Why isn't there a scam search engine?

[jlmartins]

I suppose many of you will recognize this story: You've spotted just the right bargain. And, for once, it's not a 'too good to be true' (aka obvious scam) case. But somehow, something doesn't feel right. You can't get yourself to feel totally reassured. How to know for sure? Where to find some information? Surely in the spam.com forums, and in reselleratings.com, and also in bbb.org, and, and, and...

It happened to me. I was just about to push the 'pay' button at company X. But I had a weird feeling about it. So I decided to search. And seach. And search. I felt like wasting my time going from place to place. Then - as always - It actually payed off. In an obscure corner of the net - justia.com - I actually found out that there was indeed a problem with company X. In the end, it all turned out ok, and the site was legit, but I had learnt something in the process. There is no one-stop-shop for scam information.

So I decided to help myself and began building a co-op search engine. Initially, I thought it would be a quick thing. It turns out that there is really a wealth of places that can teach you something about scams. So, I just kept on going, clickety-click. After a couple of sleepless week-ends, I had reached 400+ sites in the engine. And I had reached the limits of my knowledge. So, what next? Well, the next best thing to do was to share it.

So I've put it up for comments at
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=00...%3Ais7svaucazg

I am far from an expert. Feel free to test and comment. If you think that it can be useful to you or to others, tell me and I'll open up the google co-operation mode.

Thanks for reading. Cheers. -- jlm

[Steve R Jones]

Course you realize your posting on a site called www.resellerratings.com which has been around for years. Many of us won't buy from a site unless it's been around long enough to get some reviews here....

Did you see this thread right above yours:

Online Scam Stores - A list and guide
http://www.resellerratings.com/forum...d.php?t=121241 (Online Scam Stores - A list and guide)

[jlmartins]

Fully agree. And buying only from reviewed stores is the safest way to go. My point is a bit different.

The internet is crowded with many lists of fake/untrustworthy/scam sites. The "Online Scam Stores" list is a useful one. But any of these lists is necessarily limited in scope and size.

Take an example, e.g. http://www.shoestradeworld.com/produ...=25&sort_id=75. That this is a scam site is obvious for anyone in this forum. But it could easily lure a newbie internet user into wasting money. The domain shoestradeworld.com is not on http://www.resellerratings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121241. But if you search around, you can easily spot it at http://forum.aa419.org/viewtopic.php...cfbb64a93bdd18.

So what am I getting at? There will never be a mother of all lists of scam sites. But there could be a universal scam search engine.

[nomaxim]

Originally Posted by jlmartins

So I decided to help myself and began building a co-op search engine. Initially, I thought it would be a quick thing. It turns out that there is really a wealth of places that can teach you something about scams. So, I just kept on going, clickety-click. After a couple of sleepless week-ends, I had reached 400+ sites in the engine. And I had reached the limits of my knowledge. So, what next? Well, the next best thing to do was to share it.

This has, in a way, already been done.
A search for the term "scam" in Google gives,

Results 1 - 10 of about 37,800,000 for scam

I used the term "scam" because any scam site is usually called that somewhere in a thread/blog or whatever.

Please, note that the scammers will not put the term "scam" on their website. So that means that someone will have to ID them. Unfortunately, this sometimes only comes about if someone is ripped off. Plus, scam sites come and go rather quickly. A scam site may be in operating under a different name within a week of being branded a scam.

This also depends on one's definition of the term "scam". Different States, if in the US, and countries have different definitions of what a thief or scammer is. In relation to the Online Scam Stores - A list and guide, I believe that here at RR, staff please feel free to correct me, a scam is someone that set out with the intent to defraud someone else, to steal their money. They never intended to send the merchandise or have chosen a non-fraud protected way of payment, ie WU only.

Even Western Union can be used legitimately. Case in point is Crutchfield.com, a company I have been using for 20+ years:

Payment Methods
We accept payment by:

* Credit card: American Express, Optima, Visa, MasterCard, Discover®Network
* Debit cards with the MasterCard or Visa logo
* Bill Me Later® — the quick, easy, secure way to pay. Simply choose this option, enter basic information and in a few steps, you're done. You will receive a bill in the mail and can choose to pay in full or over time. Subject to credit approval.
* Sony Financial Services Credit Card — no interest* financing on many of the items we sell. Please see individual product pages for details. Or, if you have questions, please call 1-888-955-6000, toll-free, 8 am - midnight, Eastern Time.
* eBillme™ - A payment option that allows you to pay Cash with Online Bill Pay from your checking or savings account.
* Bank Cashier's Check, Certified Check or personal check (all checks by mail only).**
* Postal Money Order
* Western Union: You can request a money transfer at any one of 33,000 Western Union offices nationwide. If we receive your transfer by 4 pm Eastern Time (M-F), your order should ship the same day. Click here for details.
o Swift Pay® is available for orders up to $999.99 shipping to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Same day transfers are $7.
o Quick Collect® is available for orders shipping to other U.S. territories and APO/FPO addresses; and all orders over $1000. Same day transfers of up to $5000 are $12.95.

Crutchfield does not accept C.O.D. orders.

The point is that they also accept other payment methods.

Are they a scam?

Here my point is that a noob could say that Crutchfield.com/ is a SCAM, because thay take paymenst by WU . Yet, the BBB report says;

Business Contact Information
Company Name:
Crutchfield Corp.
Company Address: 1 Crutchfield Park
Charlottesville, VA 22911Original Business Start Date: 1974
Type of Entity: Corporation
Principal:
Kurt B. Goodwin , Senior Vice President
Number of Employees: 560
Phone Number:
(434) 817-1000
(800) 955-9091
Fax Number:
(434) 817-1010
Email Address:
kgoodwin@Crutchfield.com
BBB Accreditation Status: This company is a BBB Accredited Business
Date Joined BBB: 3/1/1986
Type of Business:
MAIL ORDER & CATALOG SHOPPING
Web Site Address:
http://www.crutchfield.com

Customer ExperiencE

Based on BBB files, this company has a satisfactory record with the Bureau.

To have a "satisfactory record" with the Bureau, a company must be in business for at least 12 months, properly and promptly address matters referred to it by the Bureau, and be free from an unusual volume or pattern of complaints and law enforcement action involving its marketplace conduct. In addition, the Bureau must have a clear understanding of the company's business and no concerns about its industry.

The Bureau processed a total of 13 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 13 complaints closed in the last 36 months, 7 were closed in the last 12 months.

13 complaints in a 3 year period. And the rating here at RR is a 9.78/10.

And they accept payment by WU?

You have to do you own research into a company/merchant before a purchase. Always, remember that this is the internet and anyone can say anything. Therefore the confirmation of third party information, (BBB, WhoIs, other posts) is essential.

Your main problem is that a lot of this information, (ie. USPS, phone records BBB reports, and public records), are not available through most search engines like Google.

If you create anything that can do this, let me know.
I'd be glad to help!!