The Feedspot Top 15 Scam

Feedspot is a blogger scam.

I fell victim to the Feedspot Top 15 scam…and I felt stupid because of it for a while.

Then I realized that I was just one of many.

"Feedspot is a major scam" overlaying image of two star-shaped gold awards

Earlier this month, I received an email from Feedspot’s founder that went like this:

Hi There,

My name is Anuj Agarwal, I’m the Founder of Feedspot.

I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Izzy Out Blog has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 15 Adult Autism Blogs on the web.

blog.feedspot.com/adult_autism_blogs/

I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 15 Adult Autism Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

We’d be grateful if you can help us spread the word by briefly mentioning about the Top 15 Adult Autism Blogs list in any of your upcoming post.

Please let me know.

Best,
Anuj

That should have been my first clue. They didn’t even call me by name, and my name is literally in my blog name.

But I have seen Feedspot everywhere. It shows up on Google when you search for blogs in specific categories.

Sites that show up repeatedly at the top of Google are supposed to be trusted, but what happens when you can’t trust them?

7. Izzy Out Blog; Kaufman, TX, US; Lifestyle blog by Izzy Lively, a human wildcard living in Kaufman, TX. Topics include autism, dissociative identity disorder &am; reparenting ourselves
Proof that my [old] blog was listed
It started with a simple email, to which I replied that I mentioned it on social media.

That wasn’t enough. I would then be harassed throughout the month to “kindly” mention them in a blog post every. single. day.

Again, and again, and again, and again. When you’re constantly asked to do something that somebody else would be grateful for, it’s no longer an act of kindness but an obligation. It’s an aggressive request, not gratitude.

Feedspot consistently shows up on top of every other result on Google like it’s trustworthy.

In the midst of Microsoft Bing’s horrific autistic results, making a top list felt like I was actually making some kind of progress.

But the emails. Having relapsed in eating disorder recovery, I have not been focusing on blogging.

Why Feedspot is bad

Feedspot just wants the backlinks.

This is how they get so high on Google.

Feedspot sells personal data.

The information of bloggers is added to a spreadsheet that spammy outreach companies can buy.

Regular subscribers are just people. Feedspot is selling the contact information of bloggers. This distinction is important.

I have no idea if they’re selling that info to regular subscribers. I just know that blogger info is sold like hot cakes to scammy outreach marketers and getting your info off those lists is extremely difficult.

Feedspot scrapes your blog posts

Feedspot scrapes your blog using an RSS scraping tool to display the RSS feed, but it’s more than that.

It is actually scraping because they are hosting permanently your posts and your pictures, even after you remove them.

They host your content on their servers, that they pulled from your RSS feed using their scraper.

According to their site, they maintain 12 months of blog post from each blog.

Forcing people to pay to subscribe to YOUR blog

Feedspot forces users to pay to use their site, even if they’re only subscribing to blog feeds.

If you submit your email to subscribe to a feed, it will force you to do a free trial that you can supposedly cancel anytime.

You cannot escape the free trial, therefore you cannot do anything except for pay for the service.

Running a paid newsletter is one thing; in this case, Feedspot is profiting off of YOUR content without any commission to you.

Feedspot is not legit.

It’s not trustworthy.

They claim to be real, then harass you to mention them on your blog while they compile your personal information in a spreadsheet that they will sell to anyone who wants it.

Feedspot is not free.

You have to subscribe to use their site, and then you have to hand over payment information under the guise of a free trial.

Feedspot is not reputable.

Bigger bloggers know Feedspot is a scam. It seems Feedspot preys on smaller bloggers who are more prone to falling for their scam by being excited about being a “Top 15” blogger.

Feedspot used to be run by Google, but they discontinued the RSS reader service and sold it. It’s no longer free, but paid.

Feedspot will not benefit your website.

They will steal your content and host it indefinitely on their servers.

By sending them your website link, you are consenting to all of this — including the sale of your personal information. I never consented, never submitted my URL, but they got it anyway.

So…I made a top list of autism blogs, above ABA blogs. It was illegitimate.

And then I was harassed to “kindly mention” that I made the list, across several emails, for weeks.

Here’s my mention — and it’s definitely nofollow.

To the tune of Blackpink, how you like that?

Update

  • I reported Feedspot to Google for engaging in link schemes.
  • Their host is AWS by Amazon. If they do not remove all of my content from their site within 5 business days or the next reply, I will submit a DMCA notice to their host.
  • I threatened them with a DMCA if they didn’t remove my content from their site within 7 days. Anuj responded immediately that it was removed. I had him remove the feed, too.

