This site can’t be reached

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I have been having problems accessing several websites recently and have not been able to solve the issue.  I am using the Chrome browser.
I have a Dell XPS 8930 , i7-9700 CPU @ 3.00 Gz, 16 Gb ram. Running Win 10 Pro, version 2004.
I’m using Norton 360; Malwarebytes and Nord VPN. Norton and Malwarebytes scans have not produced any issues.

Here are some examples:
When I tried the ticketmaster.com website I received the following response:
Pardon the Interruption
As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen:
• You’re a power user moving through this website with super-human speed.
• You’ve disabled JavaScript in your web browser
• A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript is preventing JavaScript from running.
I do not use Ghostery or NoScript and I have JavaScript enabled.
I signed up for a driver safety test at aarp.com, began the test, and then left to come back later. When I clicked on the link the next time I received this message:
This site can’t be reached
links.aarpdriversafety.org refused to connect.
Try:
• Checking the connection
• Checking the proxy and firewall
ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED
I have received this type of error message on several other similar links from legitimate websites.
I researched this issue and found some potential solutions. One was to restart the DNS client. I tried this and it did not help. There are some others that I have not yet tried. Change the IPv4 address; reset the TCP/IP; reset Chrome settings, and reinstall Chrome. These same issues also occur using the Edge browser.
What suggestions does the community have?

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Since you’re using NordVPN, perhaps you’ve wound up with an IP address that’s been flagged as a potential source of spam or other malware and thus has wound up on a blacklist. Try getting a new IP address from NordVPN and see what happens. Others here can help guide you through the process if you need assistance with the process.

As a heads up, folks using VPNs have also had occasional problems getting to AskWoody.com as well as other sites, so don’t be surprised if have a hard time getting back to here at some point.

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Because VPNs hide the IP address, they are frequently used for nefarious purposes by bad actors. The IP addresses that have been used by spammers, bots, and for brute force attacks are blacklisted on the internet.
AskWoody uses a Firewall and a Spam blocker to protect the site.

To see what IP address you are using, go to dp-ip,com or WhatsMyIPAddress.com

Once you have your IP address, plug it in at CleanTalk.org and see if it’s blacklisted due to prior usage.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Bob99

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Add me as a +1 to what PK said above, that’s exactly what you want to do before changing IP addresses with NordVPN. If you’ve already changed your IP address with them, perform those steps anyway to see if your new IP address is blacklisted.

If your new IP address is, you may wish to pursue using an alternative VPN service. Folks here have mentioned that free or very low cost VPN services have the greatest rate of abused IP addresses.

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I don’t use Chrome browser but Fx 60.9 ESR at that site caused a freeze. I had to close the browser. I could access the site fine on Basilisk current version. Basilisk is forked off of Fx 52 ESR and kept fully up to date security wise while still giving me a far superior GUI to what I would get with current Fx or any other browser ( and allowing me full usage of XUL extensions).

Something wrong with that site. I have the same Dell XPS computer as you running Win 10 2004 ver. I’ve gotten that error about being thought to be a bot countless times over the years. I generally don’t try any further to reach such a website and I let them know my displeasure. I keep a variety of browsers for such situations as one of them will usually work at such a site. ..but not always and I don’t want to have a locked computer, etc because of some site that is not properly set up.

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snoopyxl wrote:

I’m using Norton 360; Malwarebytes and Nord VPN. Norton and Malwarebytes scans have not produced any issues.

You don’t mention whether or not you have tried disconnecting from NordVPN to see if that allows you to reach the ‘problem’ websites . . .

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