Cheap Software

[Richard B]

Sorry, I haven't got any cheap software at all.

However, I have just received some ***SPAM*** from a company called OEMCD who claim to sell software at very low prices.

If you receive one of these emails, think twice before being tempted by their offers. They sound too good to be true, and they probably are!

What raiesd my suspicions? Well, their site doesn't use SSL (which means that your credit card details go all the way to the States without any encryption). And that indicates that they will probably treat your personal information with similar contempt once it's on their database. I went through a bogus transaction to test this and all remained unencrypted.

There's some more discussion about them here: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/rema...1207~mode=flat

All IMHO of course.

[simmons0]

Ive had that e-mail too. Infact ive been getting lots of spam recently.

[Keith Hart]

Yes, this is one of the many dubious email offers thet I get daily.

A couple of weeks ago I managed to stop a scam on Amazon. I found an offer of the Cannon EOS10D digital camera at under half price for 'bulk' orders so I decided to check out the company. I sent for details and received an email back on bank holiday Monday morning stating that a 'bulk' order was two or more of the cameras.

My suspicions were aroused firstly by the fact that the offer looked 'too good to be true', and secondly by the poor quality of the email - no header, poor english (they were supposed to be an IT company), all in uppercase and thirdly by the fact that they were open on a bank holiday monday. They said they had a warehouse in Devon and an office in Wiltshire and they were a new Japanese import company just setting up.

A quick check at the Companies House website revealed a company of the name given with an office in Wiltshire, but no telephone number. A check on the various telephone directory sites gave no match for the name given.

My email to them asking for a telephone contact resulted in a mobile telephone number only.

They were asking for payment by bankers draft (unreversible)to an account in a private name.

By now the alarm bells were well and truly ringing so I contacted Amazon. Within 2 hours the company and their offer were removed from their website.

However, how long had they been on the site and how many people had fallen for the scam?

Prior to this I thought that Amazon checked out their advertisers.

Now to EBAY. I have recently worked on a case where a computer dealer on EBAY has been dealing in stolen computers, hundreds of them infact. He was arrested and many computers recovered. His records are being checked and more people will be getting a knock on their door regarding the 'bargain' they purchased off the internet!

THIS PERSON IS ONCE AGAIN SELLING COMPUTERS ON EBAY.

My message is BEWARE. Yes, you can get bargains on the internet, but check out the dealer first.

If it looks too good to be true - then it most probably is.

Keith Hart