Google Treasure Chest – it’s a scam and a half!

Introduction

While fishing around for some chords I came across azchords.com – as you do.  They’ve a shedload of Google ads and I accidentally hit the banner ad while trying to get rid of pesky popups (why do sites still do this now?)  I was taken to the website of someone called Kevin Hoeffer and an honestly dismal automatic sales pitch.  https://www.kevinlifeblog.com is the address.

kevinlifeblog.com

@AmazonKevin, of course is anonymous because his website uses WhoisGuard.  This “protects” the domain holder from spam, they say.  Well that’s one thing it does – another is that it make it hard to trace spivs. Anyway, he links to EarnFastCashwithGoogle.  This is the link:

http://affiliate.a4dtracker.com/rd/r.php?sid=168&pub=450202&c1=direct&c2=&c3=

You are then redirected to this page where you have to enter various address details:

I did so using the address of an electricity sub station. (yes, I know).  Once all the boxes are ticked and the funny little easily resettable timer is ignored (but noted as a clue to a very good social engineering type scam), you are taken to this website:

In here, the warnings should really be going off in your head by now! They ask for your credit card number, expiry date and CVV number!  And all to get $1 from you!

securecartcenter.com

securecartcenter.com has another hidden domain registration like WhoisGuard but this time with domainsbyproxy.com Surely I can find a real name behind all this?  And don’t call me Shirley. Well right down at the bottom of the credit card screen are some words, well out of normal view.  The whole thing is a signup for Google Treasure Chest who are in no way connected to Google, they hastily point out.  There’s an address in Cheyenne, a house on the corner with about 20 businesses registered there according to Google Maps.  SecureCartCentre isn’t one of them!

Source Code

In the source code for SecureCartCentre we find that images are served from bsadn.pantherssl.com Click that and you’ll get the folder structure for bloosky.com who serve advertising campaigns.  Fish through the folder structure and examine various files.  Google Treasure Chest is there.  Check out some css files and you’ll find that some are loaded from discovertotal.com , which has a contact of bloosky.com So far so good.  If they’d have stuck an htaccess file in there I wouldn’t have seen that, ho hum.

Instant Google Kit

Lots of stuff points to this.  http://googletreasurechest.com/index.php/home.html   It’s the homepage for this ferago.  Interestingly, down at the bottom all the links are to this site except for one, the signup link which goes to: http://web.archive.org/web/20090330184905/https://www.redtomorrowfield.com:80/z/gtc2/?cy=10&pr=19&af=16&ad=19

redtomorrowfield.com

These are also shrouded from enquiry by DomainsByProxy.com  The site actually looks like the treasure chest one – weird.  The form at the bottom is similar to the previous address form but the email address is validated by ebizsuite.com, an eCommerce company.

So Where’s The Problem?

The problem lies in this selection of links below.  There are hundreds on the web.  No-one has anything good to say.

At the bottom of the signup page, is the text:
By submitting this form I authorize Google Treasure Chest to immediately charge my credit card for instant access to the Instant Google kit. I hereby request that Google Treasure Chest activate my account and authorize them to advance funds as indicated. Monthly Service fees will commence seven days from the date of this purchase, and will be billed monthly thereafter. After the seven day trial you will be billed seventy one dollars and twenty one cents USD monthly for the continued access to the software. No refunds will be given for failure to use the requested and provided services. You may cancel at anytime by writing to 2510 Warren Ave Ste. 3363, Cheyenne, WY 82001 or calling 866.951.1406. Google Treasure Chest is not affiliated with, endorsed by or in any way associated with Google. Results vary. Individuals have been remunerated. All Content Copyright © 2005-2009, Google Treasure Chest. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

That’s the problem you see.  It’s almost unreadable.  As everyone found out, instead of a dollar, they all had $71.21 taken away – monthly.

Conclusion

When I started this little investigation, I thought it was a straight phishing expedition to get credit card details.  Instead, it’s a curious grey fuzz of almost legal chicanery. Watch out!


Addendum Posted 7 April 2009

The original popup ad was for a ‘person’ called Kevin Hoeffer with his honestly dismal automatic sales pitch. Today I came across another who mysteriously, used to work for a pipe company! This is on this website http://web.archive.org/web/20110208043425/http://joshmadecash.com/ The actual text goes like this (one paragraph only shown):

A year ago I was an account manager for a (drum roll) a pipe manufacturing company. Not exactly what I dreamed of when I was growing up. The job I had before that, I used to work in at a mortgage company. That job I did like. Initially I was one of the processors and then started working in the sales department. That was really exciting 5-6 years ago. I was trying to learn the ropes as a salesperson and then eventually I really did start to make some money. I was doing well 3-4 years ago. Then as you know the mortgage industry just took a huge down turn. Along with every other industry and jobs available.

Naturally I wondered how many sites there are with this former pipe company (drum roll) bit of spiel going on. Try this Google search on this string “A year ago I was an account manager for a (drum roll) a pipe manufacturing company. Not exactly what I dreamed of when I was growing up.” to see how many. Actually Google says over 100! (202 on 8 May 2009!!)(268 on 29 May 2009!!)


Addendum 10 April 2009

Useful Links

I’ll continue to post extra info here, instead of in the threads below in order to make it more accessible. I seem to be finding stuff out here on an hourly basis, and most of it is depressing as it reveals the vulnerability of the human condition. So please folks, always remember,

“If it looks too good to be true – it is”


Latest News: 27 April 2009

From this article, we see that the ‘company’ behind Google Money Bollox is “Infusion Media Inc”. Try a Google search on the name here. For a company that’s been behind sooooo many different scammy websites, there are only 173 results. Nearly all relate to their dodgy dealings.

We also find that this guy, Philip Danielson, since Dec 2008, seems to have been handed the poisoned chalice that is some form of legal representation for Infusion Media Inc!!

More Related Links


Addendum 2 May 2009

  • Please check this post Google Treasure Chest – Phone and Address List for a collated list of addresses and phone numbers mostly derived from the comments below.  For Google Treasure Chest/Kit/Money Maker type things, the later phone numbers have been found to be effective at getting refunds.
  • I can’t vouch for any scam that’s Cyprus based – that’s a different kettle of fish.
  • According to one commenter to this website, the charges in the Texas Court Summons brought by the Texas AG against some people have been dropped.  I must say that I’ve found no corroboratory evidence for this of either a name, company or actual reporting….  Jameson Johnson decided not to tell.  Maybe he can update us.  However, in light of comments made, I decided that the tone of some commentary was getting like a lynch mob and have edited accordingly.  This does not mean I’ve gone soft – I’ll still call a pig-in-a-poke what it is.

Comments

261 responses to “Google Treasure Chest – it’s a scam and a half!”

  1. Strangely avatar

    Comments are now closed on this posting as Google Treasure Chest is dead.
    However, the problem has not gone away – the menace continues.

    For further information, all chat on this and subsequent scams is now here:
    Google Revolution, Different Name, Same Scam!
    and here:
    More on Google Profits and Pacific Webworks/

  2. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Google's "official blog" has finally commented on the Google Kit scams. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-ste
    They also give a few links to where users can report spam or as they describe it "many sites with duplicate content or common templates intended to direct users to the same product or scheme" (eg: the fake blogs and fake news sites)
    https://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answ

    And then a link to another help page which tells you how you can report dodgy adwords ads, plus the advice to report scams to the FTC, IC3, econsumer etc.
    https://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answe

    1. Strangely avatar

      'Finally'. You said it mate.

      There is a link that I thought would be useful in the third link of yours. It's URL is https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_ and it's supposed to go to the FTC complaints dept.

      Except it doesn't.
      I think it's the wizard they want here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard….

      Some of what they said was interesting. A reminder of this came today for me because I've noticed a few people having difficulty registering for this website. So I deactivated my SABRE plugin to see if it made it any easier. (Sabre minimises Registration Spam to very small levels). Any way, it was only off for 30mins and I got the first hit from a Russian camouflaged as the Indian TLD. Needless to say, SABRE is now on. When I've tested it, it works fine…hmmm.
      The point is that the Google article says that comment/registration spammers are trying to hack in to enable spam ops and any other nefarious activity the permissions will let them do.

      Registration isn't really necessary anyway. As you'll know, I allow people to comment freely and anything with more than a few URLs in it is held for moderation. It works for me and needs minimal maintenance and intervention while keeping the sharks in the bay.

  3. peggy avatar
    peggy

    I guess now since the fed seems to be after the "google" scams that the "Google engine corporation" can afford to step in and look affronted by not accepting those ads. Such a shame to lose that revenue. Hmmm wonder what brought that about?

    While I am still on the subject of the google scams:

    (taken from http://scam-googletreasurechest.blogspot.com)
    Today I spent some time on the FTC website reading the lawsuit that FTC has filed against the corporation running the Google Treasure Chest Scam (and other Google named scams). Hope you will take the time to go read it also. https://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923060/090622goog
    It is very enlightening and certainly vindicates what I have been saying all along about this being a scam and just why it was a scam. I don't know what the final outcome of this lawsuit will be but I hope these con artists get locked up and the key thrown away. From what is being alleged in the lawsuit the con artists were no better than a burglar that breaks into your house and steals what they can get their hands on.

    What seems to me to be so strange about this in regard to the mentality of the con artists is "What were they thinking?" Did they really think they could get away with such blatant disregard for the law? And another thing, why did it take the law so long to go in and take some action.

    I guess the con artists think that if they out-source part of the action overseas that the law won't be able to reach them but they better brush up on the law concerning the Electronic Fund transfer act and regulations. The law can still reach them and they can't hide–it just might take a little longer but sometimes that makes the penalty even more stiff when it finally comes home to roost.

    The counts being levied against GTC in the lawsuit:

    Count 1. Failure to disclose material terms

    Count 2. False or unsubstantial representations regarding income

    Count 3. False representations regarding affiliation (misleading one to think Google was behind them)

    Count 4. Violation of the electronic Fund Transfer Act and regulation E.

    (it seems that they should have gotten written authorization or similar pre-authorization

    for further debits to your account plus provide you with a copy of such. Also it seems that in the unauthorized debiting of your account they did not even have proper authorization to show to your financial institution to make such a recurring debit. Makes you wonder what other loop holes the financial institutions ignore. I would think that to debit your account electronically that the banks would need to have some kind of proof showing that such a debit could even be made. )

    Section 907(a) of the EFTA, l 5 U.S.C. j I 693e(a), provides that a ''preauthorized

    electronic fund transfer from a consumer's account may be authorized by the consumer only in

    writing, and a copy of such authorization shall be provided to the consumer when made.''

    Section 90349) of the EFTA, 1 5 U.S.C. j 1 693a(9), provides that the term '- 'preauthorized

    electronic fund transfer' means an electronic fund transfer authorized in advance to recur at

    substantially regular intervals."

    In numerous instances, the defendants have debited consumers' bank accounts on

    a recurring basis without "obtaining" or "providing" a copy of a written authorization signed or similarly authenticated by the consumer for preauthorized electronic fund transfers from the consumer's account, thereby violating Section 907(a) of the EFTA, l 5 U.S.C. j l 693e(a), and Section

    205. l 0(b) of Regulation E(a) I 2 C.F.R. j 205. 10(b).

    My advice to anyone who was involved in this scam and still having a hard time trying to contact these con artists to get their money returned is to copy the FTC lawsuit PDF and take it to the bank to show them how you were swindled. The bank has some responsibility in this matter too as they maybe should have required more proof that the debit had some merit or backing before they sent your money off to the con artists.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Peggy

      I've now noticed that Google Inc., while notionally blocking a few adsense accoounts, are still taking ads for extremely similar schemes, some of which, if not being run by the original people, are actually using the same business methods and from virtually the same premises (certainly the same towns in Utah!) See https://strangelyperfect.tv/4308/google-revolution… and https://strangelyperfect.tv/4971/is-this-the-new-g

      What is extremely disturbing to me, is the comments from the report on the Eborn closedown on a local TV/web news station here, https://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-feds-investigat

      The comments are here, https://www.topix.net/forum/source/fox13now/T28A5B

      I'm disturbed because hardly anyone in Utah seems to think there's anything wrong with the business and it's methods and activities. They seem to be of the opinion that "at least it's giving people jobs"…. "what right have the FTC got to come busting in…?" etc

      Presumably, this is what Mafia staff, hitmen, drugs runners, prostitutes, money-laundering bankers etc think when the G-men come knocking?

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      In light of the Arizona action against a similar fraudster, see https://strangelyperfect.tv/4971/is-this-the-new-g… I think the best advice for people is to: force a chargeback via their Credit Companycancel their card and get a new onecontact the FTC or whatever and ensure you are on the list of complainants seeking damages

      If you are not on their list, how will you get recompense?

      The Arizona settlement shows a 3:1 ratio of the fine to damages. Carrying this forward, if the FTC seek damages against Eborn et al of $100m, then the FTC fine will be $300m.

      The more people that are on the 'damages' or restitution list, then the bigger that fine is going to be! It's no good just locking Eborn and his chums up – that needs to be paid for and it costs a lot to keep people incarcerated. We must ensure that everyone who's been hurt by these people get adequate compensation. Crime must not be seen to pay.

      I know you got your money back but have you added yourself to the list? The amount of stress you've suffered and the sheer waste of your valuable time (every second of your life is precious and you can't get it back) shows you (and people in your situation)have a case. Some people were on the phone for HOURS and HOURS. This costs! Eborn should pay.

      Rees

  4. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    "I Caught Kevin Hoeffer Barbecuing at Costco" – hilarious!

    "In fact, when I saw him, his wife and his two sons on this box for a Camp Chef Expedition three griddle range, I laughed and laughed.

    I laughed because I knew that everything he said before, every single thing he wrote and every single thing in his voiceover was a damn lie."

    By the way, speaking of Kevin Hoeffer – it looks like Google is finally banning the Adwords accounts of people who have advertised Google get rich quick scams or as they put it "“Promoting Google Money Tree or ads that promote a misrepresented affiliation with Google. Due to multiple complaints from our users and publishers, we’ve made the decision not to accept these ads.“"
    https://www.adwordshelpexperts.com/2009/07/adwords

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      I think the thing about the Hoeffer/barbecue thing is the absolute lack of skill around the subject…..the more you look, the funnier it gets.

      As for the Google ban – I wonder when that kicked in, because I saw some ads yesterday on a few random websites. I also checked a spam this morning to see if there've been any changes (it was a grants one). The new thing 'appears' to be of a totally different class to the Bobby Slimeball Allen and Honest Micky Greene types….

      However, further checking revealed wholly contradictory T&Cs on different pages (referring to the refund methods and policies), plus, an ad for a money-making scheme not wholly unrelated to the Google Money bollox. Stuff like this is wholly against US 'consumer' law, and the FTC charges explicitly state this in their analyses of the various web scams.

      In fact, I'm slightly amazed about the continuing adverts in this area following the FTC swoop. The reason I say 'slightly' is that it's like a blast wave travelling out from an initial explosion. I assume what we are now seeing is the stuff from the thousands of suckers who've tucked into the scam hoping to make it rich, blind to their moral bankruptcy, temporarily or otherwise, and now still frantically flogging while the core finance collection system is closed down.

      When the ones with the wherewithall to hop to another money processing centre do so, then the whole cycle will repeat.

      The fact that Google has put the blockers on that part of the 'business' is all a little bit too little and late. Google Treasure Chest closed last month as it and it's brethren morphed into their next incarnations. The bigger fish at the top of the pyramid ("we are not an MLM or pyramid") will have already started new Adsense accounts and instigated name, address and website changes. This will then prosper for another year or two before Google close them down, but how many people will have been robbed by then?
      https://www.google.com/support/forum/p/AdWords/thr
      This forum set discusses the whole thing. The funny thing is the way that everyone refers to people who've been robbed as 'consumers'. I'm still trying to get my head round that one…..if I bought into the Google Money Bollox, what exactly would I be consuming? I like the way that some folk who admit to doing this (one guy has a $1000pw spend on Adwords but is now moaning he'll have to get a 'proper job'), in general, still blame the small fry for their stupidity in not reading the ads properly – or whatever. I know the phrases "being in denial" and "codependant relationships", but this is ridiculous!

      Another observation – in searching for the original Google source of:

      "Promoting Google Money Tree or ads that promote a misrepresented affiliation with Google. Due to multiple complaints from our users and publishers, we’ve made the decision not to accept these ads",

      …. well I can't! There are >2000 results, and the only place to read these words apart from in a report, is if YOU have been sent an email by Google. So all the people initially reporting this have been blackballed by Google! There are quite a lot. That knowledge puts some of the postings into a different light!

      Thanks again for your continuing work in this area, Not Kevin. We should be earnestly looking for the "next big thing" now, I think. The scammers will certainly be doing just that!

  5. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Here is a Fox TV news video clip on Google Treasure Chest / Money Tree.

    Feds Investigate a Utah 'Work at Home' Internet Business, Freeze Assets:
    https://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-feds-investigat

    The ex employee who is interviewed in the clip posted a warning on complaintsboard.com way back in April (I only came across it today though) and another ex employee replied 5 days ago to say that "I worked for Platinum Teleservices as well. The company shut down this week because the police showed up and told everyone to go home. This place is a complete scam."
    https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/fraud-a

    Lots of other news coverage too:
    http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&h

    These fake news sites and ads have even been featured in stories on Wired.com and Forbes.com recently:
    https://www.forbes.com/2009/06/15/mehmet-oz-oprah-https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/06/fake_new

    1. Strangely avatar

      Thanks Not Kevin. I'll make a main posting with some of this stuff to get it on the front page where it deserves to be!

      I followed through some links and one had a link buried right down the page to this webpage: http://cockeyed.com/citizen/google_money/google_m
      It's the original artwork from which derives our Kevin/Paul bloke!
      <img src="http://cockeyed.com/citizen/google_money/google_cash_costco_barbequing.jpg&quot; alt="Kevin – or is it?" />

  6. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Good news! People filing complaints to the FTC seems to have finaly spurred them into action:

    FTC opens all-out assault on economic cyber-scammers.

