Category Archives: scams

[updated - CARDILLY is FRAUD and NOT a legitimate business - Gift Cards NOT Received, Cardilly Security Certificate has been REVOKED.

Posted on August 27, 2011 by

DO NOT USE Cardilly.   GeoTrust has revoked their certificate.    Cardilly is a scam. These clowns went under the name of “SG Marketing” operating via a bank probably in Etobicoke, Canada.     Note that there appear to be … Continue reading →

Posted in scams | Tagged , , , | 53 Comments

Auth Code Help. Authorization Code Instructions for Domain Name Transfers from Godaddy, Moniker, and more.

Posted on July 30, 2009 by

Skip to highlighted text below for Auth Code Instructions Even after thousands of domain name transactions over the years I’m always pulling my hair out with domain name transfer process which, like many mixtures of bureaucratic bungling and private sector … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, internet, scams, SEO, technology, web, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Social Word of Mouth Marketing

Posted on June 5, 2009 by

As social networking explodes on the scene I’m wondering about legitimate vs questionable marketing tactics that involve one’s social network.   Here at the JoeDuck blog I’ve avoided advertising (though I have taken a few liberties with posts that help rank … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, scams, Social Networks, stocks | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Beijing Tea Scam: Beware Many Tea Houses near Forbidden City / Tiananmen Square

Posted on April 18, 2008 by

Beijing Tea Scam: Avoid the Si Zhu Xiang Tea House near Forbidden City / Tiananmen Square Originally uploaded by JoeDuck Update:  Generally, if you are approached by a good English speaker there is a *very good chance* he or she … Continue reading →

Posted in Beijing, china, scams, shanghai, tourism, travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 52 Comments

Click Fraud Class Action against Miva / Lycos: Good idea, but payoff and motives questionable.

Posted on February 26, 2008 by

Update upon closer examination of the terms:   Holy crap, BatClickMan, this action is pretty bogus unless you are on the legal team.   Here’s the deal:  Lawyers get a bunch of cash from MIVA while the defrauded customers get 50% off future purchases of clicks … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, scams, search, SEO, SES | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Associated Content monetizing plagiarized content.

Posted on December 2, 2007 by

update:  I’ve rewritten this post after realizing Mashable is not saying AC did anything illegal. Mashable is falling just short of charging Associated Content, a well-funded content distribution portal, with plagiarism.   Apparently an AC contributor has lifted a lot of Mashable articles verbatim and posted them … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, blogs, companies, Google, scams, Web 2.0, Websites | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary is Meeker than yesterday on revenue estimates?

Posted on August 24, 2007 by

I’m still digesting this amazing story by Henry Blodgett  about how Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker’s seems to have 1) inadvertently miscalculated YouTube revenue potentials by a factor of *1000* and then,  adding insult to injured fuzzy math, seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in casinos, news, scams, stocks | 4 Comments

Stock Spam Messages: SEC study suggests you should follow their bogus advice for profit?

Posted on March 12, 2007 by

The SEC is cracking down on stock price manipulations where spammers send out millions of email messages implying a stock is going to rise. Presumably the spammers have bought calls on the stock or own shares and then reap benefits … Continue reading →

Posted in companies, investments, research, scams, stocks | 5 Comments

Sex, lies, videotape, and Wikipedia

Posted on March 4, 2007 by

Wikipedia‘s latest mini scandal involves an editor “essjay”, real name Ryan Jordan, who faked some academic credentials both in his Wikipedia work and in an interview with New York Magazine. After considerable debate over the issue Jordan has resigned from … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, blogs, internet, news, personal, scams, search, Social Networks, Web 2.0, Websites | 10 Comments

Wired buys votes on Digg, Arrington calls for lawsuit?!

Posted on March 1, 2007 by

This story at Wired Magazine is a fascinating glimpse into manipulating social media.    Mike Arrington isn’t impressed though, and suggests Digg should sue Wired because Wired owns Digg competitor Reddit.com. I don’t agree, and frankly would love to see hundreds … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, research, scams, search, SEO, Web 2.0, Websites | 4 Comments