Star Registry
By danjenkins
@danjenkins (646)
United States
January 29, 2007 4:01pm CST
I just noticed another Google AdWord for a Star Registry... what a rip-off! Anyone can advertise themself as a "star registry", and "sell" the "right to name a star" to any sucker. For instance, a person could register the domain name heysuckerregisterastar.com and then sell registrations for naming a star .. name one for your girlfriend; name one for your wife; name one for your mother, etc.
So long as you "registered" the name on your website, you MIGHT be able to keep out of trouble with the law, but I doubt it. I don't understand how these rip-off artists stay in business.
Do you know of other scams and ripoffs that keep going and going, and wonder why noone stops them?
2 people like this
4 responses
@visitorinvasion (7709)
• United States
30 Jan 07
Ripoff artists stay in business because they out number the feds by astronomical numbers. By the time they're done sorting out 12DailyPro and taking payoffs from Stormpay, the majority of ripoff artists (mind you, only the ones the feds have received complaints about) have already taken the money and run and their sites will be offline.
Report them to the BBB. That's really all one can do about it, and most people are too lazy to fulfill complaint requirements such as gathering copies of payment receipts and copies of whatever proves they got scammed.
2 people like this
@visitorinvasion (7709)
• United States
31 Jan 07
I feel your cynicism, believe me.
And there are too many crooks in uniform the way it is, lol.
2 people like this
@danjenkins (646)
• United States
30 Jan 07
That makes sense. Too many crooks and not enough crooks in uniform! oooops .. how cynical of me!
2 people like this
@smacksman (6053)
•
29 Jan 07
There is a nice one in the UK.
We have the Data Protection Agency (well its called something else now) which registers firms that hold info on customers when doing their business.
I costs about £10 to register with them.
Scammers are sending out emails to firms saying they must register with the DPA or face huge fines. They charge £90+ to fill in the forms on behalf of their 'clients'
I've checked with the police and they say it is not illegal as such and can't do anything.
Whichever way you look at it, it's a con.
@danjenkins (646)
• United States
30 Jan 07
That makes no sense .. an email says that not registering will result in fines, which implies this is a matter of law .. and that isn't illegal? WoW .. I'd go talk to a prosecutor ... forget the police.
2 people like this
@danjenkins (646)
• United States
19 Feb 07
There is a spammer / scammer who created a web "directory" and then kept billing the webmaster for the listing! I always wondered how many of them paid.
@Lydia1901 (16351)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Well, that is something. I have never heard of this one before and I do not know of more scams like that one.
1 person likes this
@danjenkins (646)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Yes .. I've thought about starting my own Star Registry. For $25 I'd give a nice certificate stating that a star was named for the person chose, and place the info on a website! Sounds good to me .. it would be as "legitimate" as any other "star registry". Then, I'd expand into naming asteroids! LOL
@milott (2646)
• India
30 Jan 07
Thanx for alerting us. I guess these guys are the same guys, but just switching from project to another project as soon as they got enough money and wind up and go over another innovative idea to cheat people. If only if they spend their ideas conservatively, that would have been good for the users instead of earning some bucks and cheat us.
2 people like this
@danjenkins (646)
• United States
30 Jan 07
It is still good to follow the principle that "if it sounds too good to be true, it IS too good to be true."
1 person likes this