    FTC goes after Google Money Tree, Mentoring of America and others in Operation Short Change
    https://www.networkworld.com/community/node/43177

    $300 million one of those is claimed to have made from their scam! ( John Beck/ Mentoring of America)

    Federal Trade Commission v. Infusion Media, Inc., a corporation, also d/b/a Google Money Tree, Google Pro, Internet Income Pro, and Google Treasure Chest, West Coast Internet Media, Inc., a corporation, also d/b/a Google Money Tree, Google Pro, Internet Income Pro, and Google Treasure Chest, Two Warnings, LLC a limited liability company, Two Part Investments, LLC a limited liability company

    (United States District Court for the District of Nevada)
    https://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923060/index.shtm

    Dubbed “Operation Short Change,” the law enforcement sweep announced today includes 15 FTC cases, 44 law enforcement actions by the Department of Justice, and actions by at least 13 states and the District of Columbia.
    https://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/07/shortchange.shtm

    1. Strangely avatar

      YEEEEE-HAAAAAH!

      Excellent news, innit? I'm gonna have some quick fun now before all tyhe links are pulled like for the original Eborn charge…. See what you can dig up extra?

      p.s. WELL SPOTTED! (I've just got in from the day job)

      This is the new FTC video from their website:
      https://youtu.be/OoB2PKYbu4Q
      It details much of what we've alrerady discovered about these scum and the manipulative methods focussed on people's vulnerabilities.

      1. Strangely avatar

        This is the key people list from the charges:

        Individual defendants Eborn. Burnside, Miller and Norton have formulated, directed, controlled. had the authority to control, or
        participated in the acts and practices of the Google Money Tree Corporate Defendants that comprise the common enterprise

        The defendants maintain or have maintained Internet websites, including those found or formerly found at the domains googlemoneytree.com, internetincomeinitiative.com, googletreasurechest.com , deliciousdownloads.com, safedownloadarea.com and redtomorrowfield.com , through which they advertise, market, promote, offer to sell, and sell their work-at-home kit

        YEEEEEE-HAAAAAAH!

  7. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Google Treasure Chest have ‘moved’ from Sunderland. 🙂

    If you check their contact us page, the UK address is gone.
    However if you check Googles cache of the page you can still see it:

    UK
    TonStep Networks Ltd
    36 Colchester Terrace
    High Barnes, Sunderland
    Tyne and Wear SR4 7RY
    United Kingdom

    Speaking of moving, Blazing Words / Blazing Keywords are on the move too. Remember Sleepy Sky Solutions, the “billing provider” for Blazing Keywords at 5 Sunny Terrace, Dipton, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 9DX. This week they notified Companies House UK of:

    23/06/2009 DIRECTOR APPOINTED MISS VICTORIA GRACE SUDDICK
    23/06/2009 DIRECTOR RESIGNED SHIRLEY HENDERSON
    23/06/2009 REGISTERED OFFICE CHANGED ON 23/06/09 FROM: 5 SUNNY TERRACE DIPTOP STANLEY COUNTY DURHAM DH9 9DX
    TO: 87 SNOWS GREEN ROAD SHOTLEY BRIDGE CONSETT COUNTY DURHAM UNITED KINGDOM DH8 0EP

    It’s still on their contact us page though where it is also described as their contact us address: by US mail (eh?)
    https://www.blazingwordsnet.com/index.php/Default/Contact.html

    Oddly the owner of a pub/hotel further on down Snows Green Road is also called Victoria Suddick! Hmm.

    87 Snows Green Road is also the home of GUNSTONE SOLUTIONS LTD, whoever they may be…

    Well at least the “As seen on ABC News” logo on the sign up page for this scam is now accurate. ABC News did indeed do a little feature on Google Treasure Chest – about what a scam it is!

    Treasure Chest of online trouble:
    http://6abc.com/archive/6873047/

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      You’ve been very busy again! Keep it up – I’ve had limited opportunities for research over the past few days. There are a few Suddick directorships in that area, so we can probably expect a few more address changes! Complaints Board is full of the horror stories on this particular operation…
      But in the mean-time, here’s that pub!

      Apparently, “time has stood still here” according to a cycling review!
      https://www.c2c-cycling.com/consett.html

      Also, check:
      https://www.creditgate.com/directorsearch/directors_su_9.aspx
      https://www.checksure.biz/directors_reports.asp

      This is a big, big, complaint about this lot: https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/blazingwords-866-200-5186-cy-kansas-city-missouri-c207385.html

      And this is the ABC “review” of Google Treasure Chest you mentioned – well spotted!
      http://6abc.com/

  8. Jon C. avatar
    Jon C.

    I just have been dealing with Google ATM, another bastard business that is appearing to be sanctioned by Google Inc but is just pretty much a scam. It was dumb of me to do an online 1.95 thing, but i figured hey its 1.95, lets check it out. 1 week later, after never receiving anything from Google ATM, no email, no letter, no kit, I get a charge for $69.90 and so I start investigating. The company that was collecting was reg.net but the charges were generated from Google ATM. I call my bank, they cant cancel a transaction that is pending, but are willing to work with me after the charge is posted. I called all the numbers I could find for Google ATM, eventually I was calling 1(800)497-4988 and they told me that they would cancel all my future charges and cancel my account but that they could not give me a refund. I repeatedly asked to talk to a manager or superior. 3 different times I was sent to a different voice mail. I wrote down all the bs they were feeding me, and i started telling them that yes some one said I could be refunded. I left a longer voice mail each time, and would complain longer to each customer service agent more and then I started telling them that they have notice of my intent to contact the BBB and the FTC and that I want a refund now, and to prepare for a lawsuit. I did fill out a complaint the BBB and when i searched the 4988 number it brought up a place in Las Vegas and one in Utah. I picked the Utah address, which had the corporate name Pacific something (not Google ATM) to file the complaint cause on my 1.95 charge it said Utah on it. I told them this and how i was hung up on and given the run around and how I never agreed to any charges, nor did I ever receive anything, except for charges. Eventually I got a call from (801)578-9020, and supposedly I will be getting a full refund in 72 hours, but I am skeptical because this is a predatory scam that I think people less pissed off than me could get charged a lot for a long time. I also canceled my debit card. I had also called reg.net and they said that they were contacting the vendor and I should have word in 48 hrs. So be persistant people, they will act nice, but google atm reps know it is a scam and are trying to put the stones to you. You can get a refund, or at least a confirmation number saying u will be refunded, but I am now trying to explore more legal remedies because this is horrible and wrong and predatory. I want more than my money back, I want this F’ers to stop and I want them criminally and civilly pursued. ALso I think Google should do more to stop the ease of these companies using their name and image. I wouldnt be surprised if Google gets paid good money to not be more vigilante, but thats just my opinion.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Jon C
      Your tale is like many others I’ve seen (if you take the time to go through the hundreds of similar personal testimonies to yourself ON THIS POST ALONE! – you’ll see what I mean)

      It’s good that you were persistent as this seems to be a common trait among those who’ve got their money back (some people had no trouble, to be sure, but most have quite a struggle).

      Firstly, you paid by debit card – I’m not sure of this. Most folks use a credit card online. Even so, your bank should follow your instructions, I’d have thought. If you tell them that an illegal fraudulent transaction has been made against you and another is due, then they may act differently. Use the word “fraud”. It seems to work.

      People HAVE been charged many times – some have lost thousands! So don’t let them fool you that it isn’t fraud, don’t let them con you that their terms and conditions are okay – as they’re not.

      YOU thought you were paying 1.95 for something. It never arrived. Then you had an unexpected withdrawal that you didn’t spot when purchasing your thing for 1.95 … … = fraud mate. Plain and simple.

      ASAP make a formal complaint to the UTAH AG and your own state’s AG. If enough people do this, then someone will pick up on it. The Texas AG has a case against some of it, but it’s a huge beast of twisted rotten people swimming in a vast network of linked cesspools of filthy crime. Trust me. They are not nice. Their actions prove it and I judge people by their actions.

      Finally, Google Inc make money on every advert click(so don’t be surprised – you are right!). It can be as much as a dollar for a click on a paid-for adsense thing that makes money. This is why Google do nothing – they make cash. However, as the scammer has to pay for the scam ads, I’m now advising people to click on them. They are everywhere, even the anti-scammmer websites! But each time you click, even if you do nothing, it’s money straight FROM the scammers pocket, and maybe, that’s as good a way to hit them as any!

      See this link for more on this.
      https://strangelyperfect.tv/4308/google-revolution-different-name-same-scam/#comment-1580

      Rees

  9. Strangely avatar

    I forgot that I’d read this a while back. Thanbks for that.
    It looks like @gregw2 was right when he said,

    Utah, not Nevada, is the stronghold of the scammers in the US. They do use Idaho and Nevada addresses and business sites but the main players are all in Utah, where they are protected by the government and laws. No one has been convicted or brought to trial for Internet fraud in Utah and I will be surprised if that ever happens.

    As you say, it’s a drop in the ocean.

    https://strangelyperfect.tv/4308/google-revolution-different-name-same-scam/#comment-1584

  10. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Google Treasure Chest fined by Utah Division of Consumer Protection.

    On April 20, 2009 the Utah Division of Consumer Protection issued a Final Order by Default against Google Money Tree LLC and Google Treasure Chest LLC (“Respondents”). The Respondents are ordered to cease and desist from: a) failing to ship goods or furnish services within the time advertised or otherwise represented after receiving payment; b) charging consumers for consumer transactions that have not been previously agreed to by consumers; c) indicating that a specific price advantage exists if it does not; d) failing to make refunds to consumers within 30 days of receiving valid requests for refunds; e) sending goods or providing services to consumers pursuant to a negative option plan; and f) any act in violation of the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act. The Respondents were assessed and ordered to pay an administrative fine in the amount of $12,500.
    https://www.bbb.org/utah/business-reviews/online-shopping-sites/google-treasure-chestcom-in-sandy-ut-22233884

    Well $12,500 that’s just a drop in the ocean when their scam must have net them millions of dollars. Just a little ‘cost of doing business’ to the Google Treasure chest gang. Not even a slap on the wrist, more of a tickle. Hope the Texas Attorney General can do better than that!

  11. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Good investigation here into one of the companies behind this scamorama and the links between this spider web of scams. Wu Yi, Acai, Credit Reports, Govt Grants, Colon Cleansers, Resveratrol and Google “cash kits” all emanating from the same source.

    “Meet Just THINK Media of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, and their online empire of dubious products. Magic weight loss tea, free government grants, acai and red wine pills, colon cleanser, free credit reports…if there are incessant ads for it everywhere on the Web, they probably sell it.”…
    http://consumerist.com/2009/05/13/easy-weight-loss-and-free-cash-a-dubious-product-online-marketing-empire-revealed/?scams

    1. Strangely avatar

      Hi @Not Kevin.

      This seems like another can of worms….

      I’ve checked the “Consumerist” article, and after five minutes probing I found our old friends in Nicosia, Cyprus!!! You can find this from the Consumerist -> link for Credit Report America and the dismal old man (please shut him up).
      Go through the sign-up process as nothing shows in the source code in the first few pages. I used the address & phone number of ABC News to get past the checks but used my own spam-magnet email address. On the page where you have to enter credit card details, check the terms & conditions at the bottom. It’s https://www.creditreportamerica.com/terms-and-conditions.php

      …and Bingo!!! The name and address is:

      17. Customer Service.
      If you have any questions, please call 866-989-8952.

      Vasilissis Freiderikis, 33
      1st Floor
      P.C. 1066, Nicosia, Cyprus

      There’s the old count-down timer on this page again. The handy (not) robot scripts shows on this and other links also…

      As I keep warning people, once this stuff is out of the USA/UK, it’s beyond any law. I mean, Domains by Proxy, Inc. is the registrant cover for justthinkmedia.com which “The Consumerist” thinks is the umbrella organisation.
      I (and you, I think) would disagree.

      The umbrella is firmly held in the hands of Vasilissis Freiderikis, whoever that really is!!!

      Thanks for pointing this out. It’s nice how everything keeps tying in together, isn’t it? I should make a new posting on it, but it’s just another manifestation of the same old thing, isn’t it? So it’s hard to decide how to fit it in. I haven’t done any GTC investigations for a bit. I’ve one soon to release on a UK tool supply company for my mate who’s been tonked by their shenanigans. Prince Charles is connected, looslely, so watch this space!!

      On another of the Consumerist links in their article, the credit card sucking page is https://www.earncashfromgrants.com/confirmOrder.php?sess=7uu2tnt498adfeooudvq4ch9h2 after you’ve battled with the same irritating old man again.
      This one has NO contact, NO terms and conditions, NO information whatsoever! And they expect people to hand over their money details…? !!

      Now where’ve we seen this before??

      If I get time I’ll poke around a bit more – but I’ve a good idea what I’ll find, Ha ha.

      Keep up the good work and thanks again.
      Rees

      1. Not Kevin avatar
        Not Kevin

        Interesting. The Blazing Keywords / Search Chest bunch seem to have a liking for Nicosia Cyprus too. If you do a search for “jurisdiction is set for as Moonbridge Services Ltd, 6 Ioanni Stylianou”

        – you will find at least 5 of their sites which say “For billing purposes, jurisdiction is set for as Moonbridge Services Ltd, 6 Ioanni Stylianou, 2nd floor, office/flat 202, 2003 Nicosia, Cyprus”

        productnetresource.com
        sellpoweronline.com
        springfinancial1.com
        http://www.searchchestcom.com
        blazingkeysearch.com

        That’s in addition to at least a dozen of their sites which say “billing provided by” and then give one of several UK addresses (mostly in the North East of England) and the names of various UK Ltd companies which were only registered in April or May of 2009 (as posted earlier in a previous comment). This includes the Google Treasure Chest site https://www.googletreasurechest.com/index.php/contact.html with their UK address of:
        TonStep Networks Ltd 36 Colchester Terrace High Barnes, Sunderland Tyne and Wear SR4 7RY United Kingdom and Blazing Words https://www.blazingwordsnet.com/index.php/Default/Contact.html which gives their US mail address (huh!?) as 5 Sunny Terrace Stanley DH9 9DX which is also their “For billing purposes, jurisdiction is set for as” address. (Sleepy Sky Solutions Ltd, 5 Sunny Terrace, Dipton, County Durham, Stanley DH9 9DX United Kingdom)
        Wonder what that’s all about?

        1. Strangely avatar

          @Not Kevin

          I think our Geordie bint is stashing her cash away in Cyrus for her retirement…

          As you say, “what’s it all about?”..

          We seem to have core business activities centred on Utah & Nevada in the USA with (bizarrely, IMHO) County Durham in the North-East of England (my original home turf) and another key location of Cyprus.

          Chuck in the odd Florida, New York and California references, plus an Essex link and someone in a tower in the Phillipines and what DO we have?

          We have a right old can of worms, that’s what, and not one single part of it is legal or honourable.

          I don’t know if you’ve caught my latest investigation into the new GTC incarnation (the king is dead, long live the king) called Google revolution but that has another County Durham address, stuck in the hills near Consett. I checked the GTC site during this process – they are ‘closed to new members’… Ha Ha!

  12. Peggy avatar
    Peggy

    Keywords for Google Treasure Chest site.
    name=”keywords” content=”Google Treasure Chest, Google, Google Treasure Chest kit, advice, articles, asking, based, best, biz, bizymoms, business, business opportunities, businesses, care, career,
    careers, check, city, companies, company, computer, continued, corner, courses, customer, customer service, data, data entry, directory, earn, ease, easy, email, employment, entry, entry jobs, expert,
    fee, find, find work, found, free, free work, free work from home, freelance, getting, great, help, hits, ideas, income, information, internet, investment, job, jobs, legitimate, legitimate work,
    legitimate work from home, legitimate work from home jobs, life, looking, making, market, mom, moms, money, money making, money online, new, online, opportunities, opportunity, paid,
    part time work from home, partner, people, potential, privacy, process, program, programs, real, research, resources, return, review, sales, scam, scams, search, service, services, simple, site,
    sitereviewauthority, sites, sra, start, success, support, survey, surveys, system, telecommuting, training, typing, ucs, value, wah, wahm, web, website, websites, work, work business,
    work from home, work from home business, work from home data entry, work from home free, work from home in canada, work from home in greece, work from home jobs, work from home moms,
    work from home no fees, work from home online, work from home opportunities, work job, work jobs, work moms, work opportunities, work programs, work typing, work work, working”

    Think of anything they left out???

  13. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Good article here on the rise of the flog (fake blog used to promote offers like Google Treasure Chest, Acai, etc)
    https://www.jayweintraub.com/2009/03/the-rise-of-the-flog.html

    Valid point made in the comments by Paul Schlegel that “By not going after the [CPA] networks, the affiliate networks have no incentive to NOT run the offers as those offers are huge money makers for them.”

    Same thing would apply to the affiliates creating the fake blogs.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      Interesting and thought stimulating! It all ties in with that email marketting list I found, where anyone who has had the misfortune to have signed up to one of these schemes then becomes, in the words of the marketteers, a

      prequalified opportunity seeker

      who has

      shown commitment towards working from home

      by being a

      business opportunity enthusiast

      who has invested … in

      Incentivized Freebie Websites

      .

      It’s really nice to know what they really think of you?

      As you may recall, I did an experiment, ‘signed’ up for three things and then was rewarded with the discovery that all the scams in that long folder list I discovered actually started sending me spam email for more ‘opportunties’!! They ARE connected, at root, branch, limb and leaf of the whole Google Money Tree; acai, weight loss, government grants, gold selling etc etc etc.
      (see:

      )

      As the article says, it’s the networks that are the problem, the email list being one public manifestation of them. The trouble is that customer lists are a valid business tool. Like a knife, they can be used as tools to do a job or as a weapon of evil intent. So banning knives throws the baby out with the bathwater and similarly with the email lists.

      The trick for law enforcers is to spot when the lists are being used badly, just like with the knives analogy.

      This is something I’ll have to think about.


      As an aside, but related to Google Treasure Chest, I revisited their WHOIS…
      http://whois.domaintools.com/googletreasurechest.com

      ..Pay particular attention to their META keywords (a way of describing the site and attracting traffic), which are only 16% relevant (actually, the SEO score for the title is only 40% relevant c.f. the various relevancies for this website – not that that matters too muck – but, you know?)

      Anyway, their META keyords include such gems as:
      FREE
      FREE WORK
      EMPLOYMENT
      GREAT
      LEGITIMATE
      SCAM
      SCAMS

      This is another aspect of SEO manipulation which I mentioned in this post https://strangelyperfect.tv/3311/watch-out-for-the-scam-double-bluff/ In this case, it was looking at the results of Google searches. Above, is one way that the searches are generated. I know that META relevancy has diminished over the years, but on the other hand, it shows how their unscrupulous minds work!

