We know about spammers, phishing and other devious Internet ploys to con surfers into believing Google links are genuine, but the "Tori" link mentioned in the previous post is a new low even for scum-suckers.
Our thanks to TSF reader Jerry for the following comment:
"Has nothing to do with the LFP. These scam sites have been around since last century.
"The newer scam sites can be 100% automated. In some cases, you just buy your own web hosting space and another company will run the entire process for you. Of course, that company takes a chunk of any money you make.
"Such a site will automatically search the web for 'any' remotely-related content and then will link to that content. These sites can even auto-embed Youtube videos, etc.
"The point to these links/embeds is to attract search engines and, of course, to mislead web viewers searching for 'real' information.
"These sites usually run on blog software (i.e. Wordpress) and their purpose is to make money from advertising and/or by selling some crappy e-book. These sites are often called 'f'logs', and they litter the web.
"Flogs will ping as many legit blogs as possible, hoping to attract some traffic from those legit sites. Some will even auto-post messages on forums, also hoping to attract traffic.
"There are also many scam sites that use look-alike domain names in hopes of attracting web visitors who have slightly misspelled the real domain name.
"On the Web, there are snake oil salesmen on every corner. Web-proof yourself the same way you street-proof your kids. Or, be like a journalist: believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see. Especially on the Web."
"The newer scam sites can be 100% automated. In some cases, you just buy your own web hosting space and another company will run the entire process for you. Of course, that company takes a chunk of any money you make.
"Such a site will automatically search the web for 'any' remotely-related content and then will link to that content. These sites can even auto-embed Youtube videos, etc.
"The point to these links/embeds is to attract search engines and, of course, to mislead web viewers searching for 'real' information.
"These sites usually run on blog software (i.e. Wordpress) and their purpose is to make money from advertising and/or by selling some crappy e-book. These sites are often called 'f'logs', and they litter the web.
"Flogs will ping as many legit blogs as possible, hoping to attract some traffic from those legit sites. Some will even auto-post messages on forums, also hoping to attract traffic.
"There are also many scam sites that use look-alike domain names in hopes of attracting web visitors who have slightly misspelled the real domain name.
"On the Web, there are snake oil salesmen on every corner. Web-proof yourself the same way you street-proof your kids. Or, be like a journalist: believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see. Especially on the Web."
So what is a legitimate business like the London Free Press to do about a pathetic book promoter who uses the newspaper's name and Tori's name to misdirect web surfers?
Where do you draw the line in hawking goods online?
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