1. Overview
HostMeerkat takes abuse reports seriously. We investigate credible reports that our services are being used for spam, phishing, malware, fraud, unauthorised access attempts, copyright infringement, network attacks, or activity that harms customers, third parties, or the wider internet community.
This page explains what to report, what information to include, and how we may respond. It is intended to help our abuse team verify reports quickly and take proportionate action.
2. Urgent Security or Safety Threats
If the report involves active phishing, malware distribution, credential theft, child safety concerns, immediate risk to life, or a live cyber incident, include the word URGENT in your subject line and provide all available technical evidence.
For crimes, scams, or threats outside our platform, you should also report the matter to the relevant authority or law-enforcement channel in your jurisdiction.
3. What You Can Report
You may report any suspected misuse connected to HostMeerkat services, including spam, abusive bulk mail, phishing pages, fake login forms, malware, hacked websites, botnet activity, brute-force attacks, denial-of-service activity, illegal or harmful content, impersonation, fraudulent invoices, and compromised customer accounts.
Please only submit reports that are relevant to our services or customers. Reports about unrelated third-party providers may need to be sent to the correct host, registrar, email provider, or platform operator.
4. Evidence Required
To investigate efficiently, include the domain, URL, IP address, email address, full timestamp with timezone, screenshots where useful, server logs if available, and a clear description of the issue.
For email abuse, full email headers are essential. Screenshots alone are usually not enough because they do not show the sending path, authentication results, or originating server details.
5. Spam, Phishing, and Email Abuse
For spam, phishing, spoofing, or unwanted mail, forward the original message with full headers. Include the recipient address, sender address, subject line, date and time, and any URLs or attachments involved.
Do not click suspicious links or download attachments when collecting evidence. If you are unsure whether an email is genuine, preserve the original message and send it to us safely as an attachment where possible.
6. Website, Malware, and Content Abuse
For abusive website content, include the exact URL, a description of the harmful activity, screenshots if relevant, and any browser warnings, antivirus alerts, or malware scan results.
If the content appears to involve phishing, malware, scams, or credential theft, include the target brand or service being impersonated so we can assess risk and prioritise appropriately.
7. Network Abuse
For scans, brute-force attempts, denial-of-service traffic, spam relays, or other network abuse, include source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, timestamps with timezone, and relevant firewall or server log extracts.
Please avoid sending excessive raw logs. Include enough detail to prove the activity and allow us to identify the customer, server, or traffic pattern involved.
8. Copyright and Intellectual Property Complaints
For copyright or intellectual property concerns, identify the allegedly infringing URL, the protected work, your authority to act, and the specific remedy requested. We may ask for additional verification before taking action.
HostMeerkat is not a court or adjudicator. Where ownership or infringement is disputed, we may require the parties to resolve the matter through the appropriate legal process.
9. How We Investigate Reports
We review abuse reports using technical evidence, account records, logs, customer information, and provider requirements. We may contact the customer for remediation, request more information from the reporter, or take immediate protective action when risk is high.
Not every report results in suspension. We choose proportionate action based on severity, evidence, repeat history, customer cooperation, and legal obligations.
10. Possible Enforcement Actions
Depending on the report, we may warn the customer, disable a script, suspend a mailbox, block outbound mail, remove harmful files, restrict network access, suspend a domain or service, terminate service, or refer serious matters to relevant authorities.
Repeated abuse, deliberate misuse, phishing, malware, fraud, or refusal to remediate may result in termination without refund according to our service terms.
11. Response Times and Updates
We aim to triage abuse reports promptly, but response times depend on severity, evidence quality, volume, and whether third-party cooperation is needed. Security-critical reports are prioritised.
For privacy and security reasons, we may not be able to disclose customer account details or the full outcome of an investigation to the reporter.
12. Contact Abuse Desk
Send abuse reports to our abuse desk with a clear subject line and supporting evidence. For non-abuse support issues, please use our standard support channels.