      And anyway, who knows how Google uses META or any other data? If you ask them, you’ll get an ambiguous, polite, corporate reply. They are hardly going to broadcast the golden lodestone to the world, are they?

  14. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Oh and this bit:
    ‘s+Law+and+they+know+that+80+percent+of+links+on+the+web+point+to+only+15+percent+of+web+pages.%22&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&hs=jh&filter=0&gfe_rd=cr&ei=Rx9OVuiPFYrf8geD4on4Bg&gws_rd=ssl

    was nicked from a 2003 article from here:
    https://www.searchengineguide.com/senews/000385.html

    While this bit:
    ‘s+a+powerful+tool+that+can+be+used+as+an+advertising+template+for+your+online+ads.+%22&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&hs=AdV&filter=0&gfe_rd=cr&ei=Sh9OVpz0GInf8gfK0obYAQ&gws_rd=ssl

    Was nicked from an about.com article here:
    http://homebusiness.about.com/od/internetmarketing/a/pay_per_click.htm

    In fact about half of their ‘about us’ page (from ‘How it works’ until just before the end where the whacked in the bit copied from searchengineguide.com) is a copy and paste job from that about.com article.
    [at blazingkeywords.com/index.php/Default/About.htm ] and ditto for their various carbon copies of that site.

    1. Strangely avatar

      LOL @ Not Kevin!!

      Well spotted mate. But how do you know which is REALLY the first one? Most of the time it’s clear but after a while my mind is just a blur of dates and numbers….. Speaking of which!

      Check out this comment by @Harry Tullman at # 3 June 2009 at 2:42 am on https://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/03/oprah-acai-berry-scam-hoax-rachael-ray-dr-oz-brad-pitt-angelina-jolie/#comments

      It’s the Acai Berry stuff.

      He has a name, Andrew Miller and an address and phone number that I *know* I’ve looked at before as I recognise the StreetView! but I can’t find any mention of on my pages here. Is it something you were looking into?
      Cheers.

      1287 N. Research Way, Orem UT, 84097
      Tel: 821 765 9765 Fax: 821 765 9755

      If what the guy is saying is true, then this is a sea-change in operations. In this case the scammer sends out the goods semi-blindly to a victim, and then finds out more about the person like email address and THEN bills them!

      How many Miller scammers are out there in the desert?

  15. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Interesting use of words on these sites, which all seem to have the same text – could be wrong but I think ‘posh’ is not a widely used word in the US? A UK connection there perhaps? Would tie in with reports that some people (in the US) are getting a GB at the end of the transaction info on their credit card statements and also the list of UK Ltd companies (mainly in the North East of England plus one with London and Essex addresses) posted earlier and listed on the contact us pages of blazingkeywords group of websites as “Billing provided by”: eg: blazingwordsnet.com/index.php/Default/Contact.html

    Here is the posh reference on 17 almost identical websites:

    Another excerpt from those websites looks like a cut and paste job from a 2006 article by this guy:
    https://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2006/11/09/drill-down-then-out-verticals-where-its-at

    As used on these sites:

    So they could not even be bothered to come up with some content for these sites they are charging people $72 a month for but just copied and pasted it from some 3 year old article!?

  16. Paul Schlegel avatar

    Beautiful job on this! I learned a few tricks I hadn’t thought of for digging the data out here.

  17. rick avatar
    rick

    i ordered this scam and after giving cedit card info i found a warning site for the very same google scam – i quickly called my credit card co and told them my card had been lost and to cancel card an send me a new one – it worked and a wk later i had a new card and no more worries – and yes i am convinced that these sites are origin of ensueing virus problems …. just proves there’s no easy way to big money !!!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Rick
      Have you actually had any computer problems since you applied for this wonderful business opportunity? I’d be interested to know. A huge increase in spam mail doesn’t count though… 😉 This is because I did an experiment a few weeks back and I’m going to have to close that email account as it’s collapsing from overload – all courtesy of a ‘marketing’ company in…UTAH! And another in California. Everything points to Google Treasure Chest etc.

      If you check this post, https://strangelyperfect.tv/3533/robert-g-allen-grants-and-a-credit-card-slimeball/, you’ll see a few nom de spam names I used in this investigation. These are hardly appearing in the spam now, as are the original spam addresses that I listed. However, the content and enough similarities convince me that the whole thing is connected. Also…..

      ….check my post https://strangelyperfect.tv/3126/drill-down-through-bsadnpanthersslcom/

      This is possibly the most interesting!! I stumbled upon their open server (it’s locked down now, although I made copies of all the contents!), and you’ll see all the various ‘campaigns’ that they’ve used and have planned. All the graphics and much of the text for the scummy websites was neatly categorised and listed in the folders. Everyone is there – Robert Allen, Google Treasure, Acai, Weight Loss, Government Grants……..zzzzzz

      The thing is, that all the newest spam I’ve had contains information on all these wonderful business opportunities, ha, ha, ha. If ever proof were needed, then there it is!

      Someone really needs to tip this overflowing toilet of crime over!

      Everyone! Contact your local BBB and FTC in America. Call your Attorney General. This has to be the best approach. Eventually, there’ll be such an overwhelming body of evidence that they’ve got to go down.

      People power backed by law.

  18. dailyartist avatar
    dailyartist

    Subject: Google Treasure Chest,
    970 W. Broadway,
    Ste E347,
    Jackson, Wy 83001

    Support@googletreasurechest.com
    Mon Fri 9 to 5
    866-951-1406 (support)
    866-957-0020 UT (for refunds)

    The best and most efficient way to throw a monkey wrench into this scam machine is to immediately cancel your debit or credit card to stop any future debits to your finances. Get a new card with a “new” number. It is a hassle but not as much hassle as dealing with trying to chase after the scum that do this scam. Notify your bank of the reason why this is necessary and have them monitor your account for future activity coming from this scam. File a fraud report with the bank if they insist. When I was hit by this GTC scam I canceled my debit card immediately and alerted my bank about the scam and asked them to monitor my account. Fortunately for me, the 30 days had not elapsed and I was able to use the GTC 30 day guarantee to recover my money. When I was able to reach someone at the phone number being listed for refunds coming from this “unauthorized debit” by GTC, I informed the person (Rachel) that answered that I was calling to get my guaranteed 30 day refund. She asked “do you want me to cancel your subscription so you won’t be charged anything further?” ( well, duh!!!)and I replied “yes, cancel that “fraud” and you will no longer be able to debit any future finances from my account as I had canceled my card and put my bank on fraud alert for future activity coming from your company.” She pretended to have to go check my records to see if I could be given a refund and I was put on hold. When she came back her manner was gruff and frosty and she said I could have my refund, and she was cancelling my subscription and I would not need to return the dvd kit to get the refund. I guess they did not want to mess with returning the original $1.97 shipping charge that I paid for the dvd kit. She gave me a cancellation number and I read it back to her, she checked my address for accuracy and said I should have my refund in 5 to 7 days. I followed this up with a letter in the mail to GTC address with all the necessary information concerning my dealings with them stating that since they had all the necessary information about my account that I was expecting them to expedite the return of my money immediately. That letter was returned as “undeliverable”, but it curiously looked as though it had been slit open on one end and re-sealed. It was over 10 days before the $72.21 showed back up in my account.

    GTC did not answer any of my e-mail. They were extremely hard to reach on both phone numbers –I mostly got a message mumbling what their hours were and a cut-off, or a voice and then a cutoff and a voice with an “ominous” cut-off click. The voice sounded like the same person on all the connections. I had to be persistent to reach a real person and I was mad enough to do so. I figured they would have to eventually answer the phone to conduct any business. The phone number that worked for me was the refund number listed above (866-957-0020). I reported them to the Utah BBB and when BBB sent copy of my complaint to GTC it was returned back to BBB as undeliverable.

    Most all of these type scams are trading on the “Google” name as this places their ads and websites high on the search scale to be found, plus, most surfers trust that the “Google” name connection, (or for that matter any other well known company with logos such as CNN,etc) means that it is legitimate. What these scams have in common is that they bait you with some kind of “kit” which you think is your only cost. What they are really selling is membership in worthless websites filled with ads and software that can be found for free anywhere on the internet. What they are neglecting to do is inform the consumer that their intent is to enrol you in a monthly membership and pass your financial information on to other cohorts. Just having an obscure link of terms and conditions that is buried at the bottom of the page is not sufficient to fulfil FTC dot com law on showing what their intent is. The law requires that businesses must show disclosure (intent) in clear and conspicuous easily read disclosure near where you submit your financial information if other terms or conditions are part of the transaction and should also have a place for you to check showing that you understand that further debits are going to be made when you submit the transaction and your financial information. All terms and conditions of a transaction should be disclosed before they have your financial information. These scammers are claiming you should have read the t/c before you signed up but they are the ones that are not complying with FTC law on clearly and conspicuously publishing their intent t/c along side where you submit financial information so you can make an informed decision and or agree to their terms.

    Please go read this http://peggyconyers.com/GTCscam/042209infusionmedia_pop.pdf to get more of an idea how these scams work.

    Another wrinkle in these membership scams is they are making their websites look like a newspaper article that endorses the scam, but if you look closely at all the information on the web-page you will see that they do it like all “bait” web-pages. They cut off consumer comments supposedly due to spam and leave their t/c or disclosure in very tiny print at the very bottom of the page and have plenty of links to click to sign up for the scam being offered. Check out this website
    https://www.miamigazettenews.com/
    and notice the print immediately under the “Miami Gazette News” headline
    (this publication is an article advertisement for Easy Google Profit). It was created using one of wordpress templates.

    I was exploring and researching some of those scam money maker websites offering glowing wealth or just information in a kit and you know how one of those pop-up chat windows come up when you try to leave and they try to talk you out of leaving before you sign up? Here is some of the dialog I had with one of them:
    Kelly Says: Wait! Don’t Leave! My name is Kelly and I have just been authorized to give you a CHAT ONLY DISCOUNT!

    CLICK HERE now to get $0.99 SHIPPING!

    Kelly Says: Just type ‘HI’ or ‘Hello’ in the space below to let me know you are there.

    Kelly Says:Anyone with a computer and basic typing skills can Earn up to $943 Per Day!

    Kelly Says: Whenever you are ready, just type ‘HI’ or ‘HELLO’ and we can get started…

    You: How much does this cost me

    Kelly Says: When you order right now, you will get your Risk Free Trial Kit and all you have to pay is the Chat Only Discount price of shipping of just $0.99! CLICK HERE to get yours now!

    You: Is there further cost than the .99

    Kelly Says: This amazing offer is only available through this chat and for a limited time. CLICK HERE to take advantage of this deal.

    You: Is there a further fee than the .99

    Kelly Says: You will get Real, Live support to answer any question and help you every step of the way! CLICK HERE now and get your kit for just $0.99 Shipping!

    You: you are not answering my question —is there further cost than the .99?

    Kelly Says: I am sorry, but I only have limited information. For more questions or information, please email us at support@googletreasurechest.com to contact customer service.

    You: Why do you you not have your terms and conditions out in plain site for the consumer to read instead of hiding them in obscure linK FTC says that that kind of information should be near the submit financial button and it is not

    Kelly Says: No, this is not a scam! We are so confident that this will help you make money that we are offering a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

    You: I have seen by all the complaints that you do not always live up to the guarantee and I also see that Texas has a lawsuit against you

    Kelly Says: My name is Kelly and I’m a live virtual agent.

    You: I’ll just bet you are. When the questions get too tough or personal you turn into a virtual agent. Now where have I seen that before?

    Kelly Says: Please allow 5-7 Business days for your Free Trial to arrive if you are within the United States.

    You: You have not made satisfactory answers to any legitimate quetions so I conclude that you have something to hide

    Kelly Says: I’m sorry, but I only have limited information on our products, and the ability to offer you this discount. For more questions or information, please email us at support@googletreasurechest.com to contact customer service.

    You: email don’t answer, the phone numbers don’t answer so how can I find information about this offfer on whether there is further fees involved if you won’t answer’

    Kelly Says: I’m sorry I don’t have a phone number to provide to you. For more questions or information, please email us at support@googletreasurechest.com to contact customer service.

    You: any legitimate agent for a company should have that information at hand

    Kelly Says: Our fine-tuned, proprietary software is 100% Guaranteed!

    You: 100 per cent guaranteed for you if I am stupid enough to go for it

    Kelly Says: OK to end the CHAT simply CLICK on the “X” in the upper right.

  19. Can't believe I was so stupid... avatar
    Can’t believe I was so stupid…

    you’ve become a one-man scam investigator since the last time I checked in! (I was one of the commenters on your first couple of posts)

    1. Strangely avatar

      Hi @Can’t believe I was so stupid… Again!
      It’s not by choice you know, but sometimes, you just have to speak out, if only to protect other people from the bad guys… If I say nothing, then the scum think it’s okay? And it’s still going on, morphing from one incarnation to the next.

      Did you mange to get a refund in the end? I think last time you contacted, ‘it was in the post’!! – or something!

  20. Joanne avatar

    Hi Strangely,

    Joanne here from TotalTreasureChest. I found your link via my traffic reports so had to come over to take a peek 🙂

    You have a fabulous breakdown here of this fiasco! Kudos for the super info you’ve provided to help make people aware.

    Yes, we have received threats, but we won’t be changing our domain name due to this. I’ve had it registered for 5 years now and we are just completing a major site overhaul. I am not about to change my entire business because of one silly scammer.

    There are already way too many negatively people affected by this scam and I don’t intend my business to be another one of them.

    Keep up the good work here 🙂

    Sincerely,
    Joanne
    TOTAL Treasure Chest

    1. Strangely avatar

      Hi Joanne
      Thanks for your kind comments. What started out as a simple bit of investigation into an internet annoyance for me, has ballooned out a bit!

      I checked your domain and yes, you’ve been going a lot longer than the GTC mob. It must be a bit of a pain for you because of the tarring-with-the-same-brush tendency that exists(we have this with the MPs expenses scandal right now, for instance – I’m sure there’s got to be one that’s okay!). I admire you for carrying on regardless – it’s what I’d do after thinking about it, so please ignore my earlier comment, which you have anyway! It’s at times like this when I’m reminded of a pseudo Latin phrase I picked up back in the mists of time that is strangely appropriate:

      Non Illegitimo Carborundum

      …which means…wait for it…

      Don’t let the bastards grind you down!

  21. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Came across a site called ‘Total Treasure Chest’ which claims to have received death threats as a result of people thinking they are Google Treasure Chest!
    http://totaltreasurechest.com/news/googletreasurechest-scam/

    Here is another one of those 1 page ‘fake newspaper’ sites with an interesting choice of picture:
    https://www.losangeles-tribune.com/finance/index.php
    Perhaps they are trying to tell us something!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      LA_Tribune_News_Scam_Front_Page.jpg

      Ha Ha. I took this screendump of the site just to trap the ‘image’ you refer to. It’s my guess that the site has been compromised in some fashion!! LOL!

      An ‘interesting’ thing about the LATN site is that I can’t find ANY contact address or phone! The contact at the page footer points as a straight mailto to MiamiGazetteNews.com, the site we spotted a while back… I’m not too sure about ‘Total Treasure Chest’. This whole marketing thing sucks and for their own good, they’d be better off getting a new catchy domain and setting up a redirect.

  22. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Interesting comment on this page (the one made by baronsass):

    “I’m in Canada and after placing an order for clothing on a site in LA started receiving changes from GTC. I never saw their ads, never talked to anyone, never signed up for anything at all, yet somehow they managed to get my CC info and address and begin charging my Visa.”
    https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/google-treasure-chest-oklahoma-c246167.html

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      You should read the ones after that as well! People are quite rightly going ballistic now. Some have emailed Obama….

      It appears that some people are being billed without ever visiting GTC etc. This ties in with a couple of comments I’ve received here. One mentioned that their anti-virus had detected a trojan on the disc as well…

      Who knows how they are doing it, but the fact is that most people don’t lie and are being upfront when they say a charge has appeared on the account and they don’t know who Google Treasure Chest (or whatever) is! As I keep saying, the only thing going for the scam(s) is that it’s US-based. Once the final destination of the scammed cash moves to dodgy states then everyone is fucked who signs up for this rubbish. The only recourse then will be to cancel cards and wave bye-bye to the cash already gone.

      @JennB is a case in point, a bit down the page from @baronsass. She says:

      ***********************READ ME**************************
      Ok, my husband and I have not signed up for anything, didn’t purchase a FREE cd kit, or whatever they say we did. We didn’t do it. Whatever they say I did is BS. pure BS. I called 1-888-256-1248 (which was the number listed under the Google Treasure chest deduction on our bank statement) its a calling center. They will NOT help you out. They give you the run around. I was on the phone with Mi Anne for an hour as she told me that she couldn’t refund my money, wouldn’t give me her company name, supposedly didn’t have a supervisor, on and on and on… After demanding to speak with a Supervisor, Manager, CEO, Owner, ANYONE she said they couldn’t tell me anything different than what she was saying. I finally got a supervisor and she obviously was no help. I hung up on her completely furious with this BS. I looked online and found this website. I called the 2nd number I saw, which was 1-877-208-6490. They were no longer working with Google Treasure Chest and couldn’t help me. I called the 3rd number listed, 1-866-951-1406 and FINALLY spoke with an AMERICAN! She spoke proper English and was very helpful. She said that on 3/25/09 $1.97 was taken out of my account, the on 4/4/09 $72.21 was taken and on 5/4/09 $71.21 was taken again. This was the charge that we saw. Thank GOD she mentioned the 4/4 deduction otherwise I would never have known. BTW we NEVER signed up for this and NEVER gave our Debit card over the internet, so how did they get our account info?!?!?!?!? She said unfortunately her company couldn’t refund the money because it was after the “refund time” blah blah blah, at least she explained things. I asked what I could do, this was the 4th person I had talked to over 2 hours and was ready for an answer. She said to go to the Sheriff and file a fraud claim again Google Treasure Chest. Get a claim #, badge #, and contact # and then call the 1-866-951-1406 back and they would refund the $146.39 to us. I am going to make them pay the 35.00 overdraft charge if our bank doesn’t excuse it. The Sheriff told us to contact the FBI and let them know what is going on. Hopefully this is helpful to everyone.

      From this you’ll gather that the call centre staff are employed to answer calls and don’t work for GTC. This has been pointed out by a commenter here ages ago. But when the call centre person advised @JennB …

      to go to the Sheriff and file a fraud claim again Google Treasure Chest.

