight Media Group. I’m sadden to report I completed their unsubscribe link. I should have known better. Ugg!! I wish I had Googled their name before filling it out. I read this on another site, “The spam email that promotes this site is coded to automatically report the user’s email address and IP address back to the Twilight Media Group ‘spam stooge’ site enixdorf.net when the email is opened, without the user’s knowledge or permission. These profiled user data may be used for additional spam or scams or identity theft.” Do you know what they can do with my IP address? I just deleted my cookies, if that makes any difference.
RJS
December 10, 2009
I have no idea. But hopefully someone can figure these guys out and shut them down.
Charles Boyett
January 22, 2010
TAKE ME OFF YOUR STUPID EMAIL LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i AM ALREADY REPORTING YOU BECAUSE I REQUESTED THIS OVER TWO MONTHS AGO.
Lisa
February 12, 2010
I purchased an item from them and they charged my Mastercard over 2 months ago…but I have received nothing! How do we deal with these people? Does anyone have some advice? Thanks, Lisa. LisaHicks@nyc.rr.com.
RJS
February 13, 2010
There is always the NY Attorney General…
George Fisher
April 16, 2010
So, is there anything we can do to get these folks in trouble or stop or at the least, spam them back and flood their computers with emails?
Linda G. Dale
May 19, 2010
I have not made an internet purchase with the exception of buying coffee from the same place I have bought it for years since February. I became unemployed when my attorney/boss retired in February. I have checked NUMEROUS job sites and have returned many applications. If this is how my email address was shared with Twilight Media Group, then I have to say this is a really s****y way to treat someone seriously looking for a job. In fact, it’s a slap in the face. If anyone has a way to get back at them, please include me!!!!
EAP
December 24, 2010
I’m still receiving these spam messages. Direct Buy is not only a spammer, and since they do not even have a phone number on their web site to call, I think they know they are running a scam.
If you receive another unsolicited email from their hired spammers, than I would suggest emailing them at franchising@directbuy.com and put pressure on the franchising department to stop their inept marketing department from sending out these spam mails.
Rob
September 8, 2011
First..
Directbuy definitly does the hard sell on membership. It is somewhat off putting. They definitly have an agressive campaign to attract new members.
However.. In my opinion, if the sell was less hard, they might get more members. I am currently working with them as a contractor and can only tell you that if they have a product for sale (over 1,000,000 of them) you will save money buying that product through them. I had to do some personal research.
The amount of money depends on the category. Electronics probably being the lowest with jewelry and home remodeling being at the highest levels. I have no doubt in my mind that if you were planing on building/rebuilding/remodeling a home. You would save substantially!
Regarding the spamming.. a lot of companys utilize (e)mail forwarding companys if they send out alot of emails. This is due to the propensity of services like baracuda to block domains that send out too many emails too fast (something i had seen in previous jobs, most companys use services like constantcontact – but it is still a 3rd party handling the email).. I suspect that when Directbuy purchased the bulk mailing service through this vendor, that they were unaware of the practices of that specific company.
No excuse, but it happens.
Again regarding Directbuy. If you join, expect to get some BIG savings. They also have a very solid price guarantee, but it isn’t used that much as their prices are usually as good as it gets. You are actually getting products at the price many companys purchase the products for. No markup.. all you pay is cost + shipping. Where they make ther $$ is membership fees.
The bigest negative i am aware of, is that often shipping can be slow. This is because you are buying directly from the manufacturer. Directbuy has NO inventory, so you get it when the manufacturer has product available to purchase. (I think you can get an estimate on when the product will come available when you purchase it)
Hopefully this helps. my personal feeling is that they are a good company, they just that they try a little hard to get new members (how they make their money). As a member expect big savings – seriously! (I was researching a bed – the next closest price online – and from a discounter was 30% more. They were selling for about 40% of sugested retail. (name brand – high quality product). Most vendors were over 50% more (still under sugested retail).
For what it is worth.
Rob
EAP
September 8, 2011
Spammers are not GOOD companies! Directbuy SUCKS…Plain and Simple!
Glen F. P. Cruikshank
June 16, 2012
i worked for Direct Buy and know they buy lists that include DNC #’s, Niot in Service numbers, seniors in nursing.assisted living homes etc even the deceased and these people are called over and over again!! Unreal!!!! The are Spammers and Scammers!! Simple as that!! Oh and they don’t treat or pay their employees very well either!! Just saying—–
EAP
June 16, 2012
I forgot I had posted this. This was my early stag in learning how to fight these national companies who are too lazy to learn how to market their products and services on the Internet. We never let our clients use purchased email lists for email marketing campaigns, unless they build it themselves.
I believe, I have found the most effect way to stop the spammers from sending all these unsolicited emails. That is the national name brand companies who buy these so called opt-in lists from these scammers and spammers in all these lawless, foreign countries, i.e. India, who have no ethical business practices and are not concerned with infringing on the rights of others.
When I find one of these national companies, the first thing I do is test the link in the email to make sure it go to a site affiliated with the national brand. The next thing I do is go to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Then I start posting the spam they are sending me. Before posting, I remove all the numbers that can identify my email address on a spammers’ lists. Naturally they don’t want me to post this on their social media sites. They usually respond with please contact us with your email address and we will remove you from our list.
Well that is just too easy…for them. So I tell them ever time I receive an unsolicited email from them, I will be back to post it, It takes them a couple of days and a couple of postings from me, but eventually the spam about that offer magically stops. The first time it appeared to have worked, I thought it was my imagination. Then it worked again and again.
It appears once I start my postings, then I see others supporting me and still others saying they have received unsolicited email. This puts added social pressure on these companies to stop this unethical and illegal business practice.
I just checked my spam folder and in the past two weeks, I received less than 10 spam messages. I was receiving hundreds every week. I think my solution is having an effect even on the other spam messages as well.
If anyone wants more information, please respond to this post and I will reply. In addition, my company has created different email marketing plans that will fit every budget. We manage it for the sole proprietor or the Fortune 500 company struggling with email marketing.
The Old Wolf
July 25, 2012
For what it’s worth, most reputable email providers now have back-end spam filters that keeps most of the hqiz out of your mailbox – you never even see it. Verizon does a good job – the only thing that slips through occasionally is one that puts all its advertising in an image. I have several accounts through hostgator that allow Russian pharma-spam to get through, although they successfully manage to flag it as junk; to see how well these filters work, all I have to do is look at the spam box for my Gmail account. All of my accounts would be flooded with these if the providers were not working hard to identify spam and keep it out of your mailbox.
That said, your tips about not responding, and then making the effluence from these disreputable companies public via social media, are well made. Thanks for posting this.
guadalahonky
January 16, 2013
Who, in their right mind, does one dollar of business with anyone who spams their email account?