Hello,

I need your advice please. Since last week, people from Hong Kong contact me and ask if I can sponsor them with a hosting package. The first person got one package because his site is legal and I don't have the feeling that it's going to cause any trouble. But now everyday I get new reqests for sponsored hosting. Some of them even asked if I can provide them with 50 GB traffic and 5 GB space for free. :eek: And they keep asking, and asking, and asking. Everytime when I see the word "Sponsor" in the email subject it makes me pull my hair off.

I think someone found out that I offer sponsored hosting, and posted somewhere on a forum. Is there any way I can find out if my link is listed on an asian site? Or can you please tell me what I should do to stop these daily requests?

I would sponsor them, but I don't trust sites from Asia because most of them are illegal.

Maybe you can try asking those who are requesting for sponsored hosting at where or how did they manage to find you? This should help in locating the link.

Try using Google's 'link' function to see who is linking to you, it may not have updated yet and therefore may not list the culprit, but it is worth a shot.

Give them a small package so that they are likely to upgrade.
Ask them what they have to offer in order for you to sponsor them.

Or use a referer tactic to 'make use' of them.
Tell them that they will get a free sponsored hosting if they can refer a paying customer. If they want it bad enough they will do it.

Check the sites for PRs and traffic. If its in good shape, slap up a link to your site at the bottom.

According to an ancient Chinese saying, wise men will turn adversities into opportunity. OK, I made up the ancient Chinese saying part, but you get my idea.

Originally posted by boonchuan
Maybe you can try asking those who are requesting for sponsored hosting at where or how did they manage to find you? This should help in locating the link.
I'll ask them. Maybe they'll tell me.
Originally posted by Equentity - Jamie
Try using Google's 'link' function to see who is linking to you, it may not have updated yet and therefore may not list the culprit, but it is worth a shot.
I searched, but I'm not linked on any asian site. Maybe it's not updated, it's in a private forum, or it's not listed on any asian site. Thanks anyway.

Originally posted by Roy@ENHOST
Give them a small package so that they are likely to upgrade.
Ask them what they have to offer in order for you to sponsor them.

Or use a referer tactic to 'make use' of them.
Tell them that they will get a free sponsored hosting if they can refer a paying customer. If they want it bad enough they will do it.

Check the sites for PRs and traffic. If its in good shape, slap up a link to your site at the bottom.

According to an ancient Chinese saying, wise men will turn adversities into opportunity. OK, I made up the ancient Chinese saying part, but you get my idea.
I did accept 3 sites. They must add a banner on every page and I told them that if they refer somebody, I will upgrade their accounts. I'm waiting for the results.

Thanks. :)

There are forums where if someone gets free hosting they post the information and then you are pretty much listed as someone that does free hosting.

I just politely say no.

We stopped allmost all our sponsored hostings. People promise everything for a free hosting, then they forget that you have the root access!

Don't ever start sponsoring, if you do, people flock to you just for sponsorship. And would promise you this and that, but in the end, you get nuts.

I get several of these types of request every month. I used to allow it, but then one day vBulletin Security emailed me and said that the user I gave a free account to was using a pirated copy of vBulletin. I terminated that account and haven't allowed anymore free ones since.

This is actually a scam. They send out the same form letter to 100s of hosts and it always includes "poor student..." "sorry for bad English"... "if this offends you accept my apologies".

I believe they are looking for hosts to put up eBay and other phishing sites. Since you have no real contact information for them, you have no way of tracking them down.

--Tina

Yeah, I get the poor student for the anime site quite a bit. Delete them as soon as you receive them.

you could always redirect them to my free forum service ;)

hehe... the key is to keep them contained. giving them cpanel or similar access will be dangerous for you, but giving them a free blogging/forum account with ads could be safer :)

I'll send them an email and terminate their accounts. Giving them access to cPanel is too risky and I don't have the time to monitor all sponsored sites. I only wanted to help them, but nobody knows if they really don't have the money to buy hosting, or if they want to make use of this for their illegal activities.

ewhost, I'll let them know about your free forum service. ;)

Thanks.