      …well that really takes the biscuit!

      My gut feeling is that we are getting close to cracking this particular rotten barrel wide open. I hope US border controls are watching for the Google Treasure Chest runners!

  23. love2annoy avatar
    love2annoy

    I’ve got to say this, sorry for the profanity, but..

    HOLY SHIT!!!

    I did the google search of: “A year ago I was an account manager for a (drum roll) a pipe manufacturing company. Not exactly what I dreamed of when I was growing up.”

    2,660 results found…

    Now I feel like a dumbass, and I was sitting here trying to actually start my business, which I’m still trying to do. And I thought this would help.. guess not.
    All I wanted was a little help, and instead, I get ripped off, MANY deductions from my accounts that are all fraud… joy joy for me.
    I’m going to go cry in the corner now…. not really, but this does piss me off really bad.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @love2annoy

      You profane as much as you like mate if it makes you feel better…

      When I first did the ‘…(drum roll) a pipe manufacturing …’ search all of a few weeks ago, there were a few hundred returns. Now 2600+ !!
      That number is on a search without “quotes”. If you put the search string in “quotes”, Google looks for the complete string using an exact character and space match. I’m still looking at 211 – which is bad enough though!
      Add in the other clone sites like Christian mom and swimming pool Kevin/Steve and it’s a sizable problem of scam sites spawning scam sites spawning scam sites.

      Like a Pyramid!

      BTW, @love2annoy, have you got any money back yet? If so, what did you do? There’ll be a lot of people wanting to know…

      If you haven’t, there are a heap of numbers to choose from and a lot of suggestions to help you. @Tara Boyd had a good suggestion to get a 3-way call going so that your bank can listen in on your cancellation request. Getting big finance involved with their monetary muscle seems to be the best overall route. Cancel cards, phone for return ref numbers, these have all worked as well.

      I’ve not heard of a single person who’s said the email address on the GTC contact form works though!

  24. Strangely avatar

    The Best is Yet to Come!
    So far, visitors to this website have generally,( after a fair bit of effort usually), generally been able to get through to a phone number eventually and have got refunds (although only a few people have actually got back here and reported their success)

    Well now, check out this person’s experience here:

    https://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/03/oprah-acai-berry-scam-hoax-rachael-ray-dr-oz-brad-pitt-angelina-jolie/#comments

    @Favored is the person, posting on 21 May 2009. This is a short version of their short comment:

    …Acai Berry Edge…crap.

    I tried cancelling and they tell me that there is no order under my name or email address. If there is nothing under my name I thought I was safe, but sure enough a week later I’m charged $79.99.

    (-my emphasis, SP)

    So @Favored is saying:
    1. That they got through on the phone
    2. They were told there was no order
    3. They assumed they were safe – maybe the web transaction had failed.
    4. They were billed a week later.

    This is what I mean when I say the best is yet to come
    Assuming @Favored phoned the correct company, then the company say they have no record of them – but bill them anyway!!!

    This is getting to be really, really dodgy dealings.

  25. Trish avatar
    Trish

    I also lost on Google Treasure Chest. When I put in the disc I got a Trojan Horse alert. I ordered the disc before vacation and was too late to cancel. My credit card will reimburse the $1.97. Wow!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Trish

      …and why am I not surprised by that? !! I hope you didn’t install anything.

      n.b. For everyone: always run your windows PC with limited user credentials, i.e. don’t browse the internet, read CDs/USB sticks or click on strange email attachments using the ‘Administrator’ account under any circumstances. Doing this makes it much harder for Trojans and other malware to take hold. Not impossible, just harder – and this assumes you have a decent, up-to-date anti-virus package running.
      Some of these things, once on your PC, can take all weekend to get rid of – and weekends are just too precious to be wasted fixing computers!

      After my little investigation into a related scam which ended with a disgusting credit card company in Sioux Falls, my spam from this and related sources has gone up 20-fold! I’ll probably zap my spam honeytrap email address soon because of it. You’ll find it here:

      https://strangelyperfect.tv/3533/robert-g-allen-grants-and-a-credit-card-slimeball/

      Question: Has anyone who has signed up for this Google Treasure Chest and related things noticed a dramatic increase in your email spam?

  26. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    “I’ve decided that it’s far, far better to help people over these difficulties than to ridicule them. Everybody needs help at some point in their life, even Presidents and Doctors, Scientists and Soldiers, Sales Assistants and the Garbage man. Everybody, no-one is immune.”

    Couldn’t agree more – and to ridicule would also be wrong because people’s lack of knowledge or lack of internet savvy does not mean that they are necessarily stupid or greedy (or that they somehow ‘deserve’ it). And just because something screams scam to you or I does not mean that it’s obvious to others.

    In fact “research into scams, which was carried out by the University of Exeter, also found that the victims were in general not poor decision makers, and often had successful businesses or professional careers”.
    https://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5ikhXvWtreDoxkOj0y8hQMQw3zHWw

    https://www.smeweb.com/economy/news/why-we-are-scammed-050918.html

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      … there are no co-incidences and the recent release of the Exeter research that you spotted is surely a case in point for me, it being only 35mins away down the motorway!

      There are two extra salient paragraphs in the news article apart from the one you mentioned, I think.

      victims often keep their decision to respond to a scam offer private and avoid speaking about it with family or friends.

      – which parallels what I said about people who DO admit to being made to look a plonker are very brave indeed.
      And,

      (…)scams also abuse people’s trust of authority by making a scam look like a legitimate offer from a reputable business or official institution

      – this is exactly the Google Treasure Chest / Acai Berries / Slimming / Grants rip-offs etc method whereby the website is plastered with trademarked images (with a tiny disclaimer at the bottom) and/or recommendations from famous or otherwise authoritative people like Oprah and Springer or some university, fake or otherwise.

      Thanks for your comment. That’s another good bit of spotting you’ve done!

      Here are two more links:
      Office of Fair Trading(OFT) press release from the 17th May 2009 AND The psychology of scams: Provoking and committing errors of judgement (pdf 3.3 mb)

      The last is the original 3Meg report from the University of Exeter research for the OFT. As is usual with this stuff, it’s for insomniacs only!!!

      n.b. the OFT is a UK government department for consumer protection to ensure businesses are being run properly. They reckon that scams cost the UK folk alone, £3.5 billion annually, which are credit-crunch sized figures!

  27. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Yes, i was puzzled by the Monster.com disclaimer too!

    Some more sites with a UK connection:

    This website:
    ezdollarstraining.com/
    references dollars but gives a UK address:

    Shimon Technology
    3 Northstead Drive Co.Durham Consett DH8 0RX United Kingdom
    866-756-1774
    But the domain is registered to someone is the US (in Utah!):
    Steve Comer
    831 East 340 South
    American Fork, Utah 84003
    United States

    Domain Name: EZDOLLARSTRAINING.COM
    Created on: 08-Apr-09
    Expires on: 08-Apr-10

    who also owns onlineroadtoriches.com/
    also references dollars but gives the same UK address but a different number 866-898-1402

    Domain Name: ONLINEROADTORICHES.COM
    Created on: 08-Apr-09
    Expires on: 08-Apr-10
    Last Updated on: 08-Apr-09

    Those UK limited companies do exist but were only incorporated very recently – as recently as less than 2 weeks ago.

    Companies House search shows:

    Shimon Technology Ltd
    3 Northstead Drive Co.Durham Consett DH8 0RX United Kingdom
    Registered Number: 06880158 – Registered at Companies House on 17/04/2009
    http://ukdata.com/company/06880158/SHIMON-TECHNOLOGY-LTD

    which is very near to Sleepy Sky Solutions Ltd – only incorporated on 05/05/09
    5 SUNNY TERRACE, DIPTON, STANLEY, COUNTY DURHAM, DH9 9DX
    http://ukdata.com/company/06895986/SLEEPY-SKY-SOLUTIONS-LTD

    and (as you pointed out) they are just across the road from:
    Blue Cord Marketing: also incorporated on 05/05/09
    18 FAIRHILLS AVENUE, DIPTON, STANLEY, COUNTY DURHAM, DH9 9DY
    http://ukdata.com/company/06896019/BLUE-CORD-MARKETING-LIMITED

    Kamio on the other hand has an Essex address:
    http://ukdata.com/company/06817892/KAMIO-NETWORK-SOLUTIONS-LTD

    Both the ezdollarstraining.com and onlineroadtoriches.com actually charge an upfront fee ($48.73) but it is only if you click on the terms and conditions that you discover that this is an ongoing monthly fee and not a one off charge!

    Google Treasure Chest even has an ‘honest’ sign-up page:
    treasurechestnet.com/index.php/InfoSite/GoToSignup.html

    Which is quite clear about the monthly charge:
    “You will be given a complementary 10 day trial membership, after which time you will be billed $72.21 per month, for each month your membership is active. Should you wish to change the terms of, or cancel your membership, please contact our customer service department at. 1-888-256-1248 Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm.”
    note the amount: $72.21 per month – exactly the same to the cent as the Google Treasure Chest charges when they made their ongoing monthly charges somewhat less obvious.
    Also note the copyright date: 2007

    Perhaps the 2007 method of being upfront about the $72.21 per month was not profitable enough so they decided to go for the sneaky option?

    Some more of these Google offers that keep popping up:

    Google Pay Day
    yoursearchprofits.com/051409/order.php
    This one is based in the Philippines, so good luck cancelling that! Of course you have to navigate to the fine print to find that little nugget of information:
    “This offering is a contract between you the buyer and our business, the seller. The seller is located in Pasig City, Philippines and by doing business with us you agree that this offering is made from Pasig
    City, Philippines and shall be governed by the laws of the Philippines … By electing to participate in this offer, you are entering into a contract.”
    From: http://secureordersites.com/sites/JRSPrivacy/terms.html

    Google Power Profit Pro:
    rs937.powerprofitpro.com/
    note the link to the ‘log in page’ which goes to a parked domain!

    Google Profits:
    ssl.securedorderweb.com/gpz/698/order.php#popup

    Google “Rapid Profit Generator” / Hot SEO Profits
    rs855.hotseoprofits.com/?subid=62453-1

    Note the small (tiny!) print at the bottom:
    “The individuals shown are paid actors, and not necessarily Hot SEO Profits customers.
    The actors neither endorse nor sponsor any of the products and/or services. ”
    Hmm. Reminds me of ‘Beth’ the Christian Mom with her
    “All persons mentioned on this blog are fictional examples of people who used the promoted products and is for demonstration purposes only. The statements contained herein come from many different people and are not necessarily being made about the specific products discussed.”

    Also note the link to the log in page which says:
    “Your login information was sent to you via email when you ordered the eBay success kit.”
    Ebay? Hang on – I thought this was a Google thing!?
    hotbusinessmarket.com/login.php

    This one even claims to be FTC compliant!
    goge3lo.secureordersmanager.com/?affiliateid=scam

    Hmm, the FTC might have something to say about that given the recurring billing is hidden in the small print and the order page has a picture from istockphoto with a testimonial from “Kevin M” and all the logos with “as seen and trusted on” next to them
    goge3lo.secureordersmanager.com/?cmd=order&subcmd=&offerid=

    If you look up the whois info for the above, surprise surprise it’s hidden using domainsbyproxy but the ip address shows secureordersmanager.com is hosted in, wait for it – Utah, Salt Lake City.

    Google Revolution is another new name and so they go on…

    Here’s one targetted at the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand:
    yoursearchprofits.com/030609/index1111-4.php?subid=221010&subid2=&hitid=629381724

    Finally, this one ties in the word grants with Google money – although the only ‘Grants’ Google offers is free Google AdWords advertising to various charitable organizations.
    https://support.google.com/grants/answer/46027?hl=en

    So not very likely then that you will get a check from GoogleMoneyGrants “to fill out forms and do searches on Google”.
    as claimed by gmoneybiz.com/index.php
    aka Gmoney.net
    1-866-631-1664, eWealth Media Ltd 2648 East Workman Ave. Suite 307, Los Angeles CA. 91791.

    For an interesting insight into the murky underworld of the people promoting these offers and getting paid up to $37 for each victim err sorry sign-up, just join offervault.com (free to join, anyone can do so and no credit card required) 🙂 (It’s just a listing of all these CPA offers from various networks) Once there do a search for google in their offers search and 144 different offers are currently listed!

    Interesting discussion here by some of the people promoting these offers trying to justify their actions:
    wickedfire.com/shooting-shit/54024-google-money-tree-acai-berry-colon-cleanse-government-grants-2.html

    “F**k ethics and morals” pretty much sums it up. I guess they don’t believe in Karma then.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      I don’t know how you keep at it mate – it does my head in, all this shit. It’s like a never-ending dose of syphilis where the antibiotics don’t work and it won’t go away!

      As for the Karma thing, I can understand some people’s viewpoint that everyone should look after themselves – and generally, it’s a sound principle if you are capable. The Buddhism I do is based on building a concrete unshakeable core for oneself, in harmony with all the forces, good and bad, in the universe… However, everyone makes mistakes (mistakes are a manifestation of the negative forces) and following my initial investigation where I fell into this miasma of manure and mirrors all of a month or so ago, I’ve decided that it’s far, far better to help people over these difficulties than to ridicule them. Everybody needs help at some point in their life, even Presidents and Doctors, Scientists and Soldiers, Sales Assistants and the Garbage man. Everybody, no-one is immune.
      In fact, I think the bravest people are those that admit they been made to look a fool – I know I’d have difficulty revealing to the world my stupidity and greed. The people that say ‘tough’ and ‘they deserve all they get’ – these people are the cowards because it’s so easy to ridicule anonymously.
      Hopefully, by this website, I’ll have educated a body of people that are aware of the dodgy folk in the world. The information from people’s experiences collated here and elsewhere, can be passed on, time and again. Google Treasure Chest in all it’s incarnations is obviously a poor business model grounded in fluff and won’t survive in it’s present form. Eventually, under public pressure, Western governments will hammer down the rubbish into the negative mud from which it arose – same for all countries with reasonable legal systems.

      The Philippines and Cyprus are something else though. And if it starts being Shanghai and St Petersburg based – well that’s when the shit will really fly.

      By the way, that Steve Comer at America Fork – well it’s actually the end of the road on Google Streetview! Ha Ha ha.

      Also, that Essex address you found pulls out a few (not) surprises given my Essex knowledge in that area. For those of a nervous disposition, don’t click this link which is a Google search on the Essex address derived from the company search for ezdollarstraining.com, “14 ROMAN WAY, BURNHAM ON CROUCH, CM0 8UE”.
      Click and Search. You’ve been warned! The website names coming out of the < > link of Ramson Productions have to be seen to be believed.

      I don’t think you made quite clear in your post that the websites now have UK addresses and yet US phone numbers as contact points! Is this part of the Globalisation we’re hearing about nowadays?

  28. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    @ Inquirer

    Excellent expose and summary of the whole process.

    The securecartcenter connection is interesting and there is a UK angle too.

    Whois RecordRegistrant:
    Secure CartCenter
    PO Box 1941
    Orem, Utah 84059
    United States

    Domain Name: SECURECARTCENTER.COM
    Created on: 01-Apr-08
    Expires on: 01-Apr-10
    Last Updated on: 25-Feb-09

    But the privacy policy on securecartcenter.com refers to: blazingkeywords.com, 224 S Main St #218, Springville, UT 84663 Tel: 888-248-9285

    Whois info on that domain is hidden as they have used domainguard http://whois.domaintools.com/blazingkeywords.com

    This site:

    Refers to itself by three names “Easy Google Profit” “Google Treasure Chest Kit” and “Easy Google Cash, LLC” although as mentioned, the privacy policy refers to “blazing keywords” as does the terms and conditions which also mentions that you are signed up for a monthly fee to Grant Spring (grantspring.com ) – perhaps they are having an identity crisis?

    Blazing Keywords also owns the identical looking :
    https://www.blazingwordsnet.com/ whose contact us page gives the address as 51 west center street #621 orem utah 84057 but also says billing provided by
    Sleepy Sky Solutions Ltd 5 Sunny Terrace Dipton County Durham Stanley DH9 9DX (UK) – (corrected by SP)

    The identical looking page
    has the same US address but says billing provided by
    Blue Cord Marketing Ltd 18 Fairhills Avenue Dipton County Durham Stanley DH9 9DY United Kingdom

    This site again has the US address and the Sleepy Sky Solutions Ltd UK address:

    Companies House lookup is closed overnight but I cannot find either of these companies via a Google search.
    https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house/about/about-our-services#find-company-information

    Here is that US address again:

    (no UK address this time)

    and again:
    (with Sleepy Sky again)

    and so it goes on:

    http://web.archive.org/web/20090716023513/https://www.treasurechestnet.com:80/index.php/Default/Contact.html

    Same site design, but this time the US address is 970 W Broadway Ste. E347 Jackson WY 83001 and the billing is provided by Kamio Network Solutions Ltd Unit 4 15-17 Caledonian Road PO Box 190 London England N1 9DX – if you think that US address sounds familiar you are right – it’s the same address as the Wyoming mailbox address for Google Treasure Chest:

    There are a whole lot more sites but I got bored 🙂

    9membersupport.com,
    a-1member.com,
    accessmemberarea.com,
    benefit-today.com,
    billingmembersupport.com,
    blazingkeywords.com,
    blazingwordsnet.com,
    career-fly.com,
    financialcrisisgrant.com ,
    funding-club.com,
    fundingstimulus.com,
    grant-pro.com,
    grantstimulusnet.com,
    guideofkeywordspro.com,
    guideofproducts.com,
    keywordguidesite.com,
    keywordmaniapro.com,
    loginformembership.com,
    memberareabilling.com,
    memberbillingarea.com,
    membertoursupport.com,
    myblazingkeys.com,
    mykeywordsnow.com,
    myproducts247.com,
    myresource365.com,
    myrewarder.com,
    myrewardstore.com,
    mystimulusgrant.com,
    mystimulusonline.com,
    onlinememberareasupport.com,
    powersellersguide.com,
    productresourceclub.com,
    productresourcelink.com,
    productresourcenetwork.com,
    proproductresource.com,
    resourcenetexpress.com,
    reward-me.com,
    securehostingcertificate.com,
    stimulusfunding4me.com,
    support-for-you.com,
    supportkeywordsite.com,
    supportmembership.com,
    supportmembershipclub.com,
    treasurechestnet.com,
    usbgrants.com,
    virtualmemberbilling.com, (list edited & sorted by SP)

    So it looks like Google Treasure Chest is still being promoted under another name?