Support me by subscribing to my blog and/or buying me a cuppa:

Reply to Adelaide Dupont

Comments on this post

I joined Feedspot as a life time gold member in 2017 with one time payment. Unfortunately they are asking for monthly fee again now. No response from Anuj Agarwal for my email or in twitter.

Reply to this »

Great post, many thanks! Came across it whilst doing a little digging into Feedspot as they’re starting to haunt me too! No way am I handing over my coin to them. Take it easy, best, Francis

Reply to this »

I saw your blog by complete coincidence. I’ve been scammed by these guys. I have never even heard of them before until today. I was looking at my bank account today and saw a charge to my bank card from feedspot..com. I thought who the hell is this? I then did a search in my bank account for them and found that they had charged me a similar amount this time last year. I googled them and didn’t recognise the site at all and had absolutely no idea what it was about. The really strange thing is that last year they charged the card I had at the time. However since then that card has expired and I have a new one. So how do they know my new card number? I’ve now put a dispute in with my bank and cancelled my card. I’m just so baffled by it all.

Reply to this »

I have no idea. 👀 That’s definitely strange. Did you dispute it with your bank? That’d be my first step.

Reply to this »

I was searching for bloggers who doodle and draw stuff, and Google sent me to Feedspot. I could not BELIEVE that they wanted to charge me to look at free blogs, half of which were blogspot blogs wtf. I am so glad you are calling them out for this bs. Sorry they are trying t hijack your traffic 🙁

Reply to this »

They seem to have removed my site, thankfully! 🤌 Too bad more people haven’t caught on or don’t care as much, because Feedspot literally profits off their content. 🥴

Reply to this »

thank you for this post.
I was researching feedspot thinking it’s a good way to reach readers, but I was hesitant about it, and that’s when I reached this post.

many thanks, will definitely stay away from them.

Reply to this »

Hi Jane

thanks for telling the truth about Feedspot

or more than I know about it.

[In early 2022 I was investigating the Feedspot].

Backlinks; backlinks; backlinks!

And 12 months of blogging is way too much privacy and security to be giving up on.

Response to the Blackpink: Oh, I would hate it!

[and if it was on the top 15 of Feedspot then how have I not learnt about it before I visited Child Residential Services and clicked on your profile there?]

[If I did go to Feedspot I would have gone somewhere else].

I remember when Feedspot would give these awards back in 2008 and 2009.

Even to reputable psychology websites like CHILD MYTHS by Dr Jean Mercer; someone I really respect in infant development.

Reply to this »

[and if it was on the top 15 of Feedspot then how have I not learnt about it before I visited Child Residential Services and clicked on your profile there?]

Not sure if you’re demanding proof here, but they removed my blog from their site after I requested it and threatened a DMCA complaint to their host. I had a blog I ran with my cousin wind up on the list years back, but I don’t recall being aggravated by them about it (unless it was a different site).

I’ve been blogging since 2010, consecutively. I don’t share everything, and I’m great at security.~

Reply to this »

No – not demanding proof there.

I respect people who remove blogs AFTER the blogger requests that they do so.

If there had been any previous scrapes – from the Wayback Machine for instance – they still could have “caught” your blog.

The cousin blog I didn’t know about until I began reading Autistic Jane.

[and you have made lots of different blogs for different purposes].

The place that I might have/would have known you was XO IZZY – and J from An Autism Observer has not given it its current name.

I appreciate your long-standing commitment to the art and science of blogging, Jane!

And as for your opener – “My blog is free to read”.

Some ninety-eight or ninety-nine percent of blogs are free to read at the point of the end-user.

It is only a very very few that have a paywall.

I will ask about Amazon Web Servers and their services around the world – probably in my next comment when I have formulated a question.

Reply to this »

“My blog is free to read” is the opener because Feedspot charges members who subscribe to blogs through their site to read the RSS. I’m aware that most sites aren’t behind a paywall.

Reply to this »

Thank you for your comprehensive blog post. This Feedspot is basically an email harvesting scheme. On Better Business Bureau most people on there don’t even know what Feedspot is but they do get charged!! Once reported they just issue a full refund. Why? If they are running an honest business/service why issue refunds immediately without any dispute??? If you check every website- Quora, BBB (they have an F rating), etc… All these websites give them horrible reviews, and they have unethical ways in which they obtain one’s contact information. They used to require people to share their contact list (check Quora) then they spam their contacts. I’m just surprised that they are still running their website when they clearly are unethical and have a shady business model! I hope Google gets a hold of them.

Reply to this »

I think my blog is also scared by some scammer, do you know how can I protect it.

Reply to this »