How do you stop outgoing spam?

Wed Sep 11 16:48:06 UTC 2002

Brad Knowles wrote:
>> 
>> B) KNOW WHO THE HELL YOU'RE GIVING ACCOUNTS TO so that (A) works. Get
>> a credit card or verify the phone number and other info (e.g., call
>> them back, insist on calling them back.)
> 
>     Do you know how many credit cards are out there?  Do you know how 
> many of them are fake or stolen?  You can't even get a decent charge 
> that you can reliably apply to them, because the bank at the other end 
> will refuse payment from a non-existent or closed account.

Then do what hotels do to avoid this problem.

When you are given the card number and info, you contact the bank and 
put a hold on the account for the expecte amount of the bill.  When the 
bill actually comes due, you put the charge through.  You know that the 
charge will succeed because the bank is already holding that amount.

If the card is stolen, bogus, overdrawn, etc., then you won't be able to 
place the hold.  In which case, you reject the application.

>     CyberCafe's can't use (B), even if it did work.  That would violate 
> their basic premise.

What basic premise?  Free anonymous access?  That's new to me.  Every 
one I've seen charges for access.  They can easily require charge cards 
in advance, and place holds on them, in order to identify stolen cards 
and criminal users.  And once a known-valid card is in hand, it can be 
used to directly impose penalty charges on those that violate the cafe's 
AUP (which should exist and have no-spamming/no-hacking clauses.)

If customers don't want to use charge cards, they can require a large 
cash deposit up-front, just like the video rental stores do if you try 
to get a membership without a charge card.

-- David