Niranahm Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 I just noticed that Google Ads on this site were serving up a popular scam. The ad mentioned that you could work in Thailand and make $25 to $150 an hour doing online surveys from here. The website it linked to is a variant of a typical scam and the point is that they ask you for $34.95 to access their database of sites and tips that will pay you to take online surveys. I think there was a reference to www.surveyscout.com The text on this scam site was very specific to Thailand and the advantages of working from Thailand as an expat and earning good US wages. I'm not saying that TF guys are dumb but I do think it's possible someone could think "why don't I try it -- it's only $35?" It IS possible to make money from online surveys but the amouints are much smaller than claimed and you really need to be in the US. The sites that pay any kind of real money require you to meet demographic profiles -- and impoverished farang in Thailand is not a demographic that anyone is keen to survey! If I were a TF admin, I'd at least complain to Google and ask them to stop sending illegal scam advertising to your site. BTW This and similar scam sites attempt to skirt the law by offering you your money back if not sastified. Even if that were true/possible, it's still a scam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anenglishman Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Interesting post. I had vaguely seen the ad and thought to myself....can't really be that easy. not sure whether it would be wise to complain to google..........they are not so friendly about these things. i read a truly excellent/funny blog called www.mangosauce.com that just got dumped by google for being an allegedly porno site. if u read it u will see that it is not even remotely porno.....just very funny innuendo. google flat out refused to engage in dialog with mangosauce. just as a funny add on, i used a google tool to generate keywords for my website. to generate I used the words "thailand", "art", "affluent" 'lifestyle". i copied and pasted the results, all without doing a check. later my website designer says i have a problem. what's the problem i ask? u have "sex" as a keyword (probably that came from the "lifestyle" word). google might very well cause u problems if u keep this keyword. so we deleted it but not without asking ourselves how it was that this word, "sex" was generated by google itself. consistency is not google's strongpoint. On the one hand they talk a lot about freedom of expression. on the other hand they have an overly rigorous censorship policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsnow Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 i read a truly excellent/funny blog called www.mangosauce.com that just got dumped by google for being an allegedly porno site. if u read it u will see that it is not even remotely porno.....just very funny innuendo. google flat out refused to engage in dialog with mangosauce.strongpoint. On the one hand they talk a lot about freedom of expression. on the other hand they have an overly rigorous censorship policy. True case with MangoSauce. Too sad that they got dumped by snobby Google Ad people. Because as the site admin explained, and anyone could see it by themselves, MangoSauce is less raunchier than FHM in many peoples opinion...BUT nevertheless, in our company webpolicies it is ranked as Newsgroups, Society/Lifestyle, and Adult/Mature Content (not Sex or Porn) and thus blocked anyway by Blue Coat. Oh and now what has happened to MangoSauce, they really got awful sex ads than weren't there before. :-( Unfotunate destiny for the site. But as you express about Google policies, there has been lots to discuss about them, not least because of their stand on presence in China and other countries which cencor free speech and Google has followed their rules. And what comes to scam sites and bad web experiences. I recommend free add on for Firefox: McAfee SiteAdvisor. Seeing what opinion there are about this site under discussion, it ain't that black and white. But, listed as red site anyway. http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/surveyscout.com?ref=safesearch&aff_id=0 General advice to anyone: never trust just some tool either! Use tools like SiteAdvisor as your first line of defence, second being your common sense (the gut feeling )... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Punisher Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 I find the best way to avoid online scams is to not be a moron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anenglishman Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 speaking of dodgy google ads...is this one really desireable? www.singlemantour.com on adultfriendfinder ok. on TF...ok or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.