Incredibly two-faced response. How do you determine the user's ISP? Check
WhoIs. But...OOOPPSS!...the information in WhoIs is phoney, and we don't
do anything about that. Sorry, guess you're just screwed.
There are many other ways to track a spammer.
- Do nslookup on the IP that originated the spam (sometimes this takes a
bit of detective work to find what IP actually originated the spam).
- Traceroute to the originating IP. Email the ISP that is directly upstream.
- Look in the Whois information for contact emails and nameservers - if
these are for the upstream ISP, or some ISP other than the spammer, report
it to them.
- If they are advertising a web page, track the web page host, and their
upstream, and report it to them.
- If the spammer is stupid enough to use their real names, include their
phone numbers and addresses in the complaint. Or call them up yourself and
tell them what you think. Order pizzas with triple anchovies and
pineapple, and no cheese. Order 50 pink flamingos on their front lawn,
with a sign saying "Congratulations on your graduation from kindergarten
!!" 
The above few lines *were* in jest. I probably would not include the sign.
What do spammers and nails have in common? They're both intended for
hammering.
Amen.
Incredibly two-faced response. How do you determine the user's ISP? Check
WhoIs. But...OOOPPSS!...the information in WhoIs is phoney, and we don't
do anything about that. Sorry, guess you're just screwed.
There are many other ways to track a spammer.
- Do nslookup on the IP that originated the spam (sometimes this takes a
bit of detective work to find what IP actually originated the spam).
- Traceroute to the originating IP. Email the ISP that is directly upstream.
*I* know these techniques. Joe User who's irritated at his spam likely
does not.
- Look in the Whois information for contact emails and nameservers - if
these are for the upstream ISP, or some ISP other than the spammer, report
it to them.
But there's the rub. A great deal of the information (including
delegations) in domain registrations by net.abusers is complete
fabrication. InterNIC refuses to deal with it, even when it's pointed out
to them.
- If they are advertising a web page, track the web page host, and their
upstream, and report it to them.
All the time :>
What do spammers and nails have in common? They're both intended for
hammering.
Amen.
Witnesses available at www.witness.com...
What do spammers and nails have in common? They're both intended for
hammering.
Dean Robb
PC-Easy
On-site computer services
(757) 495-EASY [3279]