I came upon this tweet: x.com
How do you proceed?
Ensure that your TOS has a policy prohibiting this.
Notify them via email that their actions are against the TOS 3. Deactivate every account (maybe with the exception of 1)
Here’s what I’ve tried so far:
- Compiled a comprehensive list of temporary email domains that are restricted from signing up (feel free to DM me if you need it).
- Removed “+*” from Gmail addresses and eliminated dots.
- Implemented IP bans, or if that seems too extreme, consider checking if the IP matches the password hash and then disallow access.
- Used cookie-based checks to prevent multiple accounts (though this is quite easy to bypass).
My tool, ai-text-humanizer.com, receives a lot of “abuse” from certain countries. However, with these measures in place, I’ve managed to reduce my free tier costs to just a few dollars a day. Having a free tier is crucial for humanizers due to the high competition, but maybe your tool doesn’t require one. Always consider offering a peace-of-mind option
Why would you delete emails that had dots? I completely understand anything that ends in +, but many people (joe.bloggs, for example) legally use a dot to distinguish their first and last names, and it’s also a goto when _, etc., has already been taken.
Gmail addresses do not carry dots; they are essentially discarded. Additionally, two addresses such as a.b and ab cannot exist as they are identical. Google Support (mail) /answer/7436150?hl=en is the source.
I’m not suggesting that Gmail is the sole option, but for me, maybe 98% of sign-ups use it.
I appreciate the link. I had no idea they handled things in such a strange way, but I can understand why they did it. Do anyone know if they also do this with _?
What other email providers are there that do this, in your opinion?
The plus sign (“+”), of course, is the only other character that I believe is handled in this manner. It appears that this is the only service doing this. This creates odd scenarios where individuals mistakenly believe they have an email with a dot when, in fact, they don’t (maybe it’s an underscore). I also continue to receive emails from multiple homophones.
Edit: Alright, I just discovered that two people with the same name are not considered “homonyms” in English. I won’t know of a better word, therefore I’m sticking with it.
It’s much simpler than you think—just eliminate the free tier entirely. In 99% of cases, it’s unnecessary.
Free tiers are typically for VC-backed companies looking to grow through marketing channels. They shouldn’t be considered part of your pricing model since they generate zero revenue.
By removing the free tier and increasing your prices, you’ll likely see a boost in revenue and attract higher-quality customers who truly appreciate your solution.
If you believe you can’t raise your prices because it seems unreasonable, it suggests that your product lacks quality. Focus on addressing a significant enterprise problem or a major pain point rather than just offering something that’s nice to have.
But ultimately, just remove the free tier.
Don’t give a free tier especially for feature that cost you money What you may substitute: Set up a grantee money-back guarantee so that a new customer may try your product with confidence. This strategy will help you get rid of cockroaches and solely draw in eager customers.