First off, it is not YOU that is listed, we list IP numbers. (A single IP number may serve many domain names or one domain name and each domain name could have one or many email accounts)
It is very easy to become listed on any RBL/DNSBL, it could be as simple as one client email box becoming compromised and sending out malware or spam or it can be because you or your provider has decided to no longer manage abuse complaints for all their IP ranges.
The good news is that it could also be very easy (and free) to be removed!
If you are asking yourself why your IP number is listed, you probably really have no clue, so there are some basic things you can ask and do yourself:
What exactly is your IP resource score? (It is a number somewhere between -50 and +250 and you can check the score for any IP number on the planet, yourself! -> https://info.ascams.com/login.php)
ascams.com has a score for many of the 4B IPv4 numbers. When you request that score we also check with other data providers and update the last score we calculated. In the user interface members may request a manual recount and recheck and members may also sometimes see the data for the score calculation (Bounces, PTR, SPF, other RBL listings, Reverse, actual scam or malware records and more) Members also have access to support which could help with a range of issues as there is a skilled person available to answer questions.
Here are the SET RULES for listing and removal from our lists:
SuperBlock – to become listed > 5+ to become removed your score has to be 3, 4, 5, 6, or maybe 7)
Block – to become listed > 7+ to become removed your score has to be < 10
DNSBL – to become listed > 10+ to become removed your score has to be < 10
Sometimes you may find that your IP resource is listed on multiple lists, this may mean that the resource was abuse managed and was then reassigned for cable, adsl, fiber in the user space and no longer abuse managed…
PRO TIP: If you own IPv4 numbers in dynamic userland pool – DISABLE new outgoing port 25 traffic – otherwise you may end up with trash ipv4 ranges…
Other questions you can ask yourself if you are still not sure about exactly why any IP number is listed, are:
- Have I been exclusively using this IP number for the past years? – or did I just buy/rent this IP number recently?
- Do I exclusively use this IP number and am I in charge of what Internet Traffic is transmitted to other IP numbers on the Internet?
- Do I have access to email server logs and to webserver logs and have I worked through my logs?
- Settings: Have I checked that I am not an open relay, that my IP reverse DNS matches my forward domain DNS, that I have SPF (TXT) records for domains I am relaying for and all the other hundreds of little settings that is important for your IP number to effectively relay electronic mail.
- Does the person or company that provide my IP number have a good abuse management reputation for all their IP numbers?
If you are completely stuck you may need to find a system administrator, email server administrator or network administrator to assist you, certainly on our lists there are no false positives and each listing has a reason and data for that listing.
PRO TIP: Before spending all your time setting up a functional, hard and production emails server: CHECK the IP SCORE BEFORE PAYING THE HOSTING COMPANY!!!
Please remember that if you have become listed and someone (or you) have removed your lisitng and the same abuse occurs again, your IP score would be higher. Eventually removal will no longer just be a click away and your IP resource may require a lot of additional work to effect removal.