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      Thanks again for your (obviously tedious) work. I know exactly what you mean about getting bored by the never-ending monotony of the scammer’s purpose. I’ve sorted your list just to make it easier to view and for the greater visual impact.

      From the stuff you’ve pulled together it appears that everyone in Utah USA & Co Durham, UK is a scammy worm. The multi-headed nature of this operation shows no sign of diminishing although they’re incredibly aware of their legalese.

      I’ve left some links live in your post. They provide a wealth of new phone numbers as the scam progresses, old web titles are retired and new clones are manufactured. Because of the sheer number of addresses used in Utah, I’m left wondering if any of their office space is actually paid for – or do they just push on after two months without paying the bills…? LOL.

      As you noted, they should really pay more attention to their T&Cs… Quite often the names in the ‘copyright’ are strikingly different to the actual web page. The names rotate through the various sites. I think this is by design for obfuscation purposes OR because these sites are obviously cobbled together in some haste and they forget to edit everything…

      As for the UK, in the era of Double-Glazing salesmen following Thatcher’s ‘right to buy’ scam, the houses in the old mining towns of Co Durham were prime targets. Salesmen would trawl the streets looking for old terraced and semi-detached houses with new front doors. These were called “gophers”. This meant if they’d “go for” that then they’d “go for” anything! ( – meaning they’d be aspirationally upwardly mobile and would do anything for the sake of appearances). Well now all the coal mining money has dried up, it looks like there’s a little community of data miners developing!

      For mapping is a semi;
      5 Sunny Terrace
      Dipton
      STANLEY
      DH9 9DX

      Funnily enough, if I look this one up as well;
      18 Fairhills Avenue
      Dipton
      STANLEY
      DH9 9DY

      …all the internet mapping solutions show these houses to be opposite each other on the same road. This shows intimate knowledge of the area, a bit like myself knowing a postcode for an electricity sub-station which I use to dig down through bogus websites!! (Another connection, from reading this website you’ll note, is that I’m from that part of the country. In a former life I did deliveries to the Annfield Plain Co-op just down the road!). Small world. No-one can hide for ever.

      One other point I’ve noticed….
      Check out the ‘copyright’ at the bottom of these addresses you provided:

      https://www.blazingwordsnet.com/

      http://web.archive.org/web/20090716023513/https://www.treasurechestnet.com:80/index.php/Default/Contact.html

      They all state:

      Not affiliated with Monster Worldwide or http://www.monster.com

      What’s all that about?

      Ha Ha!I seems to me that while appearing to have an almost complete disregard for the official law of the land, they have even more fear of the jobs website monster.com!!! I’ve had a cursory check but I can’t see any monster references anywhere (apart from the gif image is called monster2), unlike the Google references that used to pepper the websites and thus needed a tail-end disclaimer. Weird. Speaking of which, on this website blazingwordsnet.com you’ll find this picture, but no Google disclaimer, just the Monster one!

      From the four websites above, (plus virtualmemberbilling.com/index.php/Default/Contact.html), we now have these contact telephone numbers, should anyone snared in the trap wish to try them.

      1-888-256-9025 51 West Center Street #621 Orem Utah 84057
      1-888-258-5204 51 West Center Street #621 Orem Utah 84057
      1-888-256-9024 51 West Center Street #621 Orem Utah 84057
      1-888-249-7889 51 West Center Street #621 Orem Utah 84057
      1-888-256-1248 970 W Broadway Ste. E347 Jackson WY 83001

      Finally, I’m not sure that Google Treasure Chest is still being promoted under another name?

      It’s just another permutation that we haven’t actually written down. I think they’ve use it before – after all, this lot is on the one web page….

      Google Treasure Chest
      Google Treasure Chest Kit
      Easy Google Cash
      Easy Google Profit

      It’s just more of the same and there’s a limit to how much one’s brain and fingers can take of this rubbish, isn’t there?? !!!

      Following this, I’ve updated the phone & contact list here, google-treasure-chest-phone-and-address-list

  29. Nice avatar
    Nice

    Very interresting article about “securecartcenter”,and the sites beeing similiar to this one.
    As I am not a zero educated guy,nor a dumb ass I was beeing curious about that site,so I checked to google it as,after seeing that lame javascript “time-left” counter.Really nice proccess of research you have done there!And yeah,this seems to be quite legal as you can read up everything on their site.
    I doubt it would be possible to get the money charged back.
    And yes,those people are making 9,800$,but only by “frauding” stupid people.

    -E

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Nice

      Thanks for your kind comments. I’m not certain that this stuff is legal though, especially in the US where most damage appears to have been done. There’s the Texas court case and their continuing changes to their Terms & Conditions… Just because it’s possible to read something doesn’t make it legal or right. I say,

      “If their T&Cs are okay, why bother changing them all the time?”

      Answer: Because they know and realise that they are wrong and they’ve been caught out. We are now seeing a rapid process of damage limitation on their part.

  30. Inquirer avatar
    Inquirer

    This is how easily people are getting scammed. The name of the product contains the word “Google” or the name of other popular enterprise to be able to function as a derivative of that fame. They have multiple “lead capturing” websites that are built under the premise of making money from home. This is step one, acquiring the contact information of the individual by “suggestively” inducing them to order a CD for a small shipping& handling fee. Some companies offer their product for free to simply capture the lead. Hidden to the public you will find the disclosure that states you are entering a “membership” program where you will be billed “X” amount after 7 days. Now the trick is that before the 7 days have elapsed, they will call you and try to sell you a “coaching OR mentorship” program that will basically make you a .dot com millionaire. The whole scheme is based on a so-called qualification process where they simply find out if you have money or not. If you do end up buying into their elaborate pitch, you will promptly know you have been fooled. The so-called training is a compilation of crap you can get on the internet for free. The phony testimonials are evidently used to attract poor souls feeding on the dream of becoming wealthy using the computer. These people have been scammed anywhere from 3k to 15k. The product is the same but the marketing is “different”.
    The easiest part is that you can simply change the website/product name and that gives you a new start. This company started with “googlepro” by Michelle Valdez (internetincomeinitiative.com) and then moved on to http://www.googlemoneytree.com, http://www.googletreasurechest.com, and who knows what else.
    Their offices around the US are mostly PO boxes. I have found out that the greater part of these scams is coming out of the state of Utah (Ultimately, it could be anywhere). There are probably hundreds of little cells calling out of their basement.
    Now to put this into perspective, from the people who were cheated from $72 plus the people who are in the so-called coaching, these guys are definitely making scads of money from hard working Americans.
    LESSON FOR EVERYONE: Don’t just give out your information to whatever website you see on the internet if you are not sure about their reputation. Period. BBB can sometimes be inaccurate since they can simply go by another DBA. Researching the internet is probably your best bet.
    People need to take this entire scam down by reporting it to the respective Attorney General. Texas is already doing it so…let’s get our money back! I hope everyone reads this so we can help each other in these bad times. We got to stick together for once for a change.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Inquirer

      “We got to stick together for once for a change.” – here, here to that.

      This is the base of internetincomeinitiative.com and also all the Google Treasure Kit Pro Money Tree schemes. I checked the T&C of the site and they seem to have changed from my memory (I didn’t dump all the text originally, unfortunately). The new wording ties in with some recent comments today and yesterday where GTC are getting really picky and punchy about their returns, possibly to stifle people as a way to maximize income.
      See @brad and @Sandra Joan Mason.
      This is what they now say:

      30 Day Unconditional Satisfaction Guarantee and Cancellation Requirements
      At any time during the first thirty days, if you are not fully satisfied with your purchase, you may call customer service at 888.657.8585 for a refund of your monthly subscription and the shipping fee. When you call, a customer representative will give you an RGA (Return Goods Authorization) number. The kit must then be returned with the RGA number. You must be able to confirm delivery to receive your refund.(my highlight -SP) Please ship your kit with a delivery confirmation to our fulfillment center: 405 East 12450 South, Suite G, Draper, Utah 84020. Note: This address is for returns only. All other correspondence must be sent to the address on the website.

      Here you’ll see that they’ve put the onus on the ‘customer’ to prove that the goods have been received. This is wholly wrong and probably legally contestable. A reputable company would either accept customer’s word OR have a procedure to prove goods have been delivered. It’s up to them to prove goods have been received, not the customer. After all, it’s at their risk that they send the goods and the parcel company or postal service to deliver them.

      In light of the above, it’s really, really important that this business is brought down as soon as possible. Their weasely ways have shown no end to the twists and turns they make. It’s not a business. It’s a dirty scam, pure and simple, dressed in UTAH sunshine and clean air.

  31. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Here is the latest version of this scam – thanks to Electron plumber for the scoop!
    http://electronplumber.com/the-miami-gazette-news-scam/

    ‘Miami Gazette News’ – setup to look like the website of a local newspaper: (fake adwords type ads, video clip on the recession, local weather) but every single link goes through to our old friend securecartcenter.com aka Easy Google Profit / Google Treasure Chest Kit / Easy Google Cash, LLC. (They use all 3 of those names on the one page). The usual recurring billing hidden away in the terms and conditions and more references to blazing keywords (blazingkeywords.com)

    The whois info for miamigazettenews.com is hidden by Moniker Privacy Services but the site is hosted by Westhost in Utah. The domain was registered less than 1 month ago on 2009-04-17 and of course no genuine local newspaper called Miami Gazette News appears to exist.

    “As part of our ongoing series: “Jobs and the Recession: What you need to know” we examine an industry that, despite the recession, seems to be booming” – is that the scam industry then?

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      The Miami Gazette News (MGN) is a hoot, isn’t it? I checked out “John B. Guiseman” as a Google search. Wadyaknow? Only one hit – that page on the MGN! It’s another same-old, same-old isn’t it? I particularly liked the ‘quote’ from our old mate, Kevin H(oeffer). As you said, MGN isn’t a newspaper. In fact, do a Google search on “Miami Gazette News” and the actual MGN is 5th with the electron plumber’s post @#1! For a site purporting to be selling Google-using knowledge, it’s not looking good, is it! In fact, there’s only the one page in the paper….!

      MGN is another example of the scammers using freely available tools to produce advertising dressed as news. TV shows do it all the time, sometimes spoof comedies, but quite often product plugs disguised as documentaries. The scam videos that I mentioned previously in another post are doing the same sort of thing whereby a google search looking for good OR bad things about the scammer and his product pulls the same viral video to the top of the list!

      One odd thing is that the electronplumber.com has chosen to hide his identity behind DomainsByProxy! This is his choice, of course, but it’s odd, given the tone and subject of many of his postings. Living in the UK as I do, the current scandal about MP expenses and ‘openness’, ‘transparency’ and ‘trust’, brings this point to the fore in my mind. For myself, the ‘About’ page says who I am, and a whois says where I live. I get spam, so what? I got spam on the contact email address I use before I set up this website… As they say, “I hate spam as much as you do!”

  32. help avatar
    help

    need help. just signed up and then ran across the scam. how do i stop it?

    1. Strangely avatar

      @help

      Read @Penny’s comment here.

      If it’s a GTC scam you’ve been hit by, phone one of the two numbers…and wait…and wait. Weekdays only, apparently!

      If it’s one of the other, related scams, try some of the phone numbers at the top of that posting, which is, google-treasure-chest-phone-and-address-list.

      If none of these work, find the number from YOUR ORIGINAL SITE where you signed up. If it’s US based, it should have some contact numbers. (emails hardly ever work!) If it’s not US (or UK) based, you are in uncharted territory, I’m afraid. With that number as a contact, phone them and you’ll get some sort of cancellation code. WRITE ALL communications and numbers you get down! You may need them if there are follow-ups.

      Nearly every person that has contacted this site (and other similar investigative ones) has contacted their bank or card company, informed them of the problem and either got a stop on any further payments, cancelled the card for a new one or even their bank has done the leg-work for them and got their money back. It depends who you are with, I guess.

      If your sign-up is very recent and it’s with GTC, you’ve a pretty good chance of emerging unscathed according to my correspondents on this website as you are within the ‘terms’ posted on that site. But you must be persistent, and patient (waiting for the phone), and firm (when you get through).

      Good luck!

  33. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    There is a good discussion on this issue at the Adsense forums: http://productforums.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!category-topic/adsense/adsense-basics-and-policies/BT2axnQrp7k

    This was relating to the avalanche of ads for fake blogs promoting the Acai diet scams which appeared a few months back, (see: http://wafflesatnoon.com/scam-alert-car-wrap-sales-pitch/ ) but applies equally to the “make money posting links on Google” garbage which is promoted in exactly the same way (and probably by the same CPA affiliates). Some good posts and points made by BobA and others although the issue remains unresolved…

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      Thanks for that mate. BobA did make some fine comments that were lost in the waffle defending the actual fruit. (as it happens, grape juice has more antioxidant..) There. They’ve got me at it now!

      WafflesatNoon seems to have made a life’s work out of publicising the scamer’s activities. I really don’t know how the time is found to do the research on that list, and then type it out…

      However, as I found out, people have been suggesting to Google for some years before I came across all this, to take a stand and do something about the scummy adverts. There’s been get thin, get smooth, get toned, get healthy, get rich quick, get grants, get educated, get laid schemes in a dizzying succession. All we need now is ‘get snake oil’ and we’ll have come full circle.

      Now where was that recipe … get one python skin, the fangs of a rattlesnake, and some cobra eggs; mix well with some genuine 18th century absinthe. Bottle it in genuine chamoix skin pouches……

      This post https://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/03/oprah-acai-berry-scam-hoax-rachael-ray-dr-oz-brad-pitt-angelina-jolie/#comment-7051 mentions this post https://www.oprah.com/article/health/nutrition/20090105_orig_acai on the Oprah Winfrey website.
      It’s really good news!
      Oprah is not happy, not happy at all, about her name being used to flog the acai stuff. She put her learned gentlemen onto the case to hunt down every instance….

  34. John Henry avatar

    A few of your readers may recognize me from the AdSense forums. I wanted to add a couple of things to this AWESOME post:

    Google is now in early beta testing of ad filtering by category. This should allow people to wipe out most of these kinds of schemes.

    Also, while Google’s hands are tied a bit by liability (they can’t say ‘OMG EVERYTHING’S A SCAM’ because there actually *are* legitimate web developers who consult on AdSense deployment, and it would unfairly tar them with the same brush as this outfit or the ‘Modern Marketing Systems/ADZACT’ clowns operationg out of Phoenix), they do have a statement pinned on the help forums to the effect of ‘we don’t endorse anyone, watch your back.’ http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/adsense/adsense-basics-and-policies/ltwzq0iGcH0

    1. Strangely avatar

      @John Henry

      Thanks John. I’ll hunt around and see if I can implement this now! Is it publicly available? A similar sort of filtering could be applied to the old Referral program before they pulled it.

      Also, as you so politely put it, I realise that AdSense is ‘a good thing’. I’m part of that system in a small way… But, just like money itself, when the crooks get into it, it becomes something else. I do think Google should do more. When my mythical Auntie Bessie, who can hardly work a mouse, starts fishing around the web, she’s hardly likely to consult a statement buried way down in a Google Adsense forum or help page, is she? In the way that governments (certainly in the UK) have now taken it upon themselves to speak in plain English on all their forms because we are all citizens and deserve NOT to be confused by our language, Google should have a plain unobtrusive policy that’s enforced because they are the major player by a long chalk in this field, and also, it’s their mission statement to ‘do no harm’. In my book, ‘do no harm’ is not the same as ‘do nothing’. Hopefully this beta you mentioned is actually doing that.
      Thanks for your input.
      (BTW, John has a very good internal debate on a Privacy Policy and what it means etc here; https://www.lowgenius.com/DesktopModules/Blog/Trackback.aspx?id=6&blogid=2)

      You seem to have a bit of a gripe at the moment about that ‘Modern Marketing Systems’ lot… I’ve checked the site and your comments. LOL. I’m off to shoot myself after that crematorium music sat on top of the words,

      …is an industry leader in Microsite Marketing. Modern Marketing Systems (MMS) specializes in the development of highly monetized niche microsites. Using proprietary algorithms and technolog (…) MMS is able to target the most potentially profitable keyword phrases and develop customized web properties to exploit these niches.
      What is a Monetized Microsite?
      A Monetized Microsite is a tiny website, often only 1 -5 pages, focused around a niche keyphrase. Our keyword research and search engine optimized sites allow us to achieve high search engine placement for our clients bringing them highly targeted traffic.

      And there we have it. Complete and utter bollocks. Thanks for nothing Misha.

    2. Strangely avatar

      @John Henry
      Well John.
      After a quick check, I’ve found that these plans have been going on since at least the 2nd of January….2007!! For a beta, this is like Vista all over again. See Google is Beta-Testing Keyword-based Ad Filtering

      To be fair, things look like they are coming closer to fruition:

      The links also shows some balance with the financial loss that some people had when Google changed it’s Adsense methodology. This ties in with what you said about the problems that Google has. The problogger screen-shot shows a potential layout and would probably be enough for my needs. I’m not sure how the categories work though. It looks like a lot depends on the honesty of the AdSense advertiser. If they stick their ‘Get-Rich-Quick’ into a different category – who’s to know? It could be months before someone cottons on. As you said, it’s not straightforward.

      Thanks again for the input – it’s got me thinking!

  35. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Indeed. In fact this version of the Kevin Hoeffer scam site: [ libertycn (dot) com ] has even replaced their links to the “Google Easy Money Kit” with blocks of adsense ads and instructions to click on them! So not only are they violating the adsense terms and conditions by encouraging click fraud but as they have an adsense account and publisher id Google will have all their details: name/company name, address etc.

    The site owner is also obviously so confused by all the different fake Hoeffers that the audio says “this is Kevin Hoffer” while the blog text says “My name is Peter c Hoeffer!”

    Kevin, er Peter, or is it Jeff?
    http://blog.spywareguide.com/2009/02/hi-im-jeff-unfortunately-im-al.html

    1. Strangely avatar

      Crikey!
      I see what you mean. It isn’t loading properly currently but there’s enough there to get your drift.

      You are not wrong there with the ‘cn’ bit. Our friends in Shanghai are well in on it now. There are a shed-load of dot cn websites that I’ve picked up after ‘signing’ up for three different ‘schemes’. These apparently separate outfits have a lot in common no matter how much one denounces the other – remember that bit about,

      we hate spam as much as you do. Your email address is safe, privacy, terms, blah, blah, blah

      – well now the spam is piling in to me! Most of it is dot cn with redirects, with similar domains and sub-domains across all three ‘businesses’, even the query strings have the same construction, but, get this, some of the website registrars point back to….. Draper, Utah!

