Thank you for your help!
Reply 1 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
But unfortunately this does happen. Sites pop up with lists of software at 'hard to believe' prices, and they will have various certificates, apparently from CNET and other recognised web sites. Usually the certificate icon is just an image and is not clickable, a sure sign this is a scam.
But for myself it is that "Hard to Believe" prices that is the warning. There is a general axiom; If it "looks to good to be true, then it probably is, (too good to be true)".
Sorry to hear you got caught by this.
Mark
Reply 2 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Is there anything consumers can do to report/bring justice to these scammers????
Reply 3 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
It's only by being aware, like you were, that we can avoid being caught, but others are attracted to the promise of 'something for nothing'.
Mark
Reply 4 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
i'm also wondering about such offers from that company/companies. One of them own a couple of domains and online stores all decorated with logos as "c|net certified", "Microsoft Gold Certified Partner" and some other big companies seals.
I phoned with a tech guy from microsoft last week and we searched through the microsoft partnernet / the microsoft website to find this companies entry in the partner listings.
But our attempts were without success.
Hereby i resummon and invite the C|NET respnsible persons to check the following domains/websites:
http://247software.org/
http://soft-storage.net/
http://about-software.net/
http://addoem.com/
http://www.greatest-software.net/
http://gold-oem.com
Dear C|NET-Support team, please take a firm stand to this situation.
Tahnk you!
Reply 5 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
I've asked the Forum Administrator to send this on to the CBS/CNET legal department.
They will be interested, but I have to say that trying to catch these people and taking action against them really is very difficult, especially if they are not based in the US or some other 'friendly' country, like the UK, or other European state.
I checked all of those web sites. 3 of them and my browser's security add-on, WOT, (World of Trust), popped up with a red 'danger' warning, telling me the sites were untrustworthy, and wouldn't let me navigate further. Of the others, all but one I noticed from their "About us" link that they all have the same image of a bricks and mortar building, supposedly in Texas. I would assume they pulled that image off the internet.
One of the others was supposedly from Greece, but that is difficult to confirm.
Mark
Reply 6 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
The second dead give away is the prices--if the prices are too good to be true, then it is usually a scam site.
Since when can any vendor offer Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended for $99.90 ? or Windows 7 Ultimate (32 bit) for $119.90? That's not a not bargain--it's a steal--meaning illegal!
CNET legal team is aware of these sites, I've reported many. They are a dime a dozen out on the Web and as Mark mentioned, they set up shop and like snowflakes disappear over night.
Our legal team will do what is necessary to have them stop using our logo without authorization, but will crooks listen? Probably not.
The thing to do for all of us, is to spread the word on these type of scamming sites. The only reason why these sites exist and continue existing is because so many people fall for this type of site and never listen to old adage of "if it's good to be true, then it usually is..." It's obvious these sites are making money cause folks just don't want to pay the prices for legit software and will only learn the hard way once they realize they just got ripped off.
I'll forward this along to our legal team for investigation. But for all those folks out there who is reading this thread.. DO NOT buy from these sites!
Thanks for notifying us.
Cheers,
-Lee
Reply 7 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
They, too, are a cnet certified store and Adobe and Microsoft partners and Verisign members, too. And they have a toll-free 800 number to answer calls. So many things that would make anyone feel assured this is a legitimate website. But is it?
I think I would like to see a very easy-find-list of all the cnet certified stores on cnet's website. I would also like it if Adobe and Microsoft did the same thing with a partners list. Then it would be a bit easier to see who is a legitimate dealer and who a crook.
Reply 8 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
You're right, it's a scam. Those 'certified' logos are just images, and not clickable links.
Mark
Reply 9 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Each post will have the scam site url web site address in the title, and the body of each post will have the reasons and/or suspicions.
I've just started one at http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12543_102-0.html?threadID=386582
However, I will now seek the Forum Admins thoughts, and if there are difficulties with doing this either myself or the Forum Admin will delete that sticky discussion.
Mark
Reply 10 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Reply 11 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
It just seems ludicrous to see them flaunt their illegal websites and nothing can be done in a timely manner.
It feels like you're witnessing a drunk driver drinking and racing up and down the street and nothing is be done about it even after people have been hurt.
Sorry, that's the best analogy I could come up with.
Reply 12 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Also, many of these sites operate overseas and there is very little our company can do. Even if the ISPs were contact and the sites were shutdown, they will reappear overnight on a new domain using another ISP. The only way to stop these places from setting up shop again starts with everyone by not giving them the business.
The black market is only good as it is in demand. And if people are lead into temptation to continue to make the descisions to feed these shady sites, well they are going to stick around because of the demand. Obviously these shady sites are getting their fair share of people's hard earn money or they wouldn't be so agressively setting up shop all over the Internet.
I wish there was something we all could do swifty to stop these sites, but honestly the best thing we can do is to get the word out on these sites and tell people not to support these crooked sites by buying into their offers.
That's just my 1 cent.
Cheers!
-Lee
Reply 13 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Is this site selling boxed sets legitimatly or as I suspect a single disc with a sheet of set up instructions.
Also do you receive software updates.
I look forward to your answer.
thanks
Reply 14 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
I have added this to the Forum Sticky in my post here;
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12543_102-0.html?messageID=3272311#3272311
You may want to have a look and see what I have found out with a quick look/see.
