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Friday, May 31, 2002 |
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A federal court and the Federal Trade Commission have closed the door on an online scam designed to snag lost Web surfers and subject them to pop-up ads.
The scam, run by one John Zuccarini, revolved around registering Internet domain names that were misspelled versions of popular, legitimate domain names. For instance, Zuccarini registered 15 variations of CartoonNetwork.com, and 41 variations of pop star Britney Spears's name. The ploy involved more than 5,500 Web addresses altogether.
In an Oct. 2001 suit, the FTC alleged that once a Web user arrived at one of Zuccarini's sites, he "pelted" their screens with a barrage of pop-up ads promoting adult-oriented services like gambling and pornography. [NewsFactor Cybercrime & Security]
23:10
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A federal court and the Federal Trade Commission have closed the door on an online scam designed to snag lost Web surfers and subject them to pop-up ads.
The scam, run by one John Zuccarini, revolved around registering Internet domain names that were misspelled versions of popular, legitimate domain names. For instance, Zuccarini registered 15 variations of CartoonNetwork.com, and 41 variations of pop star Britney Spears's name. The ploy involved more than 5,500 Web addresses altogether.
In an Oct. 2001 suit, the FTC alleged that once a Web user arrived at one of Zuccarini's sites, he "pelted" their screens with a barrage of pop-up ads promoting adult-oriented services like gambling and pornography. [NewsFactor Cybercrime & Security]
23:10
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G!
| |
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A federal court and the Federal Trade Commission have closed the door on an online scam designed to snag lost Web surfers and subject them to pop-up ads.
The scam, run by one John Zuccarini, revolved around registering Internet domain names that were misspelled versions of popular, legitimate domain names. For instance, Zuccarini registered 15 variations of CartoonNetwork.com, and 41 variations of pop star Britney Spears's name. The ploy involved more than 5,500 Web addresses altogether.
In an Oct. 2001 suit, the FTC alleged that once a Web user arrived at one of Zuccarini's sites, he "pelted" their screens with a barrage of pop-up ads promoting adult-oriented services like gambling and pornography.
In some cases, Zuccarini's domain name linked back to the legitimate site, so consumers might have believed the deluge of ads came from the site that they originally had been intending to reach, the FTC said.
Most of the ads also were coded to spawn new pop-ups if a user began closing them -- a practice known as "mousetrapping."
The FTC alleged that the practices were unfair and deceptive, in violation of federal law.
[Newsfactor]
11:14
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A federal court and the Federal Trade Commission have closed the door on an online scam designed to snag lost Web surfers and subject them to pop-up ads.
The scam, run by one John Zuccarini, revolved around registering Internet domain names that were misspelled versions of popular, legitimate domain names. For instance, Zuccarini registered 15 variations of CartoonNetwork.com, and 41 variations of pop star Britney Spears's name. The ploy involved more than 5,500 Web addresses altogether.
In an Oct. 2001 suit, the FTC alleged that once a Web user arrived at one of Zuccarini's sites, he "pelted" their screens with a barrage of pop-up ads promoting adult-oriented services like gambling and pornography.
In some cases, Zuccarini's domain name linked back to the legitimate site, so consumers might have believed the deluge of ads came from the site that they originally had been intending to reach, the FTC said.
Most of the ads also were coded to spawn new pop-ups if a user began closing them -- a practice known as "mousetrapping."
The FTC alleged that the practices were unfair and deceptive, in violation of federal law.
[Newsfactor]
11:14
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Maximillian Dornseif, 2002.
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