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Selling names to spammers

  1. richardbelltheword
    Member

    I just started my blog on WordPress a few days ago. Despite the promises about privacy and security, within days of registering with WordPress, I find myself being bombarded with email from someone named "Richard Wing." Here is his email address: "[email redacted] on behalf of Richard Wing ([email redacted])"

    What can you tell me about this "person"? It appears he is a scam artist. I want you to tell me HOW he knew I had registered with WordPress, and WHAT you are going to do about preventing this spammer from continuing to harass me and other WP users.

    I have long believed that WordPress was one of the best web companies out there, which is why I signed up in the first place. I am very disappointed that WP's security appears to be so weak.

    I have signed up for hundreds of services over the years, and I do not remember ever getting spammed so quickly as a result of any of these previous transactions.

    Thanks for your helpl.

    The blog I need help with is richardbelltheword.com.

  2. thesacredpath
    Staff

    WordPress does not give or sell our private information to anyone. There is no way for anyone to get that directly from wordpress.COM.

    I've tagged this thread for staff attention so that they can respond, but security here is very tight so however they found out about you was not from wordpress.

  3. thesacredpath
    Staff

    Here is a link to the privacy policy here: http://automattic.com/privacy/ .

  4. macmanx
    Staff

    We never sell or hand over your registered email addresses to third-party marketers.

    However, if you subscribe via email to a WordPress.com blog or post a comment on a WordPress.com blog, please understand that your email address is made available to the blogger, and we have absolutely no control over what they decided to do with that info.

    Can you tell us why you feel that the spam emails from "Richard Wing" are connected to your WordPress.com account?

  5. raincoaster
    Member

    If you signed up with WP.com and several days later started getting spam from someone, why would you assume a connection? I skinned my knee the other day and then today had a letter from the government.

  6. appsterberry
    Member

    for future note, i create wholly independent email addresses just for spam (aka registering for various sites). that way, i do the activating, then let the site bombard me with weekly updates and/or have sold furniture on craigslist etc. don't you an email address you wouldn't want someone getting ahold of! :(

  7. justjennifer
    Member

    However, if you subscribe via email to a WordPress.com blog ...

    To the best of my understanding, if you are a WordPress.com user and subscribe to another WordPress.com blog by using the "Subscribe" button in the Admin Bar at the top of our web browsers, the other person does *not* see our email address, but rather our blog address, in their subscriber stat information.

    Perhaps the above relates to the Email subscription widget.

  8. macmanx
    Staff

    Perhaps the above relates to the Email subscription widget.

    Yes, that's correct, sorry for not being as specific as I probably should have been.

    If they subscribe via email through a subscribe widget (usually done by readers without WordPress.com accounts), their email addresses will be visible in your subscriber list.

    If they subscribe via WordPress.com Subscriptions (reader must have a WordPress.com account), their email address is hidden, even if they choose email delivery.

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