Ref4bux was hacked and all earnings were lost.. :(
By besweet
@besweet (9859)
Ireland
October 29, 2012 3:36pm CST
Ref4bux is a site that I joined some time ago, and I was doing well with it! It was a legit and paying site, I had some direct referrals and everything was going great. About one week ago I lost access to the site and a strange message appeared on my screen, saying that the site was hacked.
A few days later, the site was back again, but all my earnings, points and balances went back to $0.00! 
I was shocked 
and I visited a site that usually posts information about ptc's. There was a post about this and most of the users had the same problem.
The admonistrator said that their data were last saved a week before the hacking so he won't restore the balances because he doesn't have any data about the cash outs that had been made after the last back up and before the hacker attack.
I found this excuse unacceptable and I decided to stop working for ref4bux, although it is up again!
What would you do if you were in my place, would you risk working with them again and losing all your earnings if something happens in the future?
I was shocked and I visited a site that usually posts information about ptc's. There was a post about this and most of the users had the same problem.
The admonistrator said that their data were last saved a week before the hacking so he won't restore the balances because he doesn't have any data about the cash outs that had been made after the last back up and before the hacker attack.
I found this excuse unacceptable and I decided to stop working for ref4bux, although it is up again!
What would you do if you were in my place, would you risk working with them again and losing all your earnings if something happens in the future?1 person likes this
4 responses
@deazil (4730)
• United States
29 Oct 12
No way. That sounds like a flimsy excuse to me. I don't know anything about computers but I wouldn't take a chance with them again. I joined that site a long time ago but never did anything on it so no loss here. I hope you didn't lose much. The thing is, these sights can do/say just about anything they want because there will always be people to join. There are literally millions of people that don't know about a site's past troubles/scams and will join. And younger kids just starting out aren't savvy yet to the ways of the world. They're ripe for getting ripped off. It's a shame that there are no controls over internet scams like that - if it was. But then again with controls comes involvement from factions that might make it hard on the legit sites. I would stay away from ref4bux. 
@deazil (4730)
• United States
29 Oct 12
Your idea might be right. Some of these sights can and do use any number of excuses to get away with not paying but not be called an outright scam. Like just disappearing off the internet with everybody's earnings. Then people go looking for the owners - if they're listed. But what ref did was make it sound legit, and it might be, and they can still continue without anybody being able to prove they were scammed. I joined a site once a long time ago called bonabux. I only had a few cents in there, I had been a member for just a few days. I tried to get on it one day and it was gone. I looked on that website down site to see if it was down and it came up with site not found. The owner just disappeared with everybody's money. Ah, well. Live and learn.
1 person likes this
@AkamaruKei (5219)
• Malaysia
30 Oct 12
Someone hacked their site? I also have earning in there but not many maybe 3cent or 4cent and my purchase balance is 1 dollar so the question is the admin not give back what we lost?
@besweet (9859)
• Ireland
3 Nov 12
Hello! Yes, the site was hacked around two weeks ago and all the balances are gone. The admin said that they didn't have a recent back up of the system so I guess that the earnings won't be returned. In my balance, everything went back to $0.00. Did you check yours?
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
29 Oct 12
Maybe they did a back up before this happened. If so they can get the info. back from that day. Including earnings there. I hope so for you guys there. I wasnt a member of that site.
@besweet (9859)
• Ireland
29 Oct 12
No, the admin posted an official update saying that they didn't have a back up and the users that lost their earnings were just unlucky. All of the users were complaining about the zero balances and the memberships that they had purchased, because everyone went back to standard membership and lost many referrals as well (rented and direct refs).
@chaitu_kris (136)
•
29 Oct 12
Ufff yes, you are correct. I just checked and can notice that I lost my earnings. Thank god I dint have much balance. Sorry for you :(
1 person likes this
@besweet (9859)
• Ireland
29 Oct 12
I was ready to cash out and I also had a good rental balance, which I intended to use for rented referrals. It took me a lot of time to reach that and I was upset when I realised that everything was gone.. Other users also lost their memberships and investments, I guess that this was a lot worst for them.
