I hope that I haven't been ' Conned '

[j.richardson]

I purchased a program form Elimiware.

Their web site shews an 'Online scan ' of ones computer and offers a package of programs to deal with virus's, trojans and worms.

One pays $29 and downloads the package as one normally does when purchasing from web sites, admittedly usually there is the oppurtunity on most sites ( but not Elimiware ) to try before you buy. But of course I had seen the purported scan and thought it to be OK.

On opening the package it turns our t to be a number of freeware items , some of which I already use such as AVG, Ad-aware and similar programs.

Nowhere can I find a means of reproducing the online scan.

So...nearly $30 worse off, in fact I have gained little besides a list of freeware that is already published on sites such as Tucows!

I have mailed the site ' Support '...no response....surprise.

Has anyone had better results from this site????, or similar experience ?

[liam858]

The site states: -

FULL COMPUTER PROTECTION SERVICES:

» COMPLETELY ELIMINATE ANY SPYWARE

» COMPLETELY ELIMINATE ANY ADWARE

» COMPLETELY ELIMINATE ANY TROJANS

» COMPLETELY ELIMINATE ANY WORMS

» COMPLETELY ELIMINATE ANY MALWARE

» COMPLETELY ELIMINATE ANY DATA MINERS

- RESTORE YOUR PC TO SMOOTH AND FAST OPERATION

- MONITOR YOUR PC TO ENSURE NO MORE HEADACHES

- RECEIVE VITAL PRODUCT UPDATES FAST AND EASY

- GUARANTEED COMPATIBILITY AND SUPPORT

+ BONUSES:

- PRIVACY PROTECTION SOFTWARE ($49.95 VALUE)

- INTERACTIVE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE ($29.95 VALUE)


So what did you actually receive apart from ad-aware and AVG? and what version of each software did you get because there are a few versions of AVG available one which costs to use and there is also the freeware version.


Liam

[Steve R Jones]

Hard to say if you've been conned or not. Would depend on what they "said" that they were selling. If they said they were selling AVG, Ad-aware and similar programs and YOU didn't read that part......

[poppy4]

J.Richardson...seems like you blew the $30...
scroll down the page of the below link, and you'll find this:
"Elimiware
elimiware.com
professionalcash.com
uses fake/bogus "free" scan to sell product; no trial version available for testing; inadequate info about company & app; no privacy policy; dubious license terms"

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

hth, poppy

[liam858]

Yep, well found Poppy,Unfortunately it turns out to be a scam site, their terms of use policy says basically that if you do anything on the site off your own bat then they are not responsible:Terms Of Use Disclaimer

Elimiware.com (Elimiware) will not be held responsible for any actions taken by any Individual, Service Provider, Business Enterprise, and/or Client as we do not own or control them in any way. However, we will review complaints about our advertisers in order to determine if any Rules established by Airon have been violated. You may send e-mail to support AT Elimiware.com if you wish to identify any advertiser you believe has or is in violation of our Rules.

RULES???




Liam

[LindaHewitt]

I am sorry to say this but you have been conned.

When you get finished reading this post, I think that you will agree. In the future check the website below for who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. In addition to identifying all of the rogue spyware players, it also identifies both freeware and retail software that it recommends in terms of protecting your computer resources.

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

When I searched for Elimiware on the rogue-anti-spyware website above, this is what I found.

Elimiware, elimiware.com professionalcash.com, uses fake/bogus "free" scan to sell product; no trial version available for testing; inadequate info about company & app; no privacy policy; dubious license terms (1) [A: 4-7-05 / U: 4-7-05]

www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm - 101k - Jul 10, 2005 -

Here are the license terms in the Eliminate EULA:

Note: Be sure and read the last paragraph of the EULA."

"Elimiware.com (Elimiware) will not be held responsible for any actions taken by any Individual, Service Provider, Business Enterprise, and/or Client as we do not own or control them in any way. However, we will review complaints about our advertisers in order to determine if any Rules established by Airon have been violated. You may send e-mail to support AT Elimiware.com if you wish to identify any advertiser you believe has or is in violation of our Rules.


"Accessing Elimiware.com does not guarantee that you will meet, receive responses or services from any individual, service provider and/or Business Enterprises that is posted on Elimiware.com or in our database, as we do not control them in any way.


"By your use of the Elimiware.com service, you agree to fully indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Elimiware.com, its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, server maintainers, and contributors against ANY AND ALL CLAIMS arising out of said use, regardless of the cause, effects, or fault. Under no circumstances will Elimiware.com, its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, server maintainers, and contributors be liable for any damages from your reliance upon anything derived from this site even if Elimiware.com, its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, server maintainers, or contributors have been advised that such defect or unsuitability exists. Elimiware.com, its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, server maintainers, and contributors disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees, and you have no remedies for negligence or under strict liability, or for breach of warranty or contract, including but not limited to indirect, consequential, punitive or incidental damages, even if you give notice of the possibility of such damages. Elimiware.com liability in any case shall not exceed $500.00 USD in accordance to this agreement.


