Anyway, there used to be several techniques you could deploy to find out if you're being blocked or not. Some required MacGuyver techniques, others were as simple as a mouse-click. The bottom-line, however, is that Microsoft fixed a privacy bug (in an effort to outsmart Instant Messaging spam or SPIM) and now there's NO FOOL PROOF METHOD anymore to find out who blocked you on MSN Messenger.

NO single MSN block checker out there can make a distinction between a contact that has blocked you or is just simply offline.

Moreover, we STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST using online MSN block checkers for Messenger because we've seen many of them collecting e-mail addresses for SPAM or worse. Some even auto-install worms that spread to all your contacts.

(If you're reading this and already installed the infamous block-checker, run our Block-Checker Virus Scanner ASAP.)

The only and most efficient way to find out someone's blocking you is through social engineering: find a mutual contact (a friend, collegue or family member on both your contact list and the suspected blocker's) and find out (as subtle as possible) if he or she is online or not.

For archiving reasons, here are the retired techniques for finding out who blocked you... Again, THESE BLOCKCHECKER METHODS DO NOT WORK ANYMORE.

#1. Triople, the MSN Block Checker

Triople is a script by Daniel and UnderDOC that checks if a specific MSN Messenger user is online or offline. It does not return all the users blocking the entered account. One of its strengths (in comparison to any other block checker) is that Triople can bypass MSN Messenger's Privacy setting to block 'all other users'.

#2. The Alien Passport Technique

No shocker, this do-it-yourself one, as most of you will already have thought about this before, but here we go:

1) Create a new Hotmail Passport with a user name that has no relation to you whatsoever (tip: use a foreign name from the other gender).

2) Download Mess Patch from Mess.be for your version of MSN Messenger or Windows Live Messenger and apply polygamy .

3) Start a second Messenger client after applying the patch and log-in using your fresh and clean MSN Passport.

4) Choose "Send an instant message" from the Actions (or Extra) menu and instead of selecting somebody from your Contact List (which should be blank with your new account), fill in the email address of the person you suspect of blocking you.

5) Send him a message like: "Hi, are you the person who mailed me earlier about my site?" or something completely else (whatever might get him/her to react).

6) If this person replies while being offline on your other account... somebody doesn't really like you ;)

NOTE: This technique fails when the suspected blocker has chosen the default privacy setting to "Block All Others" (= users not added to the contact list).

#3 The IP-Scan Method

Contributed by inspiron2002

1) Find the IP of the suspected blocker
2) Scan the IP for the MSN PORT (1863)
3) If there's none, the person is disconnected from the Internet.