In the few weeks we've had an alarming number of of those Phishing scam offers popping up in the Freebies forum again. Perhaps Kel Be could post an alert about this to the Freebie Forum so users can be on the lookout when searching for deals?

Some recently posted Phishing scams include:
(but this is just a few - so many have been deleted that I can't find them anymore unless I mod alerted them myself)

Get a Free 2-Pack of Dryer Balls!
http://www.slickdeals.net/forums/...8&t=341261
Free Stress Balls - mods deleted thread but the post number was 4271499
Free Beer Mug - mods deleted thread but the post number was 4229910
Clorox Disinfecting Wipes - mods deleted thread but the post number was 4209056
and quite a few more.

I would like to suggest that in order to cut down on this that such threads no longer be deleted. When you delete them, you erase any record of who posted them as well as the explanations by more experienced users of how they were able to determine the site was fraudulent. Deleting such threads has also led to the same bogus offers being reposted. That works to the advantage of the Phishers because in the time it takes for an experienced user to see the repost and mod alert it, they have sucked in some more users who assume the deal is good because they trust the user who posted it or because they didn't see the other thread.

I would suggest that deleting the link is a good idea but leave the entire thread - just lock unless locking a thread would somehow disable the repost alert. This way, the info on the scam stays intact while cutting down on the possibility that other slick dealers will get sucked into the fraud.

You could also leave the link intact but add a warning right underneath it. This way, newer users could click on it and look at what a Phishing site looks like. It's up to you. The only thing I feel strongly about is that by deleting the threads, we increase the liklihood of future reposts of same scam.

Now.. at this point, after more than a year of such scams showing up in the Freebies section, there is NO reason an experienced User should fall for these scams. They are just like the referral links people post. We expect newer users to occasionaly post referral links because they haven't caught on about ID codes in links. Even so, if somebody catches it and they get mod alerted, they still get warned. Since we have a problem with some of the same users posting obvious scams, perhaps the mods should implement some kind of friendly warning that informs rather than punishes along the lines of:

"You may not have realized it, but the offer you posted links to a site that is highly likely to be a Phishing Scam or a Fraudulent offer. Warning signs include:
-------Offerring a full sized product or Brand Name product and yet having no affiliation with the brand or company that makes the product
-------Offer seems to good to be true
-------Offer contains obvious spelling errors and bad grammar
-------Page was created in the last 72 hours and expires in the next few days
-------No real world Address or phone number is given and/or no contact info exists
-------Address given doesn't exist or doesn't match zipcode given
-------Company name and/or name of person associated with it sound fake and turn up nothing when googled
-------Site claims they are "launching a new program" or just beginning their giveaways
-------Page contains a disclaimer stating that they are NOT a Phishing site! Legitimate offers don't have to say that - instead they link to their standard privacy policy
------Site seems to have no other purpose than to collect names via the offer form
------site features lots of google ads

We realize that such sites intend to decieve people. However, in the future, if you see an offer with one or more of the above hallmarks or other suspicious features, please do not post it to slickdeals or if you do, add a warning to other users that you suspect it may not be on the up & Up. Thanks"

So, the first one or two times a person posts a scam, send them something along the lines aove. No points or anything for the first 1 or 2 times a person posts these. But, if even after being sent the educational warning, they do it a 3rd time or more often, wouldn't it be appropriate to give them warning points just like warnings for referrals?

If anyone can come up with a better educational message, feel free to propose an alternate wording. if the mods like my proposal, they should feel free to use anything I've written above.

Hi Nuala'sMom,

Great suggestions

Maybe one more thing that could be added to your warning message would be how to obtain information about a website. Here's some info that Aeris posted about this in your previous thread about fraudulent offers

Quote from Aeris : To find info about a website, you can go to: http://who.godaddy.com/whoischeck.aspx http://www.betterwhois.com/ Using WHOIS database search, you can find information about an existing domain name. In some cases, a WHOIS search will provide you with the contact information of the person or organization that registered the domain name you are interested in.

I can also see the benefits of not deleting a thread containing a link to a fraudulent offer. If someone were thinking of posting the offer, their search would lead them to the previous thread and show them that it's not legitimate. However, instead of removing the link as you suggested, maybe the moderators could make it "not clickable" (remove the url tags) so that folks would know what the URL is.

Thank you for your efforts and your concern

You can also report phishing sites to CastleCops here. [castlecops.com] They investigate and contact the domain owner, who usually is not aware that a phishing scams resides on the server.

Quote from granolagirl : . However, instead of removing the link as you suggested, maybe the moderators could make it "not clickable" (remove the url tags) so that folks would know what the URL is. Thank you for your efforts and your concern

Your right - that would be a better idea - just make it not clickable. Works for me.

I don't know if the educational warning I suggested should include the Whois instructions because in the past when we've mentioned that to people, they just asy "Over my head - don't get it - sorry".

I feel the purpose of the educational warning is two-fold:
1. It alerts the user that they have posted a scam offer
and
2. It gives them the tools to avoid making similar posts in the future


If a User continues to post such scams even after eing educated, I do hope slick deals will adopt a zero tolerance policy towards repeat offenders and give them steeply escalating warning points. That will quickly put an end to future outbreaks of such postings.

Or have it as a url has been blocked everytime its posted non clickable some idiot will cut and paste it.

That could work too Scampsters - I just want to see the threads STAY and the name of the offer stay, so we can see who the Users are who are posting these most often. When a Mod quickly deletes such a thread, repeat offenders cannot be identified by other mods.

I'm not suggesting we lynch the people who do this over and over but they are contributing to the victimization of their fellow slick dealers. Other users have a right to see who's posting these things again and again and all the mods should be able to see who has posted what Scam in the past so that when they do it a 9th 10th and 15th time, they have the info they need to act accordingly. (and it is that frequent, you just can't see anymore cuz the threads go POOF).

Also, the mod deleting the link, should make note of the link in their deletion record if that's possilble because if Mr. SlickDeals or any other mod wanted to theoretically really track down who is behind these Phishing deals, they could do an ISP check against the Users ISP and see if they match. When you obliterate any record of the link, that option goes away.

Me, I feel sorry for the newer users who are the ones who always get sucked into these scams.

Quote from Nuala'sMom : That could work too Scampsters - I just want to see the threads STAY and the name of the offer stay, so we can see who the Users are who are posting these most often. When a Mod quickly deletes such a thread, repeat offenders cannot be identified by other mods. I'm not suggesting we lynch the people who do this over and over but they are contributing to the victimization of their fellow slick dealers. Other users have a right to see who's posting these things again and again and all the mods should be able to see who has posted what Scam in the past so that when they do it a 9th 10th and 15th time, they have the info they need to act accordingly. (and it is that frequent, you just can't see anymore cuz the threads go POOF). Also, the mod deleting the link, should make note of the link in their deletion record if that's possilble because if Mr. SlickDeals or any other mod wanted to theoretically really track down who is behind these Phishing deals, they could do an ISP check against the Users ISP and see if they match. When you obliterate any record of the link, that option goes away. Me, I feel sorry for the newer users who are the ones who always get sucked into these scams.

This post sums up what I feel about this.