I would not purchase anything from there.
Mark
Reply 15 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
I purchased Captivate 4, paid $104, received (2) emails with User IDs and passwords to log on and download the software, used only (1) of them, received the download, opened the Acitvation key doc and there were (3) Activation Key's listed. Each worked (1) time, then poof, now none of them work. And I too have received the autoresponder (48) hours and we'll get back to you.
Geesh with all my years experience, it never occured to me to actually click on the Associates and Partner site logos to see if they clicked through. Where was my head? I was hot to download the software (Captivate 4) because it's no longer available on their site, and a client will only accept that version for the deliverable. So now I've wasted $104.00, I researched several sites and all listed $99 - $120 for it, and I figured the price was good because the version was obsolete with Captivate 5 being released.
Please fellow designers and software users, geesh, take your time, don't rush, and research it. Heck, even when I did paste their website in to search it for anything bad, nothing came up, it was only when I put in the Parent Company listed with the word complaints on the "About Us" page did these forums come up.
You'd think MS, Adobe, CNET and BBB would at least try to do a better job. I saw a news wire where MS took several business' small and large in towns all across the US to court on piracy. Well, why not have your guru's research the online one's and all the software big wigs form a task force to get em all on a regular basis. Geesh, really? Do we have to do all the dirty work? Maybe they'd do a bit of it on their own for a change. Seems all companies want now is for the general public to inform them when there's an issue and if they have the time and the end result payoff is enough for them, they'll put a bit of effort into it to stop the fraud on the general american and international public.
So now I sit here with a deliverable due and non working software.
Don't get caught up in the same 'ole scam I find myself in. Research, research, research, LOL.
I just had a thought, hmmmmm, wonder if that 2nd User ID and password will let me get 3 more Activation keys? LOL, I did notice when it let me in on one of the keys, if I didn't close my software I could keep closing docs and reopening them and others and it didn't log me out or ask for another key. hmmmmmmm..... interesting, worth a try at this point. I'll write an update on how that goes.
M.
Reply 16 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/oemdownloadsoftware.us
You wondered why Adobe, Microsoft and CNET et al don't do a better job. The problem is that these scam sites spring up all the time, sometimes changing from one day to the next. Mostly their domains are overseas, Eastern Europe, Asia, or similar, where they cannot be touched and where legal enforcement is very poor or does not even exist. The companies you mention, and others who see their products pirated and copied and sold off for a fraction of the cost, are, frankly, powerless to act, and they are as much infuriated as we are.
That's why we have raised this type of listing. Not the only one, but we try and do our bit, to get the message out.
Many thanks for bringing this to our attention and hopefully your own experiences will help others avoid this kind of trap.
Mark
Reply 17 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Reply 18 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Reply 19 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
"2.5 Software cannot be registered on-line due to certain limitations;"
That's a sure sign. If you purchase recognised and legal software which offers registration of it's product, there should be no limitations to registering the product. This is a sure sign that this site is offering titles that are pirated and so cannot be registered.
And in their FAQ;
1. Why do you sell software cheaper than official brand providers do?
Because buying the software with us you receive the copies of downloaded licensed versions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Genuine suppliers do not provide copies.
And also, but by no means finally, their CNET logo is a fake; it has been captured as an image and is not clickable.
Thanks for your post, and I have added this to the list of ***SCAM*** download web sites. Beware" sticky note in this forum.
Mark
Reply 20 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Web site promotion is not permitted in these forums.
Mark
Reply 21 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
http://shopper.cnet.com/cnet-store-rating-faq/
If you look at the right column, there is even Alert section that lists Non-CNET Certified Stores. I've asked them to update it to include the sites that were listed here, thanks to you folks! And if you discover more type of these sites that are using unauthorized CNET Certified merchant logos, just report it through the customer service support link provided.
Cheers and thank you all!
-Lee
Reply 22 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Reply 23 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
You may want to contact your credit card company and check for unauthorized charges.
Reply 24 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Reply 25 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
If so, I get "Page not found" when I go there.
Mark
Reply 26 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Reply 27 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
"Why is the software cheap?
You can take the software for downloading only! You don't have to pay for frilly package, license and printing user manual, which altogether makes up the majority of the total value. But, unfortunately, in this case you cannot get a technical support and different additional discounts from the producer. Also you can take updates which are available for the majority of our products. Finally, you will not pay for the delivery."
No license!
There are other clues as I stated in my Scam List here;
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12543_102-0.html?messageID=3272311#3272311
It seems they have removed the CNET logo from their site.
You ask why they are still trading? I ask the same question all the time with some annoyance and a lot of aggravation, but since they could be anywhere in the world and the internet is not policed, sadly we have to 'look after ourselves'.
Mark
Reply 28 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
Reply 29 : Cnet Certified Store "Authorized Software Resellers" scam?
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/eusoft.me
What information I have been able to find;
The server stats appear to originate from Latvia
A Whois if this site shows that the domain/site is registered to "Eugeniy Borodin" who owns about 33 other domains.
Registrant City:Moskow
Admin City:Saint-Petersburg
Tech City:Saint-Petersburg
This is not a web site I would visit.
Mark
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