- White Knight SEO is being bandied about all over the internet as if some altruistic SEO-ers are coming to the rescue to help people avoid the terrible Google kits scams like Google Money Tree.
9/4/2009: Joseph Stein and I have chatted over at his blog and come to better terms. I think the MAIN thing that was freaking me out was that IF the White-Knight SEO-ers push down the scam listings WITHOUT also posting which law enforcement agencies with which to file complaints it could actually make things WORSE as they will bury sites like Scam.com, WorldLawDirect, FraudWatchers and others like them that DO help people file complaints with proper authorities.
I’ll admit that I forget to that sometimes myself and plan to make it an ongoing practice from now on to provide that information along with other consumer education resources where appropriate.
The original post about the White Knight SEO crusade continues below:
Umm…where were the SEO white knights TEN MONTHS ago when little sites like WorkAtHomeTruth.com, StrangelyPerfect.TV,, WorkAtHomeNoScams.com, IveTriedThat.com and others sent out the original warnings and helped people file complaints and spent hundreds of hours helping people recover their money? And when people came together to help each OTHER out of the ridiculous Google kit scams?
Was something wrong with your horses?
The scams were and are terrible, but it’s been wonderful to see so many people helping each other in their times of need. In my opinion, those people are the REAL white knights of the past ten months (I’ve posted links later in this blog post to many of the discussions on various sites where people were going out of their way to help one another?
So NOW the White Knight SEO-ers are going to come to “the rescue” AFTER Google has already been banning advertisers for over TWO MONTHS?
Gee, thanks guys. I’m sure the consumers that really needed you TEN MONTHS ago will be thrilled to hear of your little publicity stunt. Are you going to help them file complaints, answer their emails, help them by phone (you are going to post your phone number aren’t you), and continuously research questions that come up for them to help them out?
You ARE going to do that aren’t you?
I mean you are “White Knights” after all. Where’s your sense of chivalry?
Hey, I have an idea, why don’t you go post about your wonderful White Knight SEO plans in the following discussions. Go ahead and post your phone numbers there, too, so people can get ahold of you for your “White Knight” help:
- 07/23/2008 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Cash Key – Not Recommended
- 11/13/2008 (WorkAtHomeTruth):
Google Money Tree complaints - 11/18/2008 (Scam.com): BEWARE of Google Money Tree
- 12/04/2008 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Cash Scam
- 12/11/2008 (IveTriedThat) Beware of Google Money Tree
- 12/13/2008 (WorkAtHomeTruth): BradsMoney – Where’s that government check?
- 12/28/2008 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Internet Income Initiative – Google Pro Kit complaints
- 01/01/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): EarnCashFastWithGoogle complaints
- 01/03/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Success Kit complaints
- 01/04/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Profits Complaints (note, this is NOT Wade Winger’s Google Profits)
- 01/04/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google-Work-Home? No Thanks!
- 01/04/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Internet Money Tree Complaints
- 01/05/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): GoogleTree complaints
- 01/05/2009 (ElectronPlumber): Google Money Tree, Earn Google Cash and Google Kits – FaceBook Part Time Jobs Scams
- 01/08/2009 (WafflesAtNoon): Spotting Scam Websites
- 01/10/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Is EarnGoogleCash.com the same as GoogleCash.com?
- 01/10/2009 (WafflesAtNoon): Scam Alert Website Lists
- 01/14/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Pro Kit Complaints
- 01/14/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Search Success Center $59.90 Monthly Fee
- 01/23/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Money ToolKit Charges
- o1/23/2009 NCL warning: Google Money Tree – Bitter Fruit for Consumers
- 01/30/2009 (IveTriedThat): Beware of Google Treasure Chest
- 02/04/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Make Google Cash is NOT Google Cash
- 02/05/2009 (WafflesAtNoon): Government Grants Scams Revisited
- 02/17/2009 (WafflesAtNoon): Connecting The Dots – Google/Grant Scams
- 02/17/2009 (IveTriedThat): Don’t Listen to Jeff Donahue and JeffsGrantBlog.com
- 02/20/2009 (IveTriedThat): Google Profit System Has Spammed me for the Last Time
- 02/23/2009 (WafflesAtNoon): The Fake Google-Grant Guys
- 02/26/2009 (IveTriedThat): Don’t trust Andrew Lowell at AndrewLowell.com
- 03/02/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): WealthInfoGuy Charges and Feedback
- 03/05/2009 (WolfTrust): Google Cash Kit Scam? Find Out!
- 03/06/2009 (WorkAthomeTruth): BethsMoney discussed
- 03/10/2009 (IveTriedThat): Coreyhasmoney.com vs Jordangetsgreen.com
- 03/16/2009 (SERoundTable): Scam: Google Money System or Google Kit
- 04/04/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Where the hell is Google Cash Kit?
- 04/06/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): RobertsCashBlog Travels the World!
- 04/06/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Google Treasure Chest – it’s a scam and a half!
- 04/07/2009 (WorkAtHomeNoScams): Is Google Money Tree a Scam?