"By accessing Elimiware.com you assure Elimiware.com that you will comply with any and all local, county, district, state, and federal laws concerning any and all meetings arranged through Elimiware.com. You also agree that you are not using Elimiware.com as a means to purchase or solicit illegal activities. Since Elimiware.com has no affiliation or control over you, we shall not be held liable for any interactions between you and any advertiser or service provider who may also have officers, directors, employees, shareholders, agents, or outside contractors over whom we have no control and with whom we have no affiliation.


"By your use of the Elimiware.com site and any service or products offered on this site, you agree to fully indemnify, defend, and to hold harmless Elimiware.com, its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, server maintainers, and contributors against ANY AND ALL CLAIMS for any arrangements made by you and any Business Enterprise which operates solely and separately of Elimiware.com. You understand that once you click on "I Agree" at the bottom of this form or on any page on Elimiware.com or any other sites or domains under our control, your agreement has been confirmed and Elimiware.com has fulfilled its obligation to you.



"Members accept full responsibility for any correspondence, communication or contact with our advertisers or partners and understand that Elimiware.com has no affiliation whatsoever with any of the individuals, Business Enterprises or Clients who comprise the Membership of Elimiware.com. Any and all fee arrangements thereafter are strictly between you and any individual, service provider, Business Enterprises and/or Client who accepts the arrangement. Elimiware.com is strictly an independent service for adults over the age of 21. We make NO guarantees of service provided by any individuals, Business Enterprise, and/or Client.



"Please note that photographs and descriptions of the products used on the website are for illustration purposes only and do not reflect actual products one will be able to find by using our services. In general, it is possible to save up to ninety percent off the market value of the product through the use of the auctions this site provides, but results may vary and we do not guarantee in any way neither availability of the product nor specific price ranges.



"In summary: You agree to hold harmless Elimiware.com, its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, server maintainers, and contributors from any and all claims of any kind arising out of your accessing this site. You will indemnify and hold Elimiware.com, its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, server maintainers, and contributors harmless from all liability, cost and expense, including legal fees, that may arise directly or indirectly from any of the services provided by Elimiware.com.


"By accessing Elimiware.com, you also certify and attest that you are not affiliated with any local, state or federal law enforcement agency. If you are, you are not permitted to proceed past this page and must leave immediately."

It is hard to believe that someone would put this last paragraph into their EULA, but what can I say.... If you want to access the EULA directly, find the listing for Elimiware and then in the comments column for Elimiware, click on "dubious licensing terms (1) and you will get the EULA.

Cheers,

Linda

[LindaHewitt]

Hi J,

These rogue anti-spyware websites are also known for putting spyware and other forms of malware on visitors to their website. Now I don't know whether that is true for Elimiware or not but I would act as though it is true by doing the following.

Run a full AV scan

Run an online Panda AV scan

Run Ad-Aware (after checking for the latest updates)

Run SpyBot S&D (after checking for the latest updates)

Install SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard, if you have not done so already. Both of these programs will prevent spyware from being downloaded to your computer.

Ad-Aware, SpyBot, SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard are all freeware programs. It is a good habit to check at least once a month for new updates.

Let us know if you find any uninvited varmints on your computer.

Good Luck.

Linda

[j.richardson]

To all who have posted


Thanks for your time.

I am a bit old in the tooth at 77 to fall for such a con but there you go, I suppose it was bound to happen one day ! In fact this is the first time since I lent a guy in the army cash to buy tools to start a business back in 1948 when we were demobbed.

I hope its not getting to be a regular occurrence !

I will run the checks that Linda suggests and post back in due course

[liam858]

I hope it is not getting to be a regular occurence either, at least now you know if you want advice on a site BEFORE you hand over any money ask here for peoples opinions or knowledge on the site/organisation/business/army buddy


Liam

[HAN]

I hope it is not getting to be a regular occurence either, at least now you know if you want advice on a site BEFORE you hand over any money ask here for peoples opinions or knowledge on the site/organisation/business/army buddy

Absolutely! This is an excellent PC help community! Everyone here watches each other's back. We'll do all we can to help you!

[poppy4]

Absolutely! This is an excellent PC help community! Everyone here watches each other's back. We'll do all we can to help you!

Amen.

Hanging out, learning and helping where one can....best on the web!
Welcome aboard, J.Richardson.... ..I'm 73 and learned all i know about computing here....nice, civil folks.
poppy

[LindaHewitt]

Learning new things, solving problems, helping others, keeps us young, alert and vigorous; no matter what our chronological age is.

Welcome to VDR J.

Linda

[Nix]

57 years between been conned in 1948 and now isn't too bad a track record.

On that basis you'll be 134 before it happens again.

[j.richardson]

Thanks Han,Poppy4, Linda and Nix ( also Liam again )

Great to have your messages, support, help and contact.

I just mentioned my age in passing, and apart from this latest episode with Elimiware.com enjoy life computers and all. I have a web site that you might like to visit which shews life after computer problems. www.johnsmodelmadness.co.uk

Regards and best wishes

John