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| Screenshot of Scambook's Rating with their local BBB. |
Update 5/30/2012 - This blog is now getting noticed by the media. Thanks to Marla Jo Fisher over at the OC Register for mentioning this blog and updating her current story on Scambook.
Why does Scambook make merchants pay money to Scambook in order to resolve consumer complaints? Doesn't this seem like extortion?
What is SCAMBOOK EXTORTION?
Imagine having your company's name dragged through the mud, and then not being able to defend yourself without paying money to your accusers...
That's the premise behind "scambook.com".
Believe it or not, the ONLY WAY a merchant can dispute complaints made by consumers on Scambook is to pay $$$ to Scambook!
Here's a video I did outlining my experience with Scambook:
In my personal situation, the complaints are actually about another company with a similar name and scambook is refusing to do anything to stop it.
A quick google search for "scambook extortion" will show that there are many merchants in a similar situation.
I am not an attorney (unlike the owners of scambook), and I'm not sure if this is legally considered extortion, but that was certainly the first word that came into my mind!
My Name is Mark Hall, and I'm the webmaster of a site called Herbal-Nutrition.Net.
One of our clients pointed out to us that if you google our DBA name "The Herbal Nutrition Network" you'll find a page of scambook complaints about our company. Except it's not us...
You see, there's a website that's using a facebook virus to sell a "HGH Ultra" weightloss product. The company is located either in Russia or China, and when someone orders the product they never deliver it.
The company does charge the customer's credit card, however, and sends them an email with a bogus "reply-to" address that matches an alternate domain name for our site. In layman's terms, this is a lot like using a bogus return address on an envelope. It's a guise aimed at confusing the customer and delaying the inevitable complaint and chargeback that will ensue.
Those complaints land in our inbox, or if they type in the domain in question they land on our website, thinking WE are the ones who scammed them.
Someone started a thread on scambook about our company and now we have to PAY scambook in order to have the posts removed.
As I understand it, you can pay $500 per month to scambook and they will prevent your complaints from coming visible. Nice, Huh?
Here's some info from another messed over business owner:
the company I work at suddenly got bombarded by complaints online from a site called scambook and magically they emailed us to signup if we want to resolve the issues and talk to the customers.http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/scambook-online-extortion-c596224.html
so for $500 a month you can try to talk to the "people" who complains on scambook and try to resolve their issue, but each time you want to resolve an issue, you have to pay $3 on top of $500 per month AND if you want to refund your customer, you have to put funds INSIDE scambook so that they can refund the customer for you. we dont have any complanits on complaint board and other sites but we have over 40 on scambook and they look all the same with a handful of subject lines that are exactly the same.
And Another:
Here is what scambook.com does to you. They let anyone make comments about you, or your company. It does not matter if they are true or false. Scambook.com does not care if it ruins your life, cost you your company or job. People have lost jobs, homes, cars, credit, and have divorced and others lost their lives because scambook continues to let people make false statements about you or your company in scambook.com. They will not take the comments out of their web site if you request it. They also will not take the comments out of their web site unless you pay them....here is the link to their rip off link called Business Resolve..........In other words, if you want the bad things people said about you or your company taken off scambook.com's web site you have to pay scambook. They give you the options of $99 a month to clear your name, or $299 a month to clear your name, or $499 a month to clear your name. They still your money to clear your good name.http://scambook.pissedconsumer.com/scambook-com-are-a-bunch-of-thieves-extorting-your-money-20120403309615.html
Read more about possible scambook extortion at this site.
It is absolutely true. How they can have the audacity to say they are trying to help other people from being scammed is beyond me. See www.scambookscam.com and join in the fight back.
ReplyDeleteWell this is yet another persons business has be ruined by scambook.com, it looks like they are now going international and merchants that are effected in other conuntries like the UK (England) and Australia should be notifying there Law Enforcement Agencies such as Scotland Yard and the Australian Federal Police.
ReplyDeleteEven though the people involved in this are based in the USA because they are sending emails out to companies every where any country that feels there laws have been broken have the right to issue arrest warrants and place them on an International Wanted List.
Just because they are trying to hide behind the CAD Treaty does not mean that have not crossed the line of the law both here in the USA and in other Nations all around the world from here in the USA.
Don't forget the executives of a Gambling Website from the UK that where arrest when they travel here to the United States a few years ago, the FBI might just be the start of all this for them.....!!!!
This is effecting merchants from Spain, Germany, France and around the world, please contact your Nations National Law Enforcement Agencies.
Guys we need to get together and bring this scambook down. They are hurting small businesses.
ReplyDeleteI am also their victim. They are vandalizing my business for no reason. I have been fighting with them to remove these false compliants but they just want me to sign up and start paying them.
please let me know if you are willing to come up i am discussing this with an attorney.