- 04/07/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Make Money Posting Links on Google Scam
- 04/11/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Google Kit, or Treasure Chest – The Plot Thickens
- 04/17/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Google Treasure Chest – Update
- 04/17/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Google Treasure Chest or Kit and Mysterious “Help” From a Stranger
- 04/20/2009 (IveTriedThat.com): I’ve Tried That Investigates: Neil Anderson, NeilsMoneyBlog.com and Google Cash Kit
- 04/24/2009 (Texas Attorney General): Attorney General Abbott Charges Web Site Operator with Orchestrating Fraudulent Work-at-Home Scheme
- 04/26/2009 (ElectronPlumber): Google Cash Kit Scam – ScottsMoneyBlog.com – Scott Hunter Tricks You
- 04/27/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): MaryLifeblog joins the ranks!
- 05/01/2009 (IveTriedThat.com): JoshMadeCash.com? Stay Away!
- 05/02/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Google Treasure Chest – Phone and Address List
- 05/04/2009 (IveTriedThat.com): Be Wary of Fake Blogs
- 05/05/2009 (IveTriedThat.com): Google Treasure Chest + Google Money Tree = JAIL
- 05/09/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): SusansWorkReview deBunked
- 05/13/2009 (IveTriedThat.com): Sales Pages, Fake Blogs, and Now: Fake News
- 05/23/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): (Drum Roll) Pipe Manufacturers May See New Demand for Account Managers
- 05/23/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Google Treasure Chest and the BBB (Better Business Bureau)
- 05/26/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Is Google Cash a scam?
- 06/01/2009 (ElectronPlumber): The Easy Google Profit Scam
- 06/05/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Are Fake News Sites the New Gold Rush?
- 06/07/2009 (WorkAtHomeNoScams: Fake News Site Work At Home Scam
- 06/08/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): CoreyGetsCash.com – or Curren$y
- 06/11/2009 (IveTriedthat.com): Beware of Scott Hunter, ScottsMoneyBlog.com and Google Fast Cash
- 06/15/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): More on Google Profits and Pacific WebWorks
- 06/16/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Google Revolution, Different Name
- 06/22/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Solved! The mystery of “Andrew C.”
- 07/02/2009 (BizOp.ca): Easy Google Profit Scam
- 07/03/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Hey Google Treasure – The Jig is Up!
- 07/06/2009 (WorkAtHomeNoScams.com): Google Shuts Down Google Money Scams
- 07/08/2009 (IveTriedThat): Google Finally Steps UP (The Good News Just Keeps Coming)
- 07/09/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Adwords advertiser says “I forgot scamming people was illegal”
- 07/09/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): Is This the New Google Treasure Chest?
- 07/19/2009 (StrangelyPerfect.TV): ProfitCenterLearning.com Ups the Ante!
- 07/23/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Cash Key – Not Recommended
- 08/01/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): GoogleDollars? No Thanks!
- 08/08/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Cash Kit on Larry King? LOL!
- 08/09/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): GoogleWorksToday QuickShot review
- 08/12/2009 (BizOp.ca) Google Profit Kit – Not
- 08/14/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): NewYorkMinuteNews.com has a strange take on disclaimers
- 08/20/2009 (ElectronPlumber): Is Google AdWork For Real?
- 08/21/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Make Money Whitening Your Teeth!
- 08/30/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Get fake answers at AnswerVaultPro.com
- 09/03/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth): Google Cash Machine quickshot review
Sorry, White Knight SEO-ers. Looks like chivalry is dead.
If you ran a story exposing one of the Google Kit scams, feel free to comment about it below along with a link to your post in the comments section (please put the date you published your story in FRONT of the link along with the name of your site):
mm/dd/yyyy (mysite.com): Link to Story
It’s about time YOU be knighted, isnt it?
UPDATE: Here’s a bizarre statement that White-Knight SEOer Jonah Stein just posted to me in his “using white-hat SEO for Good” blog entry:
“Paul
I am sorry if you feel crowded out or neglected, but since you are selling a product to people who are looking to work at home, I can’t include you in the list of articles exposing the scam. This is about being altruistic, not opportunistic.
For what it is worth, other not so little sites like http://www.SEOBook.com have been sounding the alarm for some time, I just felt it was time to encourage other people to do so as well.”
Is he really SO naive to think this is about being “neglected”? Does he REALLY think this is about getting a link from his site?
Didn’t he work extensively with Aaron Wall? Don’t you think he’d notice that I don’t NEED a link from his site?
LOL!!!
And also he doesn’t want people telling others where the LEGITIMATE training products are?
One last thought…maybe someone can help me out with this one:
How exactly are they “EXPOSING” the scams if so many OTHER sites already EXPOSED almost ALL of them nearly a YEAR ago (some MORE than a year ago) AND the FTC already filed request for injunctions against many of the ones they’re “exposing”?
This is about White-Hat SEOers deciding to help when it’s pretty much TOO LATE and the GAME IS MOSTLY OVER this round.
