I am a big fan of a number of Open Source software projects, including Filezilla, Azureus, Audacity, Firefox and others. These projects are essentially staffed by volunteers, collaboratively producing software of general utility and sharing it with everyone, for free. Some reliable software is not free, for instance the POS System, you can check out this software by looking at RestaurantPOSSystems.com, and even though it isn’t free, you still know that it is reliable and from a good source because unfortunately there are some systems out there that are not trustworthy! All these software and tools need to be sourced well and from reliable companies, they can be for a variety of different reasons to do with a business. Importantly, they can be used for employee experience management, so in the form of a questionnaire in hope that the feedback will help the company to improve itself. So it is important that it is from the right source in case it is a scam. Sometimes paying for software is better as you know what you’re getting but sometimes you can get software free, that doesn’t bring with it viruses.
Unfortunately, everything attracts predators and parasites, and I’ve lately noticed one particularly nasty little scam – people attempting to charge for Open Source software. Let me make it clear that the people working on the projects, the projects themselves, and SourceForge.net are in no way part of the scam – they are victims. Sites like Fileproto.com and the like are usually fine, but at times people exploit services that hosts provide for their own profit, and it is very sad.
Here’s an illustration of the scam: note what happens when you search for Filezilla or Azureus on Google (here’s the Filezilla example):
Next to the legitimate download links on the left, is a sponsored ad in the top right, with all kinds of buzzwords – “latest version”, “100% guaranteed” – even the URL prominently features 2009, as if you’re getting “next year’s model”.
Of course, the sponsored link is a scam. (The other search results are legitimate.) The next page asks you for your email address, and then for payment! (Azureus example):
Note how slick the site is, and how it bombards the naive user with all sorts of “benefits” – download movies for free (for $14.95 extra!), CD quality music, technical support, etc. There is even a constantly updated “2 day promo” widget! I strongly suspect that giving a credit card number to these sleazebags is the portal to a world of fraudulent abuse.
What makes it easier for these scammers is that it is not often easy to figure out whether a website is legitimate just by looking at a URL: what looks likelier – “filezilla-2009.com” or “sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla”? (The latter is the legitimate download site.)
There is a bit of weaselly language hidden away in the FAQ: “The software is completely free of charge. What you pay goes towards supporting our technical team and paying for the creation of more user guides. If you’re unsatisfied, you can always cancel your membership and keep the software.”
I was not able to find out who registered these domains – the trail ended at godaddy.com.
What can you do to avoid falling for a scam?
Make sure that what you are after is genuinely available for free. In the case of projects like Filezilla, Audacity, Azureus, their sites will take you to a download page without having to register or hand over any information. (Of course, you can donate to support the projects, if you want.) Chances are that a sponsored link, or ad, is not going to be the legit download site. Legitimate Open Source projects will make their source code available, and be clear and upfront about the licensing terms.
Note that Open Source software is “free” as in “free speech” – the code is available to view, and can be passed on. It is also mostly “free” as in “free beer” – however, it is allowable for an organization to charge for packaging, installing and supporting Open Source software. Red Hat does this with Linux, for example. However, if a site does nothing except link to the existing (“free as in beer”) website for a project, then it’s a scam. Sourceforge.net is a good trusted source of Open Source software, and does not charge.
However, the scammers are clever – so use your judgement. Anytime a “free” site asks you for an email address and payment information, you’d better beware!
Beware of "free" software download scams
I am a big fan of a number of Open Source software projects, including Filezilla, Azureus, Audacity, Firefox and others. These projects are essentially staffed by volunteers, collaboratively producing software of general utility and sharing it with everyone, for free. Some reliable software is not free, for instance the POS System, you can check out this software by looking at RestaurantPOSSystems.com, and even though it isn’t free, you still know that it is reliable and from a good source because unfortunately there are some systems out there that are not trustworthy! All these software and tools need to be sourced well and from reliable companies, they can be for a variety of different reasons to do with a business. Importantly, they can be used for employee experience management, so in the form of a questionnaire in hope that the feedback will help the company to improve itself. So it is important that it is from the right source in case it is a scam. Sometimes paying for software is better as you know what you’re getting but sometimes you can get software free, that doesn’t bring with it viruses.
Unfortunately, everything attracts predators and parasites, and I’ve lately noticed one particularly nasty little scam – people attempting to charge for Open Source software. Let me make it clear that the people working on the projects, the projects themselves, and SourceForge.net are in no way part of the scam – they are victims. Sites like Fileproto.com and the like are usually fine, but at times people exploit services that hosts provide for their own profit, and it is very sad.
Here’s an illustration of the scam: note what happens when you search for Filezilla or Azureus on Google (here’s the Filezilla example):
Next to the legitimate download links on the left, is a sponsored ad in the top right, with all kinds of buzzwords – “latest version”, “100% guaranteed” – even the URL prominently features 2009, as if you’re getting “next year’s model”.
Of course, the sponsored link is a scam. (The other search results are legitimate.) The next page asks you for your email address, and then for payment! (Azureus example):
Note how slick the site is, and how it bombards the naive user with all sorts of “benefits” – download movies for free (for $14.95 extra!), CD quality music, technical support, etc. There is even a constantly updated “2 day promo” widget! I strongly suspect that giving a credit card number to these sleazebags is the portal to a world of fraudulent abuse.
What makes it easier for these scammers is that it is not often easy to figure out whether a website is legitimate just by looking at a URL: what looks likelier – “filezilla-2009.com” or “sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla”? (The latter is the legitimate download site.)
There is a bit of weaselly language hidden away in the FAQ: “The software is completely free of charge. What you pay goes towards supporting our technical team and paying for the creation of more user guides. If you’re unsatisfied, you can always cancel your membership and keep the software.”
I was not able to find out who registered these domains – the trail ended at godaddy.com.
What can you do to avoid falling for a scam?
Make sure that what you are after is genuinely available for free. In the case of projects like Filezilla, Audacity, Azureus, their sites will take you to a download page without having to register or hand over any information. (Of course, you can donate to support the projects, if you want.) Chances are that a sponsored link, or ad, is not going to be the legit download site. Legitimate Open Source projects will make their source code available, and be clear and upfront about the licensing terms.
Note that Open Source software is “free” as in “free speech” – the code is available to view, and can be passed on. It is also mostly “free” as in “free beer” – however, it is allowable for an organization to charge for packaging, installing and supporting Open Source software. Red Hat does this with Linux, for example. However, if a site does nothing except link to the existing (“free as in beer”) website for a project, then it’s a scam. Sourceforge.net is a good trusted source of Open Source software, and does not charge.
However, the scammers are clever – so use your judgement. Anytime a “free” site asks you for an email address and payment information, you’d better beware!