Toronto based scammers sending fake SEO service invoice

This scam has been there for a while. A group of scammers based in Toronto, Canada are / were sending fake invoices in the name of some reputable search engine optimization companies. Apart from sending fake invoices they also send fake notices for non existent SEO services. They send out saying that they will get you listed in all search engines for a low price. This scam has been there for a while and even ftc.gov has taken action against it.



See more information "http://powerofgenie.com/2009/02/scam-takes-a-new-turn/"

According to the FTC, since 2004, Toronto-based Internet Listing Service has been sending fake invoices to small businesses and others, listing the existing domain name of the consumer's Web site or a slight variation on the domain name, such as substituting ".org" for ".com." The invoice appears to come from the businesses' existing domain name registrar and contains terms such as "WEBSITE ADDRESS LISTING" and "ANNUAL WEBSITE SEARCH ENGINE LISTING." The invoice also claims to include a search engine optimization service. Most consumers who receive the "invoices" are led to believe that the defendants are their current domain name registrar and that they must pay them to maintain their registrations of domain names. Other consumers are induced to pay based on defendants' claims that their "Search Optimization" service will "direct mass traffic" to their sites and that their "proven search engine listing service" will result in "a substantial increase in traffic."
The FTC's complaint charged that most consumers who paid the defendants' invoices do not receive any domain name registration services and that the "search optimization" service is ineffective and does not result in increased traffic to the consumers' Web sites.



The FTC charged that the "invoices" represented that the defendants had a preexisting business relationship with the consumer. The "invoices" also represented that consumers owed money for the continued registration of their Web site names and that the defendants would provide continued registration services for consumers. The defendants also claimed that the "search optimization" service would substantially increase traffic to consumers' Internet Web sites. The FTC alleged all that of these claims were false and violated federal law.

There are scam in search engine optimization everywhere we just need to be more aware.

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