9/3/2009 UPDATE: WHERE TO FILE COMPLAINTS in the United States:
Please, please, please make sure anyone pushing down the scam pages includes the following complaint sites for people to file with and ENCOURAGES the visitors to file complaints with them:
http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.com
http://www.ic3.gov
http://www.naag.org/attorneys_general.php (You should file with the AGs office of the state you are in AND the state that the company is operating out of).
http://www.bbb.org (the Federal and State government agencies will NOT put out warnings, because doing so could possibly jeapordize their case before they have time to collect evidence). The BBB on the other hand will issue warnings AND the FTC goes through their documentation in case they need extrinsic evidence to make a judgement on matters of deception.
You might also post that you can help people find the IP address of the companies site as sometimes they complaint forms will request that. Of course the sites often keep switching IPs as the complaints are filed against the host, but it’s an easy matter to keep your blog post updated on the IP/hosting changes.
It CAN make a BIG difference for people to file complaints as the FTC sometimes does rely on extrinsic evidence when bringing their requests for injunction against companies.
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Good for you!
Your blog is one of the very few blogs I would recommend to people trying to get a handle on real work at home opportunities.
Thanks, Michael.
I was just adding some of your postings in there, too, along with WafflesAtNoon which was an early contributor.
Hey, Paul
Remember when I showed you BradsMoney way back in November of 2008? I think that’s what started you on the chase for these google cash kit scams.
I read your list kind of quickly so I’m not sure if you listed the story I did for you:
4/17/2009 (WorkAtHomeTruth) Make Money Posting Links on Google Scam
We put a HUGE list of fake blog sites there that were/are promoting these Google kit scams. It all seems so long ago now – amazing all the things you’ve uncovered since then.
LOL. I DO remember that and wondering what the heck that was.
It was the first time I’d ever seen a flog.
And I kept Skype-ing you and showing you how the list was building.
The fake “story blogs” are at well over 1,000 now and the fake news blogs are quickly catching up.
It’s amazing, but I still see new ones popping up almost daily.
Holy Amazing List, Paul! How do you do it? Seriously, every time I think I’m about to graduate from Padowan, I read one of your posts.
LOL.
Thanks, Joe. Let me know if I missed any of yours.
I must say that I am a bit puzzled Mr. Stein’s remark.
Yes, Aaron Wall did speak about this, but after you did.
But, to ignore your blog because you are trying to provide decent reviews of various programs is counter productive.
Odd.
Stein’s site has no traffic, so nobody is listening to him,
His solution is dumb: unless he wants bid to outbid the scammers for google adsense postions ranking high organically is not going to prevent the dubious ads from showing.
How is this strategy going to prevent say alexa.com from showing the stupid flog ads?
The White Knights crusade is funny in another way…check out the first page of search results for Google treasure chest or Google cash kit, with or without “scam.” The top results are ALREADY spreading the truth.
What damsel are these guys rescuing, exactly?
This is for Michael Webster if you see this:
Is there a specific set of law enforcement places in Canada that Canadians would want to file complaints with if they are a victim of a hidden negative option offer?
Quick answer: under the Ontario Consumer Act, most negative option billing is not legal.
I would have to check the other provinces acts.
I love you Paul.
LOL. Thanks, Steve.
That made me laugh – OUT LOUD as they say on the ‘net.
Michael, great point about Alexa. As I pointed out in my update to the post it could actually make things much WORSE if their plan is effective if they do NOT help people file with the proper law enforcement channels.
Since the “proper channels” depend on what type of crime it is in many instances they at least need someone in the loop that can guide them on that – otherwise they are just making a bigger mess of things.
I often consult Lyndell Edgington (I would like for the two of you to connect, btw) to help determine the proper law enforcement agencies people should file with.
Michael, just one minor correction regarding “bidding”. Technically the “bidders” bid through “Adwords” and the publishers display ads through “Adsense”.
Not sure if that was just a slip of the fingers, but just in case I thought I’d let you know.
What’s going on Paul? http://www.freeworknow.com/?p=300
I’m getting a feeling of deja-vu!
In this case I can tell which chicken came before which egg… So who’s this Jon mcCourt?
In a similar vein to your outburst, I’ve come across another ‘White Knight’ that doesn’t appear that white. I’m still investigating – posting soon.
LOL.
Yeh, I’ve seen that site you posted, brokencontrollers and some others.
Glad you dropped by.
Will be interested to see what you find out.
One of the businesses collecting for Google-your profit gateway /secure profit/ is Intellipay Inc. You can e-mail them at http://www.intelipay.com. It is located at 230 West 400 South in Salt Lake City, Utah. The phone # is (801) 578-9020. One of the personnel there works the program.Swears up and down it is great! I would like to “swear” something else!!
IntelliPay is a Pacific WebWorks Company that is behind the whole thing. Its one big tangled web. They are also pushing the “Yahoo Success Center” as a new scam.
My concern is that the company behind the scam is also the company collecting credit cards but they are also selling merchant accounts and services which means they will have access to the credit cards even if you do not sign up with one of the scams.
Matt,
That’s a great point about IntelliPay.
I wrote about Pacific WebWorks here, but didn’t really go into the IntelliPay relationship other than to say that it was a subsidiary of Pacific WebWorks