I have a similar situation where the complaints are actually about another company with a similar name. A company that sells magazines with a name like ours is hassling people, and someone has complained on spambook. I don't want to pay or even submit my information to that website. We don't do magazines so the complaint has nothing to do with us even though they have publicly listed our phone number and address. I have posted about this disturbing issue on my blog: http://milehighmarketing.com/magazines/
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Jeff
We agree completely. Those posting above should also include "complaintsboard.com" who accused us of taking money monthly from a customer ($10.99) who downloads songs for a fee. We don't offer that service or any like it, have NEVER offered that service and what's MORE sadly "amusing" is that we don't (to this point) even take credit cards at ALL! But the complaint was filed and spread to several sites quickly.
ReplyDeleteWe have a company that's actually in business to help people. It's called PLAY MUSIC ENJOY LIFE! and we're SO excited about how well it's growing and helping so many with Wellness through Music lessons!
We have never taken a single penny from anyone who hasn't openly offered it to us and we can easily prove that.
The only other complaint we have EVER received from anyone is again completely provable and false and believed to come from a disgruntled ex-employee who was terminated for breach of contract and fraud on scambook for a ridiculous $22,000. scambook appears to be a FRAUD as well and we are not sure if we should sue them or just report them for false claims and no easy way to resolve false claims other than as described above which is paying them just to rebut this false and utterly ridiculous claim against us.
We can easily and readily prove the claim is false because we have ample proof that this ex-employee partner had also been defrauding the State by falsely claiming unemployment/disability funds illegally, used our good name to try to secure other employment while ignoring our company and his job requirements, and leaving us with thousands of dollars in fees, taxes and bills he generated while working for us.
We chose to just let him go on his way and haven't yet filed any litigation against him, even though it was recommended by our attorneys that we could (and should strongly consider) sue him in Federal court, inform the authorities that he was scamming the "system" for thousands of dollars etc., inform them also, as well as his current employer, that he was and is (as far as we know) under professional mental care, has serious emotional and physical problems and again, we have not disclosed any of this until now and are still not exposing his name. We have a near perfect reputation except foe false accusation and fabrication and we strongly now complain against this fraud and extortion technique called scambook.
We are going to place this url on the scambook site and see if they'll leave it there. Extortion is illegal and they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law for trying to charge us to justify our right to easily prove our accuser wrong and baseless. They actually charge for this after a 14 day "grace period" and extort hundreds of dollars a month for their bogus service. What a terrible joke. All we want to do is go on with our small business and help people in need. What a waste of time and damaging company this is. They need to be exposed and closed down. Why doesn't the owner just go and get a decent job and stop stealing by extorting money from good people and small businesses while claiming to try and help people. What a fraud.
Thank you for your time taken to read this. We hope they pay for their terrible practices.
rick and the team of employee owners/partners at PLAY MUSIC-ENJOY LIFE!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSoutheast Construction Associates, Inc was hired to renovate a duplex in Fort Pierce, Florida. Per our agreement the balance was to be paid upon successful inspection by the city. However my property manager inadvertently mailed him the check. Upon receipt Richard the president walked off the job. The inspectors would not sign off on the contractors work. I had to hire a plumber and electrician to not only fix the work Richard did because the quality was not up to code, but also to complete the work he did not do though paid in full. The outlets he supposedly replaced had to be redone because he reversed the polarity. Also, the tile he put down came up whereby the entire floor had to be redone. One of the outlets he installed for a 220 V Window AC was attached to the wall with glue. It should have been screwed into the wall securely. Hence the entire outlet would wiggle when inserting the plug. I didn't know that I could dispute a check issued through bill pay otherwise, I would have file a complaint with the bank as it's been several months.
ReplyDeleteI will now have to spend more money to hire an attorney to get back the money that Southeast Constructions Ass. stole. Let this be a warning to anyone considering hiring these top crooks. Beware!
please post your email address so people can gather for a class action against scambook. Publishing false and untrue communication with the specific intent of injuring another person’s reputation is ILLEGAL and damages are to be paid by scambook.com
ReplyDeletehere is another very great website into the matter, I already filed my case against scambook.com for fraud, just any allegation can be amde and for even replying you as a merchant need to pay. This is a scam. Check this: http://burtswansonattorney.wordpress.com/
ReplyDeleteI just filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. They told me that if they get enough complaints about scambook.com they can take legal action. Please file a complaint with them!
ReplyDeleteThis losers are back up and running. They scamming unknowing individuals. They were supposed to be shutdown. Contact the FTC and FBI. File a cyber complaint.
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ReplyDeleteNewborn infection. ...nd a lover who ran into it and had a shock on me after the checkup and develop stroke.
This has been my earnest prayers for the physician therapist to come in with positive solutions to remedies Herpes and most
Bladder problems. ...
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I was so scared when he says that because I fou viral infections. I'm now free and I thank God for leading me to see others getting cured with Herbs. I decided to try and found out that the best way I would have done was to get rid of it and give my testimony. Glory to God I became free after I received his medicine from the DHL and applied as instructed. Till date I had no SYMPTOMS nor virus to detect of me, I called him and thankful for what he did,and ask if he could cure my stroke boyfriend,he said yes and did the same preparation to my boyfriend for his stroke and Recovered from it. Nothing is impossible with Herbs IN CURES, you're the next if you will be willing to apply his medicine and instructions on how to manage.
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