FTC Shuts Down Fraudulent Antispyware Company

spewey writes "The Federal Trade Commission has shut down MaxTheater, Inc., alleging the company participated in fraudulent practices with its Spyware Assassin site, which purportedly scanned user machines for spyware and reported infections, even though no scan was done and in most cases, the user machine was clean. The site then offered the user a $30 product to remove the spyware, which the commission reports 'didn't do a thing.'"

Comments

Down

[maotx]

with its Spyware Assassin site

I'm getting a blank page with the title "New Page 1"
Here is a google cache.

Great, now for ad destroyer

[iamlucky13]

I'm glad to see spyware assassin gone, but the extortionware I see most on computers I work on is ad destroyer. Let's hope the FTC b!tch slaps them next.

Spyware warrior lists numerous similar products

[Anonymous Coward]

for adding to your hosts file (if you havent already)

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.h tm

Re:I'm Confused, Tell Me what to Think

[tyleroar]

The FTC did not try to shut down spyware. They shut down a site that pretended to clean people's computers of spyware.

Re:Government interferes with business yet again

[chrispl]

Except there is no way of PROVING that the "healing rock" does NOT actually heal some people.

As far as I know with software it is a little easier to test it to see exactly what it does and does not do. If it claims to "remove spyware" and does not, it is a pretty open and shut case that the company selling it is misrepresenting what it does.

Re:No message?

[dosius]

Look at the hosts surrounding 66.172.78.113...

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[%] resolved [66.172.78.106] to (www.xxxpersonals-southwest.co.uk)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.107] to (www.hotadultcams.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.108] to (www.getitspot.com)
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[%] resolved [66.172.78.110] to (www.iber-hosting.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.111] to (www.topxxxdvdsites.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.112] to (www.toppornstarsites.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.113] to (www.spywareassassin.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.114] to (www.auctionprofit.net)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.115] to (www.advancedonlinemarketing.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.116] to (www.smutdollars.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.117] to (www.cheapestadultscripts.com)
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[%] resolved [66.172.78.120] to (www.equivista.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.121] to (www.orbz.org)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.122] to (www.myseries60.net)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.123] to (www.furaddicted.net)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.124] to (www.animalhackerz.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.125] to (www.crazedmodding.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.126] to (www.free-adult-cartoons-x.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.127] to (www.ovrimos.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.128] to (www.interracialdirectory.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.129] to (www.knoxvilleareapsychology.org)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.130] to (www.lucent-inferno.com)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.131] to (www.basd-action.net)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.132] to (www.can-online.org)
[%] resolved [66.172.78.133] to (www.masspersonalinjurylawyer.com)

Sense a pattern? That whole chunk of IP addresses seems to be owned by a shyster.

Moll.

Hello?

[abb3w]

That's total bullshit. Republican or democrat, the government's job is to protect and serve the people.

Was that falling for a troll, or a counter-troll? Perhaps you might have noticed that this was titled "The Libertarian Response"? Libertarians are neither Republicans nor Democrats. They're a different political party entirely, generally agreeing with liberals on issues pertaining to the individual (such as drugs, abortion, and so on), and agreeing with the conservatives on economic issues (such as fiscal responsibility (Bush aside), corporate regulation, and the minimum wage).

Commonly, libertarians make a distinction between the personal and economic aspects of liberal thought; the popular Nolan Chart makes the political spectrum a plane, rather than a line.

Or, as I usually put it: in legislative sessions, the Conservatives sit to the right, the Liberals sit on the left, and the Libertarians are the baboons swinging from the chandeliers. (And it's suprising how many Libertarians will cheerfully agree with that description when asked....)

The libertarian position stated was a trifle extreme... but does thus highlight the problems with the libertarian's more extreme free-market faction.