      Q. What’s the difference between spam and scam?
      A. a C and a P

  36. Strangely avatar

    @Not Kevin – @Not Kevin

    Thanks again for your work.
    It seems a relatively easy thing to me for Google to block ads from duff companies as THEY HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION! It’s what they do. You’d also expect them to be more pro-active in protecting their trademark, which is now acquiring the dripping slime of the scammy world on every web page. Even on normal searches it’s becoming impossible to escape their cloying mass.

    Google has, as part of the adsense sign-up all the names and keywords. It has the world’s biggest database of ‘hits’ and ‘search’, ‘source’ and ‘destination’ type information. It shouldn’t be an unreasonable request to Google nor an impossible task for webmasters like myself, to be able to block adverts from undesirable third parties. Currently, it’s a site-by-site process. Webmasters shouldn’t have to trawl the web, laboriously assembling lists of fly-by-night operators to block. The only reason they appear on my website is by use of keywords. Therefore, I should be able to block ads using these targets in the same way as I can block a competing business.

    • It means I can’t talk about SEX without sex-ads appearing on my site.
    • It means I can’t talk about GAMES without games-ads appearing on my site.
    • It means I can’t talk about CARS without cars-ads appearing on my site.
    • It means I can’t talk about COMPUTERS without computer-ads appearing on my site.
    • It means I can’t talk about HOLIDAYS without holidays-ads appearing on my site.

    While some of this is desirable, it makes it hard to be critical about an issue without that issue being advertised! It’s pants.

    Now let’s see how many ads appear for the capitalised items above; SEX, GAMES, CARS, COMPUTERS, HOLIDAYS !!

  37. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Oops, forgot to provide the source of the above:
    http://productforums.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!category-topic/websearch/unexpected-search-results/CNr44jTBZOA

    [The Google Profit Tree referred to is one of the sites with a Nicosia Cyprus address despite a similar sounding name (and marketing method) to the Google Money Tree /aka Treasure Chest sites.]

  38. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Interesting comment here which was made by a Google Employee:

    “Since you expressed some frustration about the lack of communication regarding internet fraud, I’d like to address this issue directly and share some tips for protecting users from fraud.

    Most fraudulent sites using the Google name to entice users have a legal disclaimer at the bottom of their homepage. The disclaimer on https://www.googleprofittree.com/ reads “GOOGLE is a registered trademark of Google, Inc. Google Profit Tree is not a partner, affiliate, or licensee of Google Inc., nor is it in any other way formally associated with Google Inc.” So, I’d advise users to look out for such red flags that indicate malpractice.

    Violations of Google trademark are pursued to the fullest extent of the law. Nevertheless, we rely on users to exercise good judgment and educate each other about internet fraud due to the sheer number of scam sites and the sheer number of internet users falling prey to fraud. I’d like to use this opportunity to encourage all users to report any Google ad that may violate our company policies through the Ad Feedback Form in the AdWords Help Center article below:
    https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/61214?hlrm=en-uk

    However as someone pointed out that only helps for direct reporting of ads – however Google trademark infringement can be reported to them here:
    https://support.google.com/websearch/contact/g_trademark?ctx=contactpolicy
    If you’ve found a website that uses the Google trademark inappropriately, we’d like to hear about it. We appreciate your taking the time to report this issue.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      I’ve been thinking about the end bit of this Google Employee’s statement:

      Google trademark infringement can be reported to them here:
      https://support.google.com/websearch/contact/g_trademark?ctx=contactpolicy
      If you’ve found a website that uses the Google trademark inappropriately, we’d like to hear about it. We appreciate your taking the time to report this issue.

      Now you can call me uncharitable if you like, but why the hell should I go round looking after the interests of one of the most cash-rich and profitable companies on the world?

      It’s their trademark, they should protect it. They have the databases and logs to back everything up in any court case they choose. It’s disingenuous of them to say we should all look after ourselves but ‘please watch out for our trademark abuse and let us know – we’ll be very pleased’.

      Fuck them I say. It’s all their fault that this continues. They make a tidy sum from it, thank you very much.
      The key (wait for it, pun alert) is in the keywords that are used to dynamically place these adverts on websites. If site owners can block ads by keyword in the same way that they can by competitor, we’ll be a helluver lot closer to getting rid of the scourge.

      aahhh. That’s better.

  39. Casey avatar
    Casey

    I wrote earlier about this I was scammed as well but was able to get my money back. Today I have been thinking about this all day and its getting me angry that they have taken so many people who really needed a job to do at home to make some extra money. Now I am not stupid and did not really believe I would make as much as they said but hoped for a 100.00 to 200.00 a week. So after my post this morning I went about my day but kept thinking about this. So I went to Google and typed in work from home jobs. OK so the first things there was this scam! Then there was all the links on the side there was like 10 almost 80% were for this same scam. How can we get them off. Is it possible to get them banned. Its just they don’t care and they know they won’t fool everyone but with so much advertising they will get enough to make it worth it to them. So lets make them pay just click on the links and then move on that way they have to pay for the click. Maybe if we hit the pocket book it will slow them down or at least cost them some of the money they are scamming people out of.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Casey

      Depressing, innit? Someone has already suggested that the links are clicked and gave a method of automating it. The T&C of Google ads prevent me from saying a Y/N on that and I’m not allowed to click links on my own website.
      However, I’ve looked at ways to stop the buggers appearing on my website…. The answer is that I don’t have the time to block them. Each site has to be blocked at the site level and they only give you 500 sites… Wildcards can be used in the domain names but they are very little use IMHO for the myriad of scam sites. A better system would be for Google to invent a way so that I can block ads from my site at the keyword level. However, as you’ve seen, the behemoth that is Google is quite prepared to sit on it’s hands with this one.
      Actually, it doesn’t take long to use up $50 worth of adsense vouchers! Vouchers? Well yes, check most cheap webhosting sites and you’ll see that they all give the webmaster a wodge of ‘free’ adsense.

      I hope things work well for you Casey. You’ve obviously spent some time thinking about this.

    2. Curious avatar
      Curious

      Can you give me some guidance on how to get my money back?

      1. Strangely avatar

        @Curious

        The very best thing is to work back through all the comments on this post (and the related ones). This way you’ll see the various ways people have used and also, the most recent ones are the ones that are currently successful.

        In a nutshell though:

        Act with utmost haste! Time is of the essence because of the ‘clauses’ that GTC and others have in their T&Cs. There is no standard time span – it keeps changing!

        Keep a record of all your future dealings with the company and your bank – this means emails etc even if they most likely don’t get through. Keep the returned emails as the header and timing information is useful proof.

        1. Phone the number on the website you signed up at. The UK and USA are sometimes different with this.
        2. Get a ref number from them. Ask for a complete refund as per THEIR conditions on the website.
        3. Send the disc back if you’ve got one. Any other stuff as well if they request it. Use Recorded Delivery or equivalent so that YOU have proof that THEY have received their rubbish back.
        4. Contact you bank or other finance company.
        5. Get a stop on all payments, explaining the situation. Mention this and other websites that have tracked these scammers if it helps to justify your case to the bank. Many are well aware of this problem now by comments I’ve had on this website!
        6. Cancel your credit card and get a new one if that makes you feel better

        You can, if you think you’ve been duped unfairly, contact your country’s consumer protection and legal agencies. The UK and USA are different here, but the principle is the same. So if you are USA, you need your state’s AG office and maybe the UTAH AG if it’s a GTC type thing you’ve succumbed to. There’s the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as well as a few others. In the UK, we have the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) which is an all encompassing government agency. They reckon £3.5 billion was diddled in various ways last year……

  40. Casey avatar
    Casey

    Hey I also got scammed on this google treasure chest. I was fortunate to realize in time that there was the 71 or 72 I don’t remember the charge that would happen in 7 days and I printed the whole transaction and then re read it. I thought at the time that I would just try for a few days and then cancel. Well I did and made nothing and then it was the weekend when I tried to call and they were closed for the weekend so as I expected I was charged on Monday morning. I called them kind of in frantic mode and the guy on the phone told me he would cancel it and gave me a cancellation code and told me it would be 7 to 10 days and it would be reversed. I am happy to say they did reverse the charges and it was a day after the 7 day trial. I wish I had done my homework before I signed up. I think the reason we were all taken is its an awfully nice carrot to be dangled above our heads. I mean I really could use a job that would provide me with some extra money. I work hard for my money but I am only making min wage right now and I am having a hard time making ends meet. I just wish there was some legit company out there that would really help you make money from home. I mean I don’t have hrs and hrs to work I work more than full time now. I don’t need it to be thousands but well a couple of hundred dollars a week would really help even 100.00 a week would help. where do you turn to do some honest work to earn a little extra cash. I don’t own a car so working from home is kind of appealing. I just hate getting scammed and taken by scum bags like these. Well thanks for listening and thanks for this site.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Casey
      Thanks Casey for your kind words and expressing yourself so clearly. I can tell exactly where you’re coming from.

      As for honest work – you’ve definitely looked in the wrong place with Google Treasure Chest and the myriad of lookalikes. The internet is good for buying shoes, books and CDs but for an easy job that someone hasn’t already thought of – that’s something else. As you said, it’s an “awfully nice carrot to be dangled above our heads”. Not only that, but the audio and avatars that accompany the spiel are excruciatingly enticing and make it all sound sooo plausible. You are actually very lucky to have ‘applied’ at this moment. Just a few months ago and it was a different story altogether as the various posts and comments have pointed out.

  41. Strangely avatar

    Originally Posted By Not Kevin
    Well I for one will await some sort of formal confirmation that charges have been dropped – as of today I cannot find anything to back up that claim.
    https://www.scam.com/showthread.php?56093-BEWARE-of-Google-Money-Tree&s=e1768d2ed2ea7cca6354b6469bc940f5&p=727843#post727843

    Me neither! I’m tending to think from the silence that Jameson Johnson may not be who he appears, ha ha. Still. Wait and see.
    That February posting from scam.com is revealing – I think there’s too much out there and a few removed networking profiles amounts to zilch.

    That NickyCakes post got me though. That’s a definite ROFL.

  42. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Well I for one will await some sort of formal confirmation that charges have been dropped – as of today I cannot find anything to back up that claim.

    In any case ‘Strangely’ – like a handful of other blogs – has performed a fantastic public service by alerting people to this scam and therefore avoiding people from getting ripped off or helping them to recover their money. Wether or not Eborn is an innocent party, what has been posted here is no more than information which is in the public domain. The Texas AG mentioned his name and the company name in their press release and the pdf document linked from it, as did several other news reports, blogs and websites. A search for his name or the company name shows plenty of publically available information.
    As a side note there is also a reference to his alleged involvement with Google Money Tree in posts on scam.com and workathometruth.com from way back in February with reference to the Nevada Attorney General.
    https://www.scam.com/showthread.php?56093-BEWARE-of-Google-Money-Tree&s=e1768d2ed2ea7cca6354b6469bc940f5&p=727843#post727843

    Therefore I don’t think a warning posted here about “being on dangerous ground” is accurate when the post and the comments which follow it are only repeating factual information which is in the public domain (and was put there by the AG in Texas).

    Whover is behind Google Treasure Chest and related scams, the fact is that there are hundreds of ‘blogs’ and ads out there promoting these offers along with hundreds of complaints about these offers. To discuss them and attempt to offer help to the victims of them is perfectly legitimate and reasonable – freedom of speech and all that. In any case the comments made here are quite mild compared to those on other blogs who have covered this story, eg: https://www.nickycakes.com/google-money-tree-hit-by-texas-attorney-general-can-you-really-be-this-stupid/

    Let’s not forget that the ‘guilty’ parties here are those behind these scams who swindle people out of their hard earned money!

    1. Strangely avatar

      Originally Posted By Not Kevin

      FYI: Jameson Johnson has been back at least twice to this site and has failed to make any additions or useful comment of any kind.
      I’m leaning more and more towards the ‘Huntsville Prison Sodomy Tree’ outcome…

      Addendum
      Make that 9 page views in total, all emanating from 75.162.240.156 apparently, which is a big ISP in Denver, Colorado.

      The beauty of the original Texas court summons is in the pdf information. The government, of course, can request a bucket of information that a humble UK citizen (sorry, subject) does not have access to. They want phone logs, they get phone logs. They want UPS delivery slips, they get’em! they want ISP logs – no problem.

      Myself, I’m left to deduce by cause and effect.

      Now this can be quite good and makes the mind think more than it would normally. For instance, at my time in university with my physicist’s hat on, I both measured the charge on an electron and calculated it’s charge to mass ratio (e/m). [check out Millikan’s oil-drop experiment etc for this stuff, if you don’t believe me] (a bit of Feynman comes into this as well for a comment on the human condition).

      The thing is that the electron is about the teeny-tiniest thing there is. You can’t see one. You can’t touch one. You can’t catch one.

      But I measured one!

      It happens because of the effect it makes on it’s surroundings. I don’t need to see it, because I can deduce all I need to know without that actual proof.

      And so it is with the scammers. Though they may hide and scuttle, bluster and strut, I know their game by the effects that happen. I don’t even need to know their methods – I can see their bad effects and that’s good enough for me. It’s interesting finding out, but not essential.

  43. Jameson Johnson avatar
    Jameson Johnson

    You are on very dangerous ground with some of the posts above. the person you have linked to, was falsely implicated by the AG’s office in Texas. As of today, his name is being dropped from any and all actions. His is the owner of a Telcom company that has nothing to do with the issue in question. He was a former employee of a media firm named in this transaction.

    If I were the owner of this site, I would be very, very cautious about posting this kind of information.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Jameson Johnson
      Thanks for the information. I take it that you mean Eborn as that’s the only name floating around. If so, all information published here on the Google Treasure Chest Trail was collated from publicly available non-copyright sources. I don’t consider that dangerous ground but thank you for your concern.

      My real concern is for the hundreds (and more likely thousands) of individuals who’ve been sucked into this scam. Granted, the scammer’s (whoever they are) T&Cs are getting better now, but originally the UTAH & Nevada ones used extremely dodgy methods which have been documented on this website and others. None of us, I guess, will be quaking in our boots that an innocent man has had charges dropped against him as I certainly haven’t slandered anyone and anything I’ve said is fair comment.

      Furthermore, the timings of employment for Eborn that you state are at variance with his own statement on his (now removed, I notice) LinkedIn profile where he stated he’s been employed by the ‘telecoms’ company since the end of last year. I also notice that all LinkedIn & Myspace profiles have gone for him and the legal man at that company. All this information was posted in response to the Texas AG charge, not before. As such, I’m in effect repeating ‘prior art’.

      I am the owner of this site. Perhaps with your knowledge you could help find the owner(s) of the scammy sites. Some of their efforts to remain shrouded know no bounds. Many are based abroad unfortunately, like Cyprus, but their pages are using material source on some of Eborn’s servers, by the look of it. As I said, the commonality of design and purpose is very close to the sites based in UTAH.

      At my estimate from people who’ve commented, I’ve helped recover $3,500 of money for people who can ill-afford it. From the number of hits I’ve had, I’ve most likely stopped people ‘investing’ in these rip-offs to the tune of $200k+. I’m truly pleased that an innocent man (Eborn) remains innocent. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and all comment on this website reflects that. Following your comment, I’ve cleaned up some contributor’s comment that I deem scurrilous in the present context.

      I also think, that if, as you say, (I haven’t checked yet), Eborn has been let off, it doesn’t mean that charges cannot be re-started. The police in the UK do this routinely. The similarity of the various sites shows some commonality of plan and purpose and coupled with the length of time that scams like this have been going is quite staggering. Tie this in with a whole bunch of linked addresses and telephones and I think you’ll find that many, but maybe not Eborn’s, chickens are still to be brought home to roost.

      1. Curious avatar
        Curious

        Can you help me get my money back even after the seven day trial they speak of?

        1. Strangely avatar

          @Curious

          Still do all the calling etc. Many people have asked for a full refund, no excuses taken. @Tara Boyd took this approach recently as did @Collen and @Peggy.

          (These are all links to the related posts and comments).

  44. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Content removed

    1. Strangely avatar

      This comment and a few others have been edited. The tone of our attack was beginning to sound like a Lynch Mob, something I abhor. It’s quite possible to be direct and act with integrity without lowering our standards to the scum we hate. Investigative questioning is fine and there should be no need for unsubstantiated personal slander. This does not mean that persons affected by the scammers should cease to express their comments in any way they see fit! If it makes you feel better to get it off your chest then that’s fine by me.

      But don’t worry;

      Sooner or later the scammers will make enough rope to hang themselves.

  45. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Interestingly the payment processor for Google ATM is Pacific Webworks who are in Salt Lake City

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      In Buddhism, there are no such things as co-incidences!!

      Each time I find one of these addresses on StreetView, they always seem to look the same. Certainly NOT millionaire’s alley. Florida, Salt Lake City, Jackson, Denver…. just endless long roads with low-rise shopping and business units. Weird.

      BTW, you always seem to do your searches using google.com and yet you appear to be UK based. Do you find you get better results than using the google.co.uk domain? Just wondering!

  46. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Another one admitting in the small print at the bottom that the persona is fake – craiggetcash.com

    *Craig Davison is an inspiring avatar created for the purpose of this website.

    Well I suppose “inspiring avatar” is one way of saying “completely made up person and fake story with photo from istockphoto or stolen from someones online photo album” – I suppose the cheque (check) from google is also an “inspiring avatar”!

    The photo on this one is a bit weird too – at first glance it looks like a family photo with kid but then you realise they are posing with some freaky gnome / statue thing – hmm.

    Any idea who is behind this Google ATM one – don’t seem to be any address or contact details anywhere apart from this on the payment page which can be reached at https://secure1.s3curehost.com/gord/payment.asp after inputting some fake details:
    1810 E Sahara Ave, Suite 1-341, Las Vegas, NV 89104 or calling 1-800-497-4988 or 1-801-578-9020 (International customers please call 1-866-321-2728) but not much showing up for Google searches on that address…
    The usual recurring billing hidden in the small print (which you will miss completely unless you scroll down to the bottom of that page – now wonder so many people miss it as at least on my browser it does not look like there is any more of the page to scroll down to, I only knew to do so as I had seen these pages before): “After the seven day trial you will be billed sixty nine dollars and ninety cents monthly for the continued access to the Business Kit for Google.” I am sure the US authorities would be interested in this one too as the method is exactly the same as “Google Treasure Chest”.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      Hunted

      I think E Sahara Ave appeared in some of my earlier researches. If you Google it, it returns a whole host of internet casino and other such things from 1810. For another day, perhaps?

