3 ms·

Try browsing the web without an ad blocker. The top results on Google search are always adverts. And, quite often, they link to scam sites. There are loads of

by edent 6y ago

Try browsing the web without an ad blocker. The top results on Google search are always adverts. And, quite often, they link to scam sites. There are loads of copycat websites which appear in the top slot - especially for government site. https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-spot-a-copycat-website https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-spot-a... It's particularly prevalent in the UK, where you see companies proxying legitimate services and charging premium rate for phone calls - https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/feb/04/beware-call-connection-services-charge-09-numbers https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/feb/04/beware-call-co...

fastball 6y ago
Can you give me an actual example of this with a google search right now?
- iso1210 6y ago
  I just did an ingonito search for "!g ETA", I got 3 results on the screen CanadianTravel - ETA Ad·www.canadaonlineapplication.org/ CanadianTravel - ETA Ad·www.canadatravelvisa.com/ CanadaETA - for UK citiziens - canadian-etavisas.com Ad·www.canadian-etavisas.com/ Which all look the same, and seem to charge $99 for the 'service' of filling in a form the Canadian government charges $7 for. After that there is a wikipage for the Spanish terrorist group, two more wiki pages, then finally The official site: Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): How to apply - Canada.ca Searching google for "Canada ETA" gives the above 3 adverts and also a link to https://www.etatocanada.com/ https://www.etatocanada.com/ which charges £69 for the service.
  - fastball 6y ago
    So.... not a scam, in that you get exactly what you pay for. And certainly not phishing, which this article was talking about.
    - Macha 6y ago
      How is this not a scam? The company is just presenting their form to ask for the same information, relaying it to the government, and charging you $90 for the privilege.
      - fastball 6y ago
        To me a scam involves paying money and then not getting anything for it. You get exactly what you pay for. These is just competing businesses / orgs vying for your custom, where one org (the govt) is charging $0, so you should totally use them, but won't if you're foolish. Regardless, one tiny example of all google results (goverment form services) is... the vast minority of google search results. It is certainly not "invariably" a scam.
- DanBC 6y ago
  In the UK there was a problem of commercial companies setting up look-alike websites and charging a fee to do stuff that is free to do via the correct gov website. It's not as common now, partly because UK orgs put pressure on Google to fix it. Here's an example: [change name deed poll] https://www.google.co.uk/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00J9KQR_SH1ZlvHgiu5F9t3Ymt2yg%3A1610900470220&source=hp&ei=9mMEYK__CuPogwfNs4joAg&q=change+name+by+deed+poll&oq=change+name+&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgUIABDJAzICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoICAAQsQMQgwE6CwguELEDEMcBEKMCOggILhCxAxCDAToOCC4QsQMQgwEQxwEQowI6AgguOgUIABCxAzoFCC4QsQM6CAgAELEDEMkDUKwLWOIYYL0taABwAHgAgAFfiAHjB5IBAjEymAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpeg&sclient=psy-ab https://www.google.co.uk/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00J9KQR_SH1ZlvHgi... For me the top four links are clearly marked ads. (Although some people may miss that [ad] marker). After the ads there are two links to the proper gov.uk website. Then there's a link to a commercial site called "Deed Poll Office", who charge for a services that's free. In the past that TheDeedPollOffice link ranked higher. Similar things used to happen for passports and tax self assessment.
Blikkentrekker 6y ago
How can this pass through Google's quality controls that scam sites can get advertising?
- proactivesvcs 6y ago
  ...quality controls? They're paying customers, Google has no incentive to prevent scam sites, which is why the results and adverts are infested with them, and have been for decades.
  - Blikkentrekker 6y ago
    It seems to be against AdSense's rules, however. Apparently they aren't so enforced. Good thing that Google is still going after you if your website has nudity on it it, however. — 'tis very important.
  - jeffbee 6y ago
    That is quite incorrect. Google has more incentive than anyone else to deliver only the best results and ads to searchers. Delivering them to scams harms their reputation and would eventually erode the CTR.

by edent 6y ago

fastball 6y ago

Can you give me an actual example of this with a google search right now?

iso1210 6y ago
I just did an ingonito search for "!g ETA", I got 3 results on the screen CanadianTravel - ETA Ad·www.canadaonlineapplication.org/ CanadianTravel - ETA Ad·www.canadatravelvisa.com/ CanadaETA - for UK citiziens - canadian-etavisas.com Ad·www.canadian-etavisas.com/ Which all look the same, and seem to charge $99 for the 'service' of filling in a form the Canadian government charges $7 for. After that there is a wikipage for the Spanish terrorist group, two more wiki pages, then finally The official site: Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): How to apply - Canada.ca Searching google for "Canada ETA" gives the above 3 adverts and also a link to https://www.etatocanada.com/ https://www.etatocanada.com/ which charges £69 for the service.
- fastball 6y ago
  So.... not a scam, in that you get exactly what you pay for. And certainly not phishing, which this article was talking about.
  - Macha 6y ago
    How is this not a scam? The company is just presenting their form to ask for the same information, relaying it to the government, and charging you $90 for the privilege.
    - fastball 6y ago
      To me a scam involves paying money and then not getting anything for it. You get exactly what you pay for. These is just competing businesses / orgs vying for your custom, where one org (the govt) is charging $0, so you should totally use them, but won't if you're foolish. Regardless, one tiny example of all google results (goverment form services) is... the vast minority of google search results. It is certainly not "invariably" a scam.
DanBC 6y ago
In the UK there was a problem of commercial companies setting up look-alike websites and charging a fee to do stuff that is free to do via the correct gov website. It's not as common now, partly because UK orgs put pressure on Google to fix it. Here's an example: [change name deed poll] https://www.google.co.uk/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00J9KQR_SH1ZlvHgiu5F9t3Ymt2yg%3A1610900470220&source=hp&ei=9mMEYK__CuPogwfNs4joAg&q=change+name+by+deed+poll&oq=change+name+&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgUIABDJAzICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoICAAQsQMQgwE6CwguELEDEMcBEKMCOggILhCxAxCDAToOCC4QsQMQgwEQxwEQowI6AgguOgUIABCxAzoFCC4QsQM6CAgAELEDEMkDUKwLWOIYYL0taABwAHgAgAFfiAHjB5IBAjEymAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpeg&sclient=psy-ab https://www.google.co.uk/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00J9KQR_SH1ZlvHgi... For me the top four links are clearly marked ads. (Although some people may miss that [ad] marker). After the ads there are two links to the proper gov.uk website. Then there's a link to a commercial site called "Deed Poll Office", who charge for a services that's free. In the past that TheDeedPollOffice link ranked higher. Similar things used to happen for passports and tax self assessment.

Blikkentrekker 6y ago

How can this pass through Google's quality controls that scam sites can get advertising?

proactivesvcs 6y ago
...quality controls? They're paying customers, Google has no incentive to prevent scam sites, which is why the results and adverts are infested with them, and have been for decades.
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  It seems to be against AdSense's rules, however. Apparently they aren't so enforced. Good thing that Google is still going after you if your website has nudity on it it, however. — 'tis very important.
- jeffbee 6y ago
  That is quite incorrect. Google has more incentive than anyone else to deliver only the best results and ads to searchers. Delivering them to scams harms their reputation and would eventually erode the CTR.