What’s up with Target VPN? Have you been trying to use Private Internet Access with Target? You might be having problems, and you aren’t alone.
Recently some Private Internet Access (PIA for short) users have found out that in some cases, Private Internet Access is no longer working with Target. PIA forum user, ViperVPN explains that “This morning my wife discovered that she could not access www.target.com when I am using PIA VPN via OpenVPN on my ASUS router or via the PIA Win10 client.
When my VPN is enabled and connected to the us-midwest servers, I receive the following error: You don’t have permission to access “http://www.target.com/” on this server.Reference #18.466533b8.1474210794.1e984546.”
While this sounds like an isolated issue (and the main OP name is suspect), other users in the forum thread seem to have the same problem with accessing Target’s website through Private Internet Access VPN. User “IjustWanttoPost” (also great username) also explains that he is having the same issue with no alternate IPs working.
Later on in the PIA thread, user Blue23, an employee from PIA explains what he thinks about the issue to the other users in the thread:
“I am sorry to hear you’re having issues with Target while connected to the VPN. In regards to your access being denied, it is quite possible that Target has begun blocking VPN IPs, or shared IPs in general, due to abusive behavior by users on the VPN. It’s also entirely possible that Target has started blocking IPs in a similar way to Netflix/Hulu, to keep their services geo-locked. Most likely, you can remedy this situation by connecting to another server.”
This response is a bit questionable, however, since if Target HAS begun blocking IPs in this fashion, it will be hard to get around the issue just by switching servers. Usually , in these cases, a significant number of server IPs are blocked since so many users are using the IPs. Just like Netflix took down PIA before, Target could easily just blacklist all of the PIA servers which makes switching server connections pointless. It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time users are having trouble with PIA servers.
Before long, could Target’s website block most VPNs like Netflix?
Since PIA is one of the largest VPN providers, a lot of companies and websites block PIA IPs for the reasons that Blue23 suspects–being that there has been abusive behavior. PIA is a good VPN, but since there are so many users on it, it’s a victim of its success in a lot of ways and this Target issue is another example of how a VPN can get “too” popular.
One user, “cad343668” suspects that Target’s history with security breaches could be one reason that Target is banning proxy / VPN users who could have malicious intent. This is ironic that Target could be targeting these users since a vast majority of these users that use proxies and VPN are not malicious–instead, they are privacy and security advocates who actively protect their passwords, bank accounts, and online information. Does Target not suppor that?
It’s a similar situation to how Netflix and BBC block proxy and VPN users. In a way, they are forcing users to take away encryption and security to access their services.
If you’re having trouble accessing Target’s website through PIA, you could try switching to another VPN provider. Other users in the thread say that PIA is primarily having problems accessing Target in west coast servers. However, using these servers in these locations WILL give you the best speeds for Target’s site.
I would think you are using PIA since it’s so cheap. However, TorGuard VPN is only 50 cents more a month with our discount “Best10VPN” coming in at $7.50, and their 6-month subscription is even the same price as PIA at $29.95.
See why we think TorGuard is better in this full TorGuard VPN review. Or check out TorGuard vs. PIA here.
