What is a proxy?

What is a proxy? And how do you know if you are using one?

My brother, who was my ref, was put on hold for "using a proxy" after I submitted for approval on a particular site. He's signed up for freebies before and has never had any problems. I asked him if his internet provider changed, but he said it didn't.

So, what's a proxy and how do you know you are using a proxy?

In simple terms, a proxy is a "middleman" server sitting between you and the internet. All of your internet traffic, no matter the destination, is routed through this proxy, who changes the IP address in the outgoing traffic from your IP to the proxy's IP. This is why everybody behind a proxy appears to come from the same IP address.

Nearly all businesses, schools, libraries, wireless hotspots, cybercafe's, etc. have internal proxies, which is why it's never a good idea to signup for freebie sites at these locations.

A few ISP's actually proxy all your traffic themselves, in which case you have no control over it. Have your brother submit a trouble ticket explaining there is no intentional use of proxies and see what happens.

dmorris, thanks for the information!

Ok, I just talked to my brother, and he said he definitely did not use a proxy. He said that "proxy is one way to set up your network" and he definitely doesn't have his set up that way.

I'm assuming its possible that you are using a proxy without realizing it right? So, how do you check to see if you are using a proxy?

AOL is considered a proxy also.

My brother uses bellsouth dsl. I use cox. He said he would call bellsouth and ask them if they use a proxy. It's looking like I might just need another ref!

I wonder if this means he can't do freebies anymore for any site?

[quote5ba6fae11d="shopaholic"]I'm assuming its possible that you are using a proxy without realizing it right? So, how do you check to see if you are using a proxy?[/quote5ba6fae11d]
Yes, it's very possible to go through a proxy and not realize it. Even if his network isn't shared (i.e. he's at home on his own LAN and doesn't have an unsecured wireless network that all the neighbors can hit) then he could still be going through an ISP proxy.

Have him access his DSL modem configuration (usually via web configuration page) and determine the IP address that has been assigned to the modem, then compare that to what he gets when goes to a site like http//www.whatismyip.org or http//checkip.dyndns.org (both will display your current IP as seen by the remote site). If these sites report a different IP than the DSL modem, then he's being proxied somewhere. If it's the same, then he's not going through a proxy and needs to specify that in a trouble ticket. Perhaps by including screenshots from his DSL modem configuration and the IP reported by the website as being the same and therefore not proxied.

ok great. i really appreciate all this info and your help. i'm going to copy and paste this to him via email. i went ahead and just found another ref though so i don't really need his green unless he wants to seriously do the site (which i doubt since he's ticked off now)... but just so he'll know for future reference, i guess he needs to know if he is proxy or not.

is there a way to prevent proxy? does he ask the company he signed up for high speed internet that they dont make him proxy?

Something else I just thought of to check does your brother have kids, and does he run something like NetNanny or other internet content filtering software? These act as a proxy of sorts. They wouldn't cause an IP difference but could inject certain proxy header records into the HTTP stream (the datastream that passes between your browser and web servers). Perhaps Freepay and these other sites examine those headers looking for signs of proxies as well.

Just a thought...

[quote108178ed8b]is there a way to prevent proxy? does he ask the company he signed up for high speed internet that they dont make him proxy?[/quote108178ed8b]
I don't know, it would depend on the ISP. But I would have to think no, most likely not. If they setup their service around a proxy, then it's typically part of their core architecture and I'm highly doubtful they would make exceptions to individual customers.

actually, yah my brother has a daughter who just turned 7. she uses that computer a lot too.

i copied and paste that thing to my brother and he got all angry at me! he said "I am telling you this one more time and don't make me say it again. I did not use a proxy... BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH" There goes that. I mean I just wondered if MAYBE he used a proxy without realizing it... but he says that's stupid blah blah blah. Well, I guess he won't be doing me any more favors. The site that dq him due to proxy reason isn't freepay. It was ordermore4free.

anyways, I am going to believe that sites won't just lie to you... so I just went and got a new ref and it greened.. and now I am waiting for approval once more. wish me luck.

I wish I understood computers more so then I can have an intelligent conversation with my brother... but as of right now, he's just really pissy and more irritated each time I try to understand the proxy thing.

hey shopaholic, I have a ref that got dq for using proxy.... I asked the user if he used any proxy... he said he doesn't... though he used AOL as his internet provider.... this might be a problem for order4free and free4me network, cuz they'll but your account on hold if you use AOL. I don't know why.....

[quotea1d0e82b99="pochacco"]hey shopaholic, I have a ref that got dq for using proxy.... I asked the user if he used any proxy... he said he doesn't... though he used AOL as his internet provider.... this might be a problem for order4free and free4me network, cuz they'll but your account on hold if you use AOL. I don't know why.....[/quotea1d0e82b99]

my brother doesn't have aol... but another member here pm me the other day and told me she got dq for using aol also. she's a newbie and rather confused how she's suppose to know what service she should or should not use. I really can't help b/c I wouldn't know either!

I wish I knew though what exactly happened with my brother so i can talk to him. He's not really having an intelligent conversation with me b/c he's frustrated more that I don't really know what I'm talking about!

It's good you shared that info about AOL. We should let people know that so they don't get dq later after hard work.

FYI a proxy is how PNAA and lots of other banned members get back in when they get perma-banned (aka there ip address is banned).

[quote2923c79663="pochacco"]hey shopaholic, I have a ref that got dq for using proxy.... I asked the user if he used any proxy... he said he doesn't... though he used AOL as his internet provider.... this might be a problem for order4free and free4me network, cuz they'll but your account on hold if you use AOL. I don't know why.....[/quote2923c79663]

It actually says in the TOS they will put you on hold for joining through AOL.

[quote7b9570b38f="fgr_admin"]
It actually says in the TOS they will put you on hold for joining through AOL.[/quote7b9570b38f]

Oh really??? I should be careful from now on asking if the trader is using aol first ) Thanks!!! +karma for you!!!!

Your brother got up on hold because not of proxies, it's because he checked his account on other computers. I check my free360games account at work and at home, and they accused me of using a proxy and got on hold, they told me to do another offer to get off of hold, what a scheme?????

No what most likely happened is your brothers IPs is listed as an open proxy on some RBL list. Half the internet IPs are listed on one site or another because spammers using trojans and exploits. Tell him to google his IP and see if its listed on any sites. Some site owners are pigheaded and go pretty strictly by those list. They need to realize millions of machines are comprimised.

[quote8e3e6471d6="mpbollywoodking"]Your brother got up on hold because not of proxies, it's because he checked his account on other computers. I check my free360games account at work and at home, and they accused me of using a proxy and got on hold, they told me to do another offer to get off of hold, what a scheme?????[/quote8e3e6471d6]

that would be incorrect for my brother's situation.

my brother did [u8e3e6471d6]NOT[/u8e3e6471d6] check his account from [b8e3e6471d6][u8e3e6471d6]any[/u8e3e6471d6][/b8e3e6471d6] other computer than his own. he has only ONE computer and he signed only cause i watch his kid for him. he signed up once, and he checked it probably once to see if it greened. after that, he never touched it again until I asked him to log in b/c he was red on my page.

they did not offer him to do another offer. if they did, i wouldn't have had to get a new ref... which i'm waiting on approval again.

but yep, you are right. i think the sites are not created equally and some of them are worst than others. most, i would think, are legit... but i'm starting to wonder about some...

[quoted26ae96158="ronmm"]No what most likely happened is your brothers IPs is listed as an open proxy on some RBL list. Half the internet IPs are listed on one site or another because spammers using trojans and exploits. Tell him to google his IP and see if its listed on any sites. Some site owners are pigheaded and go pretty strictly by those list. They need to realize millions of machines are comprimised.[/quoted26ae96158]


I asked another owner to look into my brother's account... an owner of a site my brother also signed up for. He did some research and told me my bros' info (which was right) and that everything looks fine and nothing look suspicious or wrong.

Like people have told me, some companies will find any reason to dq you... but i'm sure we all know this already. I don't really care anymore since I got a new ref. I do though think it is disgusting when site owners feel they are now too good and almighty and can no longer associate with us little worthless members. (you should read some of the stuff that goes on in the other forum) roll