      On some of these twitgetscash.com websites, the disclaimer, although seeming to be better constructed than earlier, seems to be written in invisible ink nowadays. It’s like “white cat in a snowstorm” or “black cat in a coal cellar” sort-of-thing!

      The thing about all these twitgetscash.com things, is that even though they may get a couple of instigators like Jon Eborn, it’s a bit like the tales of old Japanese soldiers sat on some jungle island. For them, the war is not over and they just carry on regardless. This is where the many-headed hydra analogy comes in. You can chop the head off, but there are loads left and while you aren’t looking new ones pop up all the time. This is what the scammers mean when they are selling a Turnkey solution out of the box. Once someone is in the ‘scheme’ they are beholden upon themselves to continue in this self-referencing network of other scammers, all using each other as examples of ‘success’. As @Lucky54 said,

      Why are there so many dishonest people wanting to make money by scamming other people instead of doing something honest?

      Well it’s sort-of because they are all trapped by their actions, and using the military analogy again, each scammer while loosely connected to the others, actually operates like a Special Forces person. A bit like Benicio del Toro in Hunted.

    2. Strangely avatar

      I just noticed – it’s another:

      A year ago I was an account manager for a (drum roll) a pipe manufacturing company. Not exactly what I dreamed of when I was growing up.

      LOL

  47. Lucky54 avatar
    Lucky54

    Thank you so much for this website. I had clicked on the website for Google Treasure Chest, as it was advertised on Facebook. I had looked at it before but only gave my name and number, and closed it when they wanted a credit card. I should have known better. Today I clicked on the Facebook ad again. I was looking at it when the phone rang. Low and behold, it was a guy from Utah with the Google Treasure Chest. After he continued trying to get my credit card number or my debit number, I told him no and he finally gave up on me. Once off the phone, I got thinking maybe this was providence and worth a look. I dug out my credit card and filled out my info for the $1.97. Hoping to get instant access
    I found out they only mail them. Discouraged I decided to research it and found your site. I rushed to the phone and cancelled my visa number. I think I saved myself the $1.97 and definately saved the $70.00 plus everyone says they charge monthly. Isn’t there any way an honest person can do work on the internet? Why are there so many dishonest people wanting to make money by scamming other people instead of doing something honest????????????????????
    Thanks to everyone for your posts !!!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Lucky54
      – and thanks to you for telling us all about your experience. It’s by doing this that people realise we are all mostly alike and make the same mistakes. It’s always brave to admit a mistake or even worse, made yourself look an idiot, but by doing so, I think lots of people can learn from that. Together, we are all building a body of evidence that hopefully, can be put to use by legal process. It’s started in Texas, who knows where next!

  48. anothersucker avatar
    anothersucker

    Well I fell for it, but luckily I used a Paypal SecureCard that expires at the end of the month and caught the charge on the day of the end of my “trial”- called the number listed here (Thank you!!!!) and was able to cancel the account and get a refund of the $72.71 charged today. Lesson learned, believe me!!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @anothersucker
      Thank goodness for you. I’m starting to realise what a good idea it was to make this posting in the first place. With just a little action I’ve helped a lot of people out of a quite nasty situation. I think that the continual assault by myself and all the other websites that have picked up on this (many have been at it for much longer than myself), has changed the behaviour of the scammers. The impending court case helps as well! Ha Ha.

      But it’s the result that counts – the websites now tend to honour their obligations – at least these few I’ve looked at.

      On the other hand, I can’t say the same for non-US or EU based websites. The ones based in Nicosia, Cyprus will take a bit of winkling out, I think.

  49. Strangely avatar

    crap

    BTW. If anyone sees this ad image on my website – don’t click it to ensure your sanity as you’ll be taken somewhere scammy OR, as someone else has pointed out, click it like mad as the company has to pay for the clicks.

    Either way, I still haven’t found an adequate way to block these ads without blocking all my ads. The destination web page can be one of a hundred at any time….
    Sorry.

    Also, I’ve had a few rags-to-riches plugs by email and whilst churning through the dregs of the internet. Try this:

    fromragstorichesonline.com/system.html

    ‘Rod’ promises to ‘reveal his secret right on this page’! I’ve watched them (there are several videos) and I haven’t seen the secret. It must be telepathy.

    Or postcards.

  50. Melodie avatar
    Melodie

    @Peggy Conyers – I fell victim to these people, but I never ordered the cd/dvd. I noticed today a declined charge of $72.21 with a retailers name of call for refund 866957, my credit card people didn’t know who they were. But I called the number that you posted for refunds and I got a girl named Rachel and she couldn’t find me in their systems according to her. I had to fax something in writing to show that I never ordered this and told them that if they tried to charge my card again they would be in f%#%#& trouble. Now we’ll just wait and see. The good thing about my card is that it’s prepaid and they can’t get what’s not there.

  51. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Looks like this is the same guy!?
    https://myspace.com/joneborn

    By the way someone on Scam.com reckons that legal action is pending by the Utah Attorney General – so anyone based in the US should probably contact the Texas AG to let them know they were a victim and then also contact the Attorney General in their own state – Deano on scam.com says that it only took 13 complaints for the Texas AG to inititate an investigation and then follow up with legal action…

    Anyone based in the UK could still contact the Texas AG to let them know the international nature of this scam. Complaints Board had complaints from New Zealand, Canada and Australia too…

    By the way another scam using very similar tactics is operated by a fella called Brock Felt in Florida – no sign of legal action on that one yet but the modus operandi is almost identical.
    See: http://productforums.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!category-topic/merchant-center/submitting-your-content/UHmQs0909xQ
    and: https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/emillionaire-institute-kevin-got-his-green-c163463.html (14 pages of complaints!) +
    https://www.complaintsboard.com/?search=emillionaire

    or just Google ’emillionaire scam’ …

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      …sorry. I’m still in the ‘Cradle to the Grave’….

      I never did check the MySpace as it seemed too incongruous, but I saw his plug for it. Gad. I wanted ‘Learn to be Bad’ but it won’t play. I wonder why.

      I’ve come across some Florida stuff before; Dave Gets Cash or something. It’s not the house in the street of gnomes, ‘cos that freaked me out… I’ve just checked. It’s a scummy low-slung shops sort-of-place. eMillionaire and Brock Felt are located somewhere here on (not) Millionaire’s Row:

      Now where’s all that Florida glamour gone?

      For everyone else, @Not Kevin has some sound information about the progressing legal stuff against these characters. I suggest that if you’ve been conned you add your story to the ever-burgeoning lists. It’s good that something legal in UTAH looks likely. Life in Scam Lake City will be exciting soon for these folks.

  52. Keith Elliott avatar
    Keith Elliott

    These turds got me as well. About the only thing I can add is another phone number which Visa gave me. 888-760-6767. I got this yesterday morning, it was working then. These slimeballs nailed me for two payments of $72.21 each. The bitch refused any refund at all, but did cancel my incredibly wonderful and fabulous membership. Oh, poor me. How will I ever be able to live without it? Does anyone know how to go about actually getting a refund? Or is it just BS luck? I read a cool suggestion on another site – we should all send him boxes of dogshit in the mail. I live by the ocean, and I can tell you that ottershit is waaaay worse. God, but that stuff stinks. Maybe a few pounds of that will make his day…

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Keith Elliott
      See the latest info on the Texan Court summons for the guy. They are asking for other people with similar experiences to be attached as part of the prosecution claims. I don’t know if it extends beyond Texas but it’s worth a shot, surely?
      All the recent stuff is not far above this comment. Many people have had good results getting their money back, so try again.

      I wouldn’t recommend the poop route though – that counts as assault and there are quite bad penalties for that. The best approach is to keep your cool and use the legal processes and methods at your disposal like others have done here on this website. Keep a record of ALL communications, verbal, email & postal. Maybe get onto your card company to get them to recover the monies – pointing out this website and others I’ve linked to, the pending court case and all the other scammed people. Their clout can be considerable should they decide to use it, as several folk have discovered.

      Good luck.

  53. Strangely avatar

    @Not Kevin
    Thanks for that. It’s funny putting a face or an address to things, isn’t it? How ironic that he is/was an estate agent, which in the UK at least, is supposed to be one of the three most loathed professions!

    His former business ‘Bloosky’ I picked up on in my original investigation as relating to the various bits of artwork and advertising copy.

    I can’t believe that this guy Eborn is solely responsible for the whole shebang. There are a lot more internet ‘gurus'(as they like to call themselves) out there that are very much alike. One, the guy in charge of CarbonCopyPro seems to be authenticating his existence by making movies, but to be fair, he’s always stuck his neck right out and not hide in the shadows. It’s still MLM/pyramid/ponsi based, no matter what he says though. His (and other’s similar) approach is somewhat different to Google Treasure Chest as they deliberately weed out people without much money (they call them tyre kickers!) and hammer the remaining people with recurring $997 fees. The principle is exactly the same though – recruit, sell, recruit, sell. This is what maintains the income stream. It’s all cloaked in ‘leveraging your business’ sort of phrases, but the actual screen shots in YouTube etc by the sellers in the scheme, all show repetitive takings of $997 – solely. In a real business, the income would be a host of varying amounts, wouldn’t it?

    I wonder how far Texas will spread it’s net?

  54. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Here is the Jonathon D Eborn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/pub/5/154/493

    Looks like he was an estate agent in a previous role.

    Another news article on the legal action here:
    Internet work at home outfit sued for defrauding unemployed victims: https://www.examiner.com/x-6928-Houston-Page-One-Examiner~y2009m4d24-Internet-work-at-home-outfit-sued-for-defrauding-unemployed-victims

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      These LinkedIn links have been rapidly removed.

  55. Nancy avatar
    Nancy

    I started to sign up but when I asked what I was buying with my credit card and was the site “secured” I got a strange reply — they could not give me a telephone number. This is very dangerous for even skeptical people like me because I assumed it was connected with Google. I think that Google should announce that they are not connected. Thanks for your info.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Nancy

      Phew! Lucky escape. Can you remember what the ‘strange reply’ was, exactly – or roughly!

      As for Google, presumably they think their trademark is so strong (which it is) that it’s a waste of effort chasing down the dribbling efforts trying to bask in their Golden Glory of success. Currently, they seem focused on one or another multi-billion dollar takeovers, something like the next YouTube, say. They are supposed to be after Digg last time I looked…
      However, their attitude is no good for Joe Public who quite rightly assume, that like Microsoft, Exxon, Boeing et al, that they’d not want their name besmirched by some barrow boys. For some reason, I just can’t see Microsoft Money Tree or Apple Treasure Chest lasting for long, can you?

  56. Ron & Lynn avatar
    Ron & Lynn

    I too was scammed by this Google Treasure Chest. My wife bless her heart wanted to find something online that she could do at home and ran across this wonderful site. She heard of this site from NBC The Today Show one morning called livepeople.com. This is where she found what I believe is the scam of all scams. What a way to use other peoples money, while we scramble to shut our credit card accounts down, and to those who don’t catch these $72.21 charges for months. Then we have I’m sure a high percentage of folks that do nothing but close accounts and never bother asking for a refund.

    Anyway, she saved this link for me to purchase this CD for her for $3.88, which I’m still waiting to receive as we paid this on 4/8/09. The next thing that happened to us was a call from UT, a fellow who wanted to interview us before we could talk to his boss. He said this was about the CD we were about to receive and wanted to know a lot of personal stuff as far as our wants and needs, our dreams, what kind of money we would like to make, etc. etc. etc. Needless to say we were VERY skeptical about all of this and in fact had only sent away for the CD to show my wife the scam I knew it would be. So, after a 45 minute phone conversation with my wife and I he now wants to know what kind of money we can come up with to get in on this FANTASTIC offer of which we STILL have no idea of what we would be doing. Keep in mind I have been asking this fellow HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST for the past half hour; but anyway, he says most folks are putting up 10 to 15 thousand dollars!!!!! I about fell out of my chair! I am out of work and he knew this from the get go; but had to do his job and line us up for the kill. At that time I told him what I really thought about this SCAM and hung up on him.
    On April 16 is when I saw the charge on my CC for $72.21, and at this time I called my CC folks and disputed the charges of which they credited my account by next business day. I also CLOSED that CC account. I have since found your site and have sent a letter to cancel my involvement with these crooks, and today, the 27th of April I called them and got my cancellation # and a name…Deb.

    That’s about it, thanks for this site and all the good info to help folks like us get out of this awful SCAM.

    Ron & Lynn

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Ron & Lynn

      Not that wonderful, eh? !!

      ….let’s hope your refund comes through.

      Check out the recent (last Friday) announcement about the court summons for the perpetrators of this scam in Texas. I’ve added info (as has @Not Kevin) to this page. It may be worth your while to add yourself to the list of complainers to the Texas website.

      Good luck and keep well.

  57. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Good news which I discovered thanks to a post by ‘Deano’ on scam.com – looks like the long arm of the law may finally be catching up with these scammers!

    “Attorney General Abbott Charges Web Site Operator with Orchestrating Fraudulent Work-at-Home Scheme

    Infusion Media Inc.’s ‘GoogleMoneyTree’ uses high profile name to deceive out-of-work Internet users

    AUSTIN – Attorney General Greg Abbott today charged two Utah-based defendants with operating a fraudulent work-at-home scheme. The state’s enforcement action names Infusion Media Inc. and Jonathan D. Eborn, whose “GoogleMoneyTree.com” promised six-figure earnings for conducting specialized Google and Yahoo Internet searches.

    According to investigators, the defendants promised big payouts in order to convince Web users to spend $3.88 on shipping and handling for a “free kit” that supposedly would show them how to make money from home. Those who purchased the kit were later surprised to discover they were being charged $72 a month by the defendants.”

    Full press release here:

    They are encouraging other victims of this scam to “file complaints with the Office of the Attorney General toll-free at (800) 252-8011 or file complaints online at http://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.”

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      Thanks mate. I’ve pre-empted you on this one due to a comment from @Peggy Conyers. I’ve added the info to the main part of this post, at the end – including a map of where the guy lives! There seems to be some doubt if people outside of Texas can be part of the overall claim. It’d be good if they can because that’ll really whack the claims list up and they’re asking for $20k for each claim!.

      So in light of that, I’d advise everyone to get a claim in regardless. If it’s Texas-centred, then it’ll make it easier to widen the net to include everyone.

      Apparently, it’s all based on case-law dating back to 2001 when someone got hammered for damages using a similar process. It also probably explains why the terms and conditions are changing rapidly on the websites and why so many people are having positive refunds experiences now compared to the beginning of the year. It’s because since last December, the company has had a professional internet lawyer on their books. (I don’t fancy his job now!)

      See the end of the main post above to see details on this.

  58. Peggy Conyers avatar
    Peggy Conyers

    Here are the contact numbers that i got
    866-951-1406 support and 866-957-0020 UT refunds. Read about my experience with googletreasurechest.com at
    http://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/the-artists-network/y9PuCoArjPQ

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Peggy Conyers
      Thanks Peggy.
      I advise everyone to read Peggy’s account. That 0020 number seems to be a new one.

      It demonstrates clearly the full and complete bollocks that this scam is! It also shows that you have to take immediate action and persevere in your calls to get stuff cancelled. This seems to be via one or more third parties who most likely are overwhelmed by screaming folk who are justifiably annoyed about being ripped off.

  59. Cliff avatar
    Cliff

    Hey i didnt ven get the cd and they beilled me. This is bull shit can they do that?

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Cliff
      I’m afraid they can do that Cliff. As I originally said, it’s a good scheme in itself to just bill people straight up, take one payment and then cancel the order for the ‘client’. That’s a lot of seventy dollars!

  60. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    This website promotes the scams (by plastering their blog with banner ads) but has also allowed [genuine] comments, so they have plenty of comments from not very happy customers! 🙂
    googlelady.com/443/google-home-business-kit/

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin
      Bizarre yet true. It’s a Spanish speaking person from the Lebanon apparently. The post you reference is a big advert for the ‘kit’ but finishes with googlelady slagging it off! Yet if you move away from the page or make a comment, you get hit with really annoying popups from securecartcenter.com & eznetincome.com. These are from further ads down the page which are for Google Money System™ (although the graphics ads say Google Home Business Kit & Easy Google Profit) and Easy Google Cash (although the graphic says Google Money System). (I love the ‘TradeMark symbol!). Even if you don’t click anything, the popups re-occur at 5 minute intervals – nice!

      Even more bizarre is the free tips throughout the site. It’s almost like the content of the ‘products’ for sale when you add it all up. But without any cash problems. He/she seems to be running through methods of doing stuff with how-tos & tips etc, more in the spirit of the web. Some of his/her more recent postings are quite good examples, actually.

      Yet again, bizarrely, it’s an old post apparently (Oct 2007) yet many links still work and the comments, which you’ve so kindly pointed out look genuine enough, don’t start until Oct 2008. The copyright at the bottom of the actively updated website also only reads 2005-2007 which is a bit lacking given the obvious technical expertise of the person and that googlelady.com has been registered right to the max of 2017 all the way from 2005. I’ve forgotten to change copyright for a few months if the footer is manual, but not two years! Usually, if I like a theme, I’ll change the php in the footer to automate the end date. It’s a no-brainer then.
      Of course, anyone who’s used WordPress knows that the dates of posts and comments can be set and amended to anything at any time…

      One thing I’ve noticed about all these websites that promote the use of Google as a tool, or at least have Google in the name as a get-rich-quick metaphor, is that none of them carry any Google ads! I’ve recently seen large Google Ads on the BBC website as it’s viewed from abroad (i.e. not in the UK), so they must work!

      The reason, I think, lies in the ‘intellisense’ nature of the self-optimising ads. Basically, these people can’t afford to carry Google Ads as all that will happen is that ads will show for their ‘competitors’, thus sucking ‘customers’ from their page. This is what I’ve found on my site here – as soon as I put up this post about scams, I get lots of adverts for scams! Because there are so many, it’s not cost-effective (i.e. life’s too short) to block each website, which is the way to do it with Google Adsense.

  61. neil avatar
    neil

    So I guess these guys suckered me in. I just used my paypal debit card to get the kit like 20 min ago. Sure enough i got a charge of -$1.97 USD on my statement. So then i checked my email and I didnt get any confirmation email and suddenly everything felt like a scam. So I did a bit of research and found this site. Now I dont even want the first charge to come through. So I’m not sure what to do now exactly.. I am hoping my only cost will be the $1.97 and my card will decline any further charges since I moved all the money into a different account.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @neil

      You MUST phone them up and cancel.

      The 866 951 1406 number seems to work – but not at weekends, apparently. So first thing Monday, if you can’t get through today, get onto them. Some people waited 20mins to get through.

      It’s no good just to cancel your card or empty your account. Both your card company and the scammer could say that the terms are clearly stated on the website (which they are in a dubious way), so you are contractually liable until the debt is paid or the contract cancelled. Some people have had this experience – others had a more straightforward time and their bank was very helpful.

      So you must cancel the contract as soon as you possibly can. If you can’t get the number above to work, try some of the others that people have had various degrees of success with on these pages and pages of personal statements here. The one above seems to work most times though.

      Also, keep a record of all communications you make with the scammer, your finance company, and even postings like this on this website. They will prove corroboratory information for any further disputes. But whatever you do, doing nothing is not an option.

      Good Luck!

  62. Valerie avatar
    Valerie

    I got this from Steph. She also was an account manager for a (drum roll) a pipe manufacturing company. https://www.stephblogs.com/?s=VC_PopW2

    Thanks for posting this!!!! I almost fell for it. She and her husband have such sweet honest faces.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Valerie
      Well done for spotting it all. I thought the guy looked familiar so I trawled back through the comments and yes! He’s the original joshmadecash.com!!!

      Josh is ‘Josh Parker’, Stephanie’s apparent husband. Amazingly, they both earnt exactly the same money! However, if you compare websites, they seem to be having a bit of disagreement about the exact make and model of “their first new car”!!!!

      • Josh seems to think it’s a lumbering monster Range Rover
      • whereas Steph seems to remember it as a VW Passat!

      Funny that, innit?

      Josh also has had those pseudo-comments with all those happy customers at the bottom. Steph can’t even be bothered trying that fluff anymore!

      It’s funny, our human nature, isn’t it? Even though I know the whole pile of doo-doo is a work of fiction, I still keep referring to the ‘people’ in the public face of the scam as if they’re real….?

  63. firemagnet avatar
    firemagnet

    well guys, there’s a lesson to be learned from this: in hard times, there’s always an anonymous hacker looking to screw someone over even more by stealing their money. (if google doesn’t endorse it, something’s wrong!) so, here’s what you do: get the FBI on the case, find the bloody shit head and wring his neck with a razor wire…. that or take him to court on charges of mass fraud, whichever one sounds more painful to you.

  64. silgneb avatar
    silgneb

    I think i got the worse deal of all check this out…
    ok 13th charged my first 72 dollars called on the 16th had it canceled and refunded On the 17th they hit my card AGAIN for 72 dollars i called my bank and them again they said that happens sometimes REALLY they reversed that charge..called my bank at 1.20 pm on the 17th to cancel card and issue a new one..AMazingly google hell chest once again charged me at 4:30 pm the same day they charged me and refunded me then i canceled my card…what the fu ck is going on…now i have to dispute the last charge when the fuking bank should have known not to let it go through since i had already called them 30 fuking times…any advice

    1. Strangely avatar

      @silgneb
      Some people have managed to cancel okay. You’re right! You have had the worse deal.

      I see you first commented here back on the 16th which is eight days ago. Was it EXACTLY the same reference being made for the charge against you? You should check (no pun intended) with the bank. It may be that there’s a subtle difference in wording or account number.

      This could be because you ‘accidentally’ clicked the button more than once? I’m just thinking aloud here and trying to think of legal excuses for their behaviour. Saying that though, and from past history, it’s highly likely to be either incompetence or crookery on their part. They’ve already demonstrated several times many failures in their systems – and as for the crookery… some people have had really bad experiences from their comments.

      I think the important thing is not to give up. Keep on at the bank and if necessary, GoogleBlagBlag. Keep records of all conversations, emails and transactions. You may need them later.

      Good luck.

  65. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Here’s a new version I found via
    The ‘fake blog’ this time is http://survey-prize.com/ They even admit that the photos and stories are fake (hidden away at the bottom in the fine print of course)

    “This page and associated pages on this site are an advertisement. All persons mentioned on this blog are fictional examples of people who used the promoted products and is for demonstration purposes only. The statements contained herein come from many different people and are not necessarily being made about the specific products discussed. ”

    Not that that makes it ok of course, as mikeyounglaw.com points out!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin

      It’s just endless, isn’t it? @killer mentioned the bethsmoney.com website a few days back here – and see my reply here. In a similar ‘Christian’ (not very!) search afterwards I found about 100 doing the spiel.

      Amazingly, as you’ve noticed, they even have the gall to say on the web-page in their disclaimer that it’s a load of fictional tosh! Presumably, they are hoping that not many get to read that far down.

      Fortunately, because of the various postings across the web (like this one by me), it seems that more people are doing checks (by the way the comments are now arriving at this site) and pulling out before it’s too late rather than leaping in with both feet.

  66. Al Mitchell avatar
    Al Mitchell

    I was tweeted on Twitter to to listen to a song and rate it. When I went to the link the song played but there were boxes about making money on Google. Mine was Mary talking about working at a pipe fitters place. I looked at the small print and saw that Google Treasure Chest had nothing to do with Google but had been told how reliable the whole thing would be because it was Google. I did a search on the namefound a number of scam links and this page. Obviously, I didn’t sign up but it is everywhere.
    Mitch

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Al Mitchell
      Thanks Al. I’ve not succumbed to the tweeting thing yet. It looks like the viral advertising has spread there, probably as a more targeted version of spam. It’d be interesting to know if the song was delivered from a major label or a more er..ahem.. liberal source? This could determine the route that the adverts were placed.

  67. jonnay avatar
    jonnay

    I also found this

    does not make sense to me but most likely will to you.
    hope it helps. go get em!!!!!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @jonnay

      Thanks again mate. I checked the site and it’s just a pure carbon copy isn’t it? (actually, there’s another program called CarbonCopyPro that I’m currently examining in some detail. But the carbon copy words are very salient, don’t you think?)
      @Steve from easymactips.com made a comment here that’s extremely relevant when it comes to the pictures of the so-called ‘cheque’ that the people are supposed to receive! ………….. it’s the same fingers again!!!

      Two other things…
      ONE:
      domlander.com is another hidden registration (because of spam prevention, as they say, har, har). Even though the website you’ve found calls itself “March’s Success Story”, the domain was registered in July last year and runs out soon. Hopefully it’ll go dead.
      TWO:
      The site is made with WordPress (like mine here) and has a swathe of pseudo comments again. Interestingly (for me, but I’m sad), many websites like this close the comments after the two dozen mark because of ‘spam’ as they call it. The site that you spotted, ‘Kelly Anderson’ on domlander.com has a ‘last comment’ from ‘her’ that really takes the prize! Read this:

      Hi All,
      I’m sorry to have to do this, but I’ve disabled the comments as I was getting 9 spam messages for every 1 valid question or comment. It’s very sad and disappointing to see that there are so many people trying to advertise their “lose weight” websites and other distasteful content on here but I have no choice but to disable this option.
      Kelly

      Funny as fuck. ‘other distasteful content’ ‘lose weight websites’

      The point is that WordPress has several systems for counteracting spam in all it’s forms. I’ve mentioned the various ones I use and have used over time in these very pages. In other words, it’s not a problem.
      The problem is that it’s a fictional person in a fictional world of scam where not one word, picture or sentiment exists that hasn’t been purloined or copied from elsewhere in the quest to keep building that great pyramid of con.

      THE PYRAMID OF CON.

      I like that!

  68. jonnay avatar
    jonnay

    I got it off facebook one of those side ads that read 50-60 years old wanna earn big money.

  69. jonnay avatar
    jonnay

    An ounce of prevention is a pound of cure. I also looked before I leaped and found this site thank goodness. Good work all!!!! The site I linked to in Canada the last paragraph from a Janie, real estate lady, her dream job, she was closing her blog because the nerve of someone putting lose weight sites on her program and other distasteful comments on her site. Or in other words someone found them out.The bas@#$%s

    1. Strangely avatar

      @jonnay
      I’d like to know what that site was – can you remember the name? I’d like to take a peep if it’s still up.

  70. tanyaplaidpants avatar
    tanyaplaidpants

    i am broke i seen this and seemed like all the answers to my prayers! But as i was filling out the info something in my gut said research it a little bit before u get scamed and they drain out ur already dwindling bank account! THANK GOD i didnt sign up! Guys i have 2 pieces of advice to u all#1 if it seems too good to be true IT IS! and always read the terms and conditions! i read that and it told u about the 71 $ a month charge and also tells you that it will bill you 38$ and 24$ seperate from other companies u will have access to as well. Thats like 133 a month for nothing if they do that at least once and dont refund it they are making a killing off our lack of research! Please be careful guys 🙂

    1. Strangely avatar

      @tanyaplaidpants
      Thank goodness you did that little bit of extra research. You saved yourself a lot of potential grief there! Can I re-iterate and add to your 2 rules:

      • Rule#1: If it seems too good to be true IT IS!
      • Rule#2: Always read the terms and conditions!
      • Rule#3: There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
  71. mook32 avatar
    mook32

    The first thing I did when I saw the ad was Google it. I had to laugh that Google’s first few sites were scam warning sites. I looked back at the bottom of the ad page and saw that it said that the site was in no way affiliated with Google (that was WIERD). I am sorry that not everyone got as lucky as I did.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Ha Ha.
      Look before you leap!

  72. Brian avatar
    Brian

    @shawn micheal – I just called the 866 951 1406 2x and got through to a different person each time. I did not wait on hold long either. I just hope it is really cancelled !

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Brian

      Why did you call twice? Was it to be doubly sure!!

  73. TLTD avatar
    TLTD

    CANCEL YOUR CREDIT CARD IF YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS!

    That takes care of that.

  74. Tiffany W avatar
    Tiffany W

    I checked my credit card statement this month and received a charge of 90.13 and the description is for refunds call866957 sandy ut. Does anyone know what this is?

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Tiffany W

      It looks like the same thing, certainly the phone number & Sandy in Utah bit. Which website did you visit? Usually the amount is ~$70.

  75. Lilly avatar
    Lilly

    I just called the 866-951-1406 and I was on hold for about 20 minutes before I got to talk to a guy named Chad. He did give me a cancellation number and said I would not be charged any further monies. My bank is aware of this and I am getting a new card and the other one is cancelled so they will not be able to charge anymore.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Lilly
      Well done. 20 minutes seems like an exercise in patience but it’s paid off.

  76. jon doe avatar
    jon doe

    well im extremely pissed!that joshmadecash.com b.s. got me i did the transaction for the 1.97 shipping for the google treasure kit but after that, I sense somthing wasnt right so i googled the site which i should of done in the first place and i seen everybodys comment so I tried to block my credit card and on top of that cancelled it and guess what those mothaflowers still took out 72.21 out my shyzit but i also read how in seven days if u dont cancel the will do that but guess what its only been five days since i did the transaction! those damn thieves! I Found out the number for the cancellation thanx to u guys and tried to call on friday but they were already closed so i have to wait till monday… im hoping i get that 72.21 back. Any suggestions???

    1. Strangely avatar

      @jon doe
      Clearly they’ve breached their own contractual terms and conditions if the timings are as you say. Make sure you have some evidence of your transactions and their timings and get on to the phone number right away. If the number is dead, try some of the others that have worked and also, get onto your card company with your evidence of transaction timings, stressing how the ‘company’ has broken their own terms.
      Contractual law is usually pretty clear when it’s written down, as it is on these sites. Getting redress off a fly-by-night outfit that even breaks devious contracts like this is a different matter. That’s why it’s important to pursue them with the utmost haste, as well as contacting your card company with all the details. Mention this site and others that I and others have linked to, as further demonstration of the ‘barrow boy’ nature of these ‘business opportunities’!!!
      @Can’t believe I was so stupid… mentions the route they took, but even so, they’re still waiting for the shipping refund almost 4 weeks later. Note how they had PROOF that they’d done all the notification and cancellation palaver. They reckon that this was the key to getting their dosh back….

      Good luck!

  77. killer avatar
    killer

    I stumbled across a landing page titled “christian mom makes $5K/M” at http://survey-prize.com/. This compelling ad is terribly deceptive. They tell you that you are just posting ads on sites all day. One poster even complains he only made $1,000 his first week. Another complains they have to work 40 hours for $1,500 and want to knock it down to 20. They don’t tell you that you have to sell your soul to get that money and you are just selling the crap you bought to other poor unsuspecting souls. Not very ‘christian’ at all!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @killer
      Hi. Thanks for the extra info.
      I checked the page and they’re doing something related to googleprofitsinsider.com
      Look this up using er… google, and you’ll see a long list of disgruntled folk airing their grievances about the scammers. Interestingly (well maybe for me and a few others!) the terms and conditions at the bottom of good ol’ Christian Beth start off by stating:

      I do not work for Google and Google is in no way associated with this website.
      This page and associated pages on this site are an advertisement. All persons mentioned on this blog are fictional examples of people who used the promoted products and is for demonstration purposes only. The statements contained herein come from many different people and are not necessarily being made about the specific products discussed.
      The author and publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this Website and or any products or services supplied by any third party.

      What this means is that the webpage author is stating that ‘Beth Fisher’ and everything else is a total fiction.

      From the plethora of complaints about the website, I suspect that the products and services that they are flogging are total fiction also. Indeed, the actual site of googleprofitsinsider.com is purely a logon screen with no hint at content.

      My advice is to leave those ‘secrets’ about which they are soooo proud, firmly locked away behind that logon screen, and warn everyone you meet to stay well-clear of any thoughts and temptations that might lure them into giving away money for a ‘pass’.

      As for the content of bethsmoney it contains more shots of cheques which easymactipssteve detailed here as well as psuedo comments on the ‘blog’.

      Finally, as a measure of how long this unregulated thievery has been going on, this is a posting on Complaints Board going all the way back to December 2007!!!

      Growing Rich with Google / Google Money Profit

  78. sneed avatar
    sneed

    i called the 1406 number and got a cancellation number and they still tried to charge. thank god wamu and chase were on top of their game.i got a call 6 this morning about fraudulent charges and my card has been deactivated.also i got the c/d and all someone did was put together a bunch of information im sure you could find anywhere on the net and put it on a c/d.there might be useful info there but its all confusing….and definitely not even worth the 1.97 it cost to ship.as for that orem address someone listed that address is either mcdonalds or burger king. if it is even real(i live in the area).

    1. Strangely avatar

      @sneed

      Thanks sneed. We’ve found a lot of addresses aren’t exactly permanent! Many are office drop points or call-centre type places. Some are motels and offices round the back of a big posh office. Some seem attached to shopping centres (malls)….
      Thanks for the CD content info. As you’ve seen, you can get anything off the web these days, including ways to use it. There’s no need to pay for ‘free’!

  79. TheMushy408 avatar
    TheMushy408

    To be perfectly honest, Why is shit like this allowed to be advertised all over the net? This is completely fucked up.
    I was foolish enough myself to read the bumf on the page but after about 30 seconds realised it was a load of horse shite.

    Die in hell you f**king scamming pieces of shit!

    1. Strangely avatar

      Tell it like it is mate! Don’t bottle it up!

      To look at it that way is good -and I bet you feel better for it – but that’s the trouble with an open system with little regulation. I guess it’s the price we have to pay, else we’ll have a sanitised network, controlled by governmental and/or vested interests. I’d rather not have that frankly as the cons outweigh the pros of such a system.

  80. Ross avatar
    Ross

    Thank god I looked first. I almost bought into it, but I had a feeling. I am so thankful that you have this website.

    1. Strangely avatar

      It’s a ‘service’ I unwittingly seem to be providing! What started out as a private investigation by myself that I thought might be of use to a couple of people has ballooned out a bit… I’m glad to be of help!

  81. all google avatar
    all google

    C’mon i want to create an account there, but want to talk to real person with my card information, cannot go through :(()

  82. Steve avatar

    Thanks to Strangely for posting, I did my own little research using as example a reverse image search engine and it takes few seconds to figure out that it is a “scam and a half”
    Please take a look at those two checks: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1nVKvknoYl0/Sdp9vpFzDGI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/MWh6WdJ5z2s/s1600-h/check.jpg
    I urge everybody to be very careful with all those unrealistic promises.
    I posted on my blog, but Strangely took a different approach on busting the scam which is as efficient as mine.
    I am also looking for example of Nigerian scam

    Many Thanks to Strangely
    Steve (http://easymactips.blogspot.co.uk/)

  83. littlepete avatar
    littlepete

    looks like ive been one of the lucky ones to research this before actually doing anything!!!! think this has hit england now …. any one else from the uk nearly scammed yet ??? cheers littlepete

    1. Strangely avatar

      Yay littlepete!
      Good job you looked before you leaped!

  84. shawn micheal avatar
    shawn micheal

    can anyone help me….they charged me $72.21 on my credit card account….and they gave me a number….to call to get a refund. 866957 SANDY UT……does anyone know how to call that number…because i tried to call so many times its just not going through..i would really appreciate it if someone would help me out. thank you.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @shawn michael
      The 1-866-951-1406 seems to be a good bet to try. Lots of people have had success with that number.

  85. Joe avatar
    Joe

    Searched websites found over 1050 connected to this scam!! please be careful!!!

    1. Strangely avatar

      You’re not wrong there mate! The only one who’s making money is the one that kicked it off…

  86. Janice avatar
    Janice

    Hi,

    I just called 1-866-951-1406 and talked to Natalie and she said that my account is now cancelled and I will not be charged anything else. She also gave me her Employee ID number and a cancellation number. Let’s hope this is for real. Next time I am NOT giving out my credit card number to anybody!

    Janice

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Janice.
      Ha Ha. I’m pleased that you got through and found someone to redress your problem. So well done!

      But this is getting really weird now… Why would she give you her employee ID number? Next thing we know they’ll be giving out inside leg measurements! This saga just throws up more and more bizarre occurrences.
      It’s the same Jackson number though. That office must be packed out – we’re getting quite a few different names from it.

  87. Bill "The Fisherman" Nevis avatar
