Example of free offer scam

A good example of a bad free stuff offer

Note: since this article was written the fake offer page being described has been taken down. You can still get some good tips for avoiding future fake sites from the analysis below.

Like many free stuff scams this Free Headphones Offer[/link] looks reasonable at first glance however, when you take a closer look it becomes obvious it is a fake offer. Read on to learn more about spotting and avoiding bogus free stuff offers.

It's peppered with Google ads:There are three sets of Google ads on the supposed free stuff offer page. While some sites may use advertisements to help support their site, this seems oddly excessive.

It's hosted on a free hosting site:If you go to the root of the site you will find that the free stuff offer form is on a free hosting site. Not only that, but it is one that requires no registration to use.

The legal disclaimer does not fit the site:If you read the legal disclaimer it is pretty obvious that it was copied from another site and modified.

The contact email address is a free address:The only way to contact the owner of this free stuff offer is an email address that is hosted at a free email provider.

The form doesn't actually collect any information:This is one that you would only notice if you poked around in the HTML code of the page and knew a little about how forms work. This form does not use a script to place information in a database or even to email it to the owner. It does nothing but display a result page that makes you think your data was submitted. The good thing about this is that you won't get any spam from filling out the form. The bad thing is that you will not be getting free headphones either.

So, why would someone go to the trouble of putting up a free stuff offer form and not bother to collect the information? There are two possibilities. It is either someone that thinks they can get enough traffic to get revenue from the Google ads, or it is someone that wants to see how gullible people are.

Either way, it makes a good example of what to look for when trying to determine if a free stuff offer is legitimate

- Lee Seats

Lorette
http://www.make-up-tip.com