Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Craigslist Blocks VoIP

Craigslist.org does have a problem with spam. In its attempts to defeat spam, though, it also now seems to be blocking attempts by legitimate VoIP number users to authenticate the ads they want to place on Craigslist, reports Cory Andrews of VoIP Insider.

Craiglist apparently uses a telephone verification process that places an automated outbound call to a user placing a classified ad in certain categories.

The problem is that Craigslist is categorically blocking legitimate VoIP and Pre-paid cellular users from authenticating themselves.

The call delivers a unique code using text to speech, which is then used by the poster to authenticate the ad they are placing.

Craig’s uses a third party service, ReduceFraud.com, to screen out VoIP and Pre-paid cellular numbers, and will not deliver an automated verification call to VoIP numbers.

How do they check? "They check the DID number to see who owns the NPA NXX X number block, and if the DID number is owned by Level 3 Communications, they classify it as VoIP," says Andrews.

ReduceFraud.com is owned and operated by a California firm Telecentrex, who offers its own hosted VoIP service.

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