REMINDER: VPN Users and other Blocked IP users

"What did I do wrong? Why is my IP blocked"


While I haven't seen anyone ask this in a while, this is a question we've been asked many times. I expect we're about due for this question to come again soon.

The short answer to the question is that YOU haven't done anything wrong and the IP block was put into place because the IP range you've attempted to log into the site with was used by a malicious actor.

Every day the site has malicious "spam" accounts created. Their goal is to access the site to slam us with spam, or worse.

Every day, usually twice a day, we remove these new spam accounts and block the IP's, or better, the range of IP's, used to access the site by these malicious actors.

While it'd be unwise for me to discuss the details of how we identify what to block and other defensive acts we take to protect the site, I will say that we go to lengths to try and minimize the effects on our legit members. We block THOUSANDS of IP addresses daily (of more than 4 1/4 billion possible IP's in IPv4). Unless you've done something especially egregious, or at least received a message from the Staff to stop with some sort of inappropriate behavior, the IP block isn't targeted to YOU specifically.

If you use a VPN to access the site, especially if your VPN is routing through a foreign (non-U.S.) nation, you've got a good chance of encountering the "Your IP has been blocked" message.

If you encounter this blocked IP situation, try to "release & renew" the IP address you're attempting to access the site with. If you're using a VPN, force it to change it to use a U.S. only site for access. If you're traveling overseas and encounter this block, we may be able to assist your access.

If all else fails, use the "Contact Us" email address to send us a message so we can work the issue. We try to check this at least once/day. If you use this route, please provide us with your userid and the IP address you tried accessing the site with to reduce the time needed for us to troubleshoot the problem.


We appreciate all of our members and want you to continue to have a good experience when you come to the site. To do this we have be be diligent in our efforts to keep the "bad guys" at bay.

Thanks in advance for your understanding. Keep enjoying the best damned site on the internet.

Ginsue