Person claiming to be from Hostgator keeps calling about a blacklisted site

There is such a simple solution - call Hostgator or go onine and use the live chat on the HG site....get an answer directly Anyone giving you 'an answer' here is only guessing.


HG will know if they have contacted you or not - if there is a problem or not. You're right to be suspiciious but go to the 'source'.

If someone tells you your site has been taken offline, did you at least check to see if that's true? Haven't seen that point mentioned. lol

Hosting companies rarely, if ever, call. They rarely, if ever, even bother to alert you to a problem. Checking your site is totally your responsibility.

As others have said... Check your site and contact HostGator.

Personally, I believe it could be true. My site was previously hosted with HostGator and was hacked several times. Can't remember if they called but I did get several emails about it.

Which brings me to my main point... HostGator is a terrible hosting company.

I'd consider switching companies while you are at it. Go with a smaller operation; better customer service, more secure, better performance.

Why??? If someone is scamming, it's not the fault of the host. There is no proof anything is 'insecure' here - sounds like a scam.


I don't understand why the OP would post about it instead checking with the 'source' - his hosting provider.

I've never heard of this. Have you called or contacted hostgator on this yet?

In 15 years of hosted sites, I cannot ever recall a time when the hosting company has called me. If I received the call you received, I would simply call them back or chat with them online. This is a scam.

Nowan from noplace cares nuthin' 'bout 'nuthin' once you up an' runnin' with their service.

They got better things to do with their time, less'n they VAMPIN' OUT on your annual subscription.

Worst case sceanario is they offer this kinda pitch ...




an' offer a mere "$200 extra per month" NOOSE roundya NECK kinda level up.

One things for sure:
Google doesn't like your site much... It's giving it the old Red Page warning to visitors...

I will give Hostgator a call shortly to verify if indeed someone who is in their employ has been attempting to reach out regarding this matter. I merely posted this here because I thought perhaps this may be some sort of a scam concocted by an individual who hacked the site themselves, infected it with malware, got it blacklisted and then contacted me attempting to get me to pay a random to fix a "problem" that he himself created. Truth be told, I have kind of been an absentee owner in regards to this site not really checking up on it or doing anything with it in recent months as I have been busy with other online and some offline business pursuits. I was kind of under the impression that Hostgator would automatically be adding HTTPS to websites that they host to beef up security at the end of September, but apparently this has either been delayed/halted. I have manually added HTTPs to some sites but this site was not one of them and I'm not really sure it would have made a difference.

Ever since Hostgator has partnered with SiteLock I have noticed that more and more of my sites are being infected with Malware with me often receiving a call and/or e-mail that sounds a lot like a ransom demand from someone from SiteLock that if I want the site fixed I should give them a call/send them an e-mail and they'll be happy to fix it for a nominal fee. This kind of reeks of an inside job like someone from SiteLock is infesting my sites with Malware and then attempting to charge me to remove it. I also find SiteLock to an extent to be an appropriate name as I appear to be locked out of deleting any code or making any corrections to the sites to get rid of the Malware myself.

It's so common and well known, it has a name - "The Sitelock scam." It's been around for years.

I'm really considering moving to another provider and possibly taking legal action due to the impact this has had on my business. One Malware "incident" on one site caused my entire account to be shut down with Hostgator/Sitelock attempting to strong arm me into paying them to fix it. I simply deleted the site as I never use it and haven't updated it in years problem solved? Nah, another site quickly became "infected" this to me seems a lot like a combination of sabotage and extortion. I just sort of dabble in internet marketing these days as most of my concentration is on an offline business, but still messing with someone's ability to make money online or causing them problems and then offering to be the "solution" for a price just isn't right. This would be like if someone robbed and/or vandalized your house and then offered to provide you a state of the art security system to prevent future break ins/acts of vandalism, you refuse to pay and they keep coming back and doing it again and again each time stressing the "need" for their services even though you wouldn't "need" their services at all if they would stop pulling this crap and leave you alone.

This to me seems a lot like paying protection money to the mafia, you don't pay the very people offering "protection" become the source of your problems.

This thread is a year old - did you call HG and straighten this out to begin with? Four days after posting the thread you were 'going to call'...but never posted what the outcome of the call was.



What action did you take after starting this thread? Did you talk to HG - did you click on any links or respond to any scam emails? Did you respond to the scam email or calls in any way?



The Sitelock scam has been docoumented online for at least two years and only a lawyer can tell you if there is legal recourse or not.

I have had some live chats but they resolved nothing. I removed the infected files on one site was given the "all clear" and then no sooner as the site/my account restores there was an "infestation" on another site. Not only is one infected site shut down but my entire account has been suspended twice with me losing money and suffering reputation damage. Basically their response is always "pay up or it'll keep happening" though not always in so many words. This is plain old extortion at it's best. I can either pay them, move to another provider or cease having hosted sites and just forward domains to affiliate links. These seem to be my only three options.