FAQ
What is Spam.org?
Spam.org is a spam and network abuse reporting and resolution service. We allow the internet community to file complaints against operators of network resources. This includes reporting of spam email, spam texts or calls, network attacks, network probing, hacking and other forms of network abuse. All reports and their resolution updates are published on Spam.org for the internet community. Read more on our about page.
I don't understand some of the terms used on Spam.org. Is there a Glossary?
Yes. Please visit our glossary page for a definition of our terms.
Is Spam.org free?
Yes. Spam.org is free to both users reporting network abuse and organizations resolving those reports.
Is Spam.org a non-profit organization?
Yes. Spam.org is incorporated as a US non-profit organization.
Why should I register?
Registration is optional and free. Registering will allow you to access certain features only available to registered users. Registration also allows for higher query limits on all of our tools. We require registration to access certain features to prevent service abuse.
What kind of things can I report?
You can report e-mail spam, text or call spam and all forms of network abuse such as DDoS attacks, probing and hack attempts.
How do I file a complaint?
To file a complaint access our report spam page and follow the wizard. You can also file complaints via our API interface.
How long does it take to resolve a complaint?
Most complaints are resolved within 48 hours on regular business days. We allow the network operator up to 48 hours before adding their network resource (ex: IP or phone number or domain) to our block list.
Will I get updated when my complaint is resolved?
You can receive status updates by clicking "Notify me of updates" button after you file a complaint.
Who will receive my complaint?
Your complaint will be sent to one or more authorities responsible for the network resources in the complaint. For example, if you are filing a spam complaint we will always contact the ISP from which the spam originated. We may also contact the registrar, registry, DNS provider, mail service provider and other authorities depending on the severity of the complaint and how many similar complaints we've received.
Are complaints I file confidential?
No. All complaints are part of the public record, but some information such as your email address and email content are hidden from the public. However, all information submitted as part of a complaint is made available to the authority responsible for resolving the complaint. For example, if you submit a spam complaint, your email and other confidential information will be hidden from the public but will be visible to the ISP that receives the complaint.
Why are parts of my complaint marked as Auto-Resolved?
A subcomplaint is an automatically generated report that is targeted at a specific authority and directly related to a complaint. For example, a spam complaint may contain the IP address of the sender in the raw header and a domain name in the body of the message. The spam complaint would be broken down into multiple subcomplaints which would be sent to the IP address authority and to the domain registry authority and to the domain registrar authority. This allows us to track and resolve complaints linked to specific network resources. Subcomplaints are generated for all complaints, but may not always trigger an alert with the authority. For example, if the domain "spam123.org" was only reported once we would log such a report but not file a complaint with the Registry until it reaches a certain threshold. The complaint is marked as Auto-Resolved until it reaches a threshold.
Can I forward a spam/abuse email to report@spam.org to report it?
Yes, BUT it is not recommended. Forwarding an abuse email to us results in most of the critical information being stripped away by all email programs, so for example the original sender's IP and ISP will no longer be passed on to us. This feature is useful if you would like to report the content of the spam message, instead of the spam originator (since the content will be forwarded, but nothing else). It is strongly recommended that you use the Report Spam wizard instead of forwarding emails to report@spam.org to ensure that we can view the header information of the email.
How do I resolve a complaint?
If a complaint was filed against your network resource (ex: IP, domain, phone) you should have received an email from Spam.org with a link to resolve the complaint. If you did not receive a complaint, check your spam folder. Network abuse complaints are generally sent to the abuse contact associated with the specific network resource (ex: abuse@comcast.net for Comcast IPs). Logging in with the abuse contact email associated with your organization (ex: abuse@comcast.net) will show all abuse complaints filed against you and will allow you to resolve these complaints.
What happens if I do not resolve a complaint?
If you do not resolve a complaint within the pre-defined time your network resource (ex: IP, domain, phone number) will be added to the Spam.org Block List (SOBL).
How long do I have to resolve a complaint?
Complaints should be resolved within 48 hours.
What happens if I resolve my complaint after 48 hours?
If your compaint is resolved satisfactory then your network resource will be removed from the SOBL.
I have resolved the complaint but my network resource is still on the SOBL, why?
It may take up to 15 minutes for your domain to be removed from the global SOBL.
How do I remove my network resource from the SOCL?
Network resources cannot be removed from the SOCL. The SOCL (Spam.org Complaint List) is a digital record of every complaint filed. Network resources are recordered in the SOCL indefinitely to provide transparency to the global internet community.