How and where can I file abuse complaints?
If you need to report a domain name, email address or IP address involved in any illegal or abusive activity, here are some tips to follow to make this process easier.
If you believe you have experienced or witnessed any form of abusive activity involving Cloudys services, please send an email to [email protected] (for domain names and hosting registered with us)
As always, please substantiate your allegations with concrete evidence and/or any other relevant information to verify the abuse incident and help us take appropriate action. Keep in mind that depending on the type of the issue you’d like to report, the evidence may vary.
The following list explains the most common types of abuse we investigate and the required evidence we expect from you to support our investigation:
| Type of Abuse and Description | Useful Evidence | Notes and Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Child Abuse is adult content depicting minors (someone under 18 years of age). | Abusive Domain(s)Abusive URL(s) | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Copyright/DMCA is the content that is protected by copyright being published online with no authorization rights. | An official DMCA Takedown Notice that meets all the DMCA requirements | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Email Abuse / Spam is an unsolicited commercial bulk email. This also includes “spamvertising,” i.e. advertising domains via spam sent from another network. Legitimate emails are those complying with the requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act. | “From” Address”To” Address Full Email Headers Email Content | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Fraud is wrongful deception with the intent to gain a monetary benefit (also known as the scam) or other benefits (i.e. access to personal details). | Abusive Domain Name(s)Abusive URL(s)Paid invoices or receipts Screenshot of the abusive page Email with full header and body (in case of email fraud) | If you believe you are the victim of an internet crime, or if you are aware of an attempted crime, you can file a complaint through the Europol Report Cybercrime online. You may contact your lawyer(s) or your local authorities in order to get the issue resolved. To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Phishing is a type of fraud with the intent to acquire sensitive information (usernames, passwords, PINs, credit card or bank account details) using fake websites that are almost identical to legitimate ones. | Abusive Domain Name(s)Abusive URL(s)Target of the attack (legitimate website)Country your IP address belongs to (the content may be geo-blocked, so we will try using the corresponding proxy);User-agent (mobile phone, PC) and browser (the content may vary depending on the device and software) | If you clicked on a link or opened an attachment from a suspected phishing email, then you should run a virus check on your computer just to be safe. To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Illegal Pharmacy is a website that sells or distributes medications with no valid prescription, outdated, substituted or counterfeit medications, thus violating the law. | Abusive Domain Name(s)Abusive URL(s)Screenshot of the abusive page | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Malware is a software used to disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive data, or gain access to private computer systems. | Abusive Domain Name(s)Abusive URL(s) | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Hacking Activity is networking attacks such as port scanning, brute force, denial of service attacks, etc. with the intent to infect or exploit the victim’s resources, or for other illegal purposes. | Abusive Domain Name(s)Abusive URL(s)Abusive IP addressDate and time (including the time zone) of when the abuse took placeFull unmasked log of the attack generated by your firewall (with the source and destination IPs/domains, user-agent, timestamps and time zone) | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Trademark Infringement is the unauthorized use of a trademark or service mark on or in connection with goods and/or services in a manner that is likely to cause confusion, deception, or mistake about the source of the goods and/or services. | A formal notice of a trademark complaint | In case of a trademarked domain name, we recommend you to seek resolution through the UDRP or URS. For more information, please visit https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/dispute-resolution-2012-02-25-en. Alternatively, you can pursue the matter in a U.S. court of competent jurisdiction.UDRP/URS disputes are communicated via our dedicated email address: [email protected].To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Whois Inaccuracy implies inaccurate, outdated or false contact details listed in Whois. | Abusive Domain Name(s)Incorrect Contact DetailsA returned email with the header | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
| Abuse Reports stand for any other inappropriate content, including but not limited to: identity theft, unauthorized redirect/frame/IP pointing, defamation, terrorism propaganda, HYIP, warez, etc. | Abusive Domain Name(s)Abusive URL(s)Screenshot of the respective abusive page | To report this case to us, send an email with necessary details to [email protected] |
Multiple complaints regarding the same issue should be consolidated in a single email thread, ensuring that complaints are not duplicated. If you have a ticket opened with our Legal and Abuse Department and would like to provide more details or have further questions, please continue this conversation via the same email thread. It is advised to make sure that the ticket ID is kept in the subject so that we can track your replies. This reduces cross-referencing and confusion, contributing to an efficient and timely communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I check if a domain name is registered or hosted with Cloudys?
Before reporting your concern, please make sure that the domain name in question uses our services. To check the domain name registration, go to the Whois lookup page. To define the IP address associated with the domain name, go to https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/dig/#A and subsequently check the returned IP address at https://whois.domaintools.com to obtain the contact details of the hosting provider.
- Does your investigation differ for registered and hosted domains?
Some types of abuse may not be verified from our side if we only act as a registrar and the abusive content resides on third-party servers. Due to this, we will not take restrictive action in order to avoid false-positive cases. This policy particularly affects copyright/DMCA, email abuse/spam, fraud, malware/hacking activity, etc.
To expedite the resolution, we highly recommended escalating websites that are registered with Cloudys only to their respective hosting provider supporting your report with sufficient evidence. You might also decide to get in touch with the domain name holder directly by using the Whois details that are assigned to that domain name.
We would like to call to your attention that we will not be able to provide you with any contact information of the domain name holder without expressed permission from the customer, except under limited circumstances such as an official Court Order or Subpoena.
- What is your timeframe for processing complaints?
Our general abuse complaint processing time is 72 hours, but it may vary for each specific case.
IMPORTANT: Abuse complaint processing time may not indicate the time-frame in which the issue will be resolved. Depending on the particular case and the type of the issue, it may take a different amount of time for our investigation to be performed.
- Can I report urgent issues via Live Chat?
Most cases involve a more detailed investigation than our Live Chat operators are able to perform. In addition, reporting them via Live Chat results in a longer delay as they will need to route the report to our Legal and Abuse Department. Therefore, we recommend that urgent issues are reported by dedicated email addresses.
- When will I receive a response?
All complaints are investigated and actions are taken when necessary. However, we may not always respond with the results of our investigation, but rest assured that your complaint will be properly evaluated and action will be taken in accordance with Cloudys policies.
You are welcome to check yourself if the domain is active by searching the domain status via DomainTools Lookup. If the domain status is in clientHold/serverHold, it means the domain has been suspended and is not available on the Internet.
- I represent a law enforcement/government agency, is there a dedicated channel for reporting abuse to Cloudys?
Please send your email directly to [email protected]. Reports from law enforcement/government agencies are processed within 24 hours.
NOTICE: This channel has been established as a dedicated channel for law enforcement agencies. If you do not act on behalf of a government agency/law enforcement, please do not use this email as reports from any non-law enforcement/government agency source will not be processed.
- Let’s say I represent a security organization, who often sends a lot of abuse reports. Is there an alternative way to report abuse to Cloudys?
If you intend to send multiple reports about illegal/abusive activities associated with our company’s services, please send an email directly to [email protected] (for domain names registered or hosted with us) and we will find an efficient solution for you.
- Does your system accept any file type for attachment?
For security reasons, we only accept the following file types: csv, doc, docx, eml, jpeg, jpg, pdf, png, txt, xls, xlsx. Thus, when attaching the evidence, please make sure to double-check whether the file is allowed by our system.
- Where can I find the list of activities that you consider abusive?
If you have any questions regarding the specific types of activities considered to be abusive by Cloudys, please review our Acceptable Use Policy in Universal Terms of Service
Thank you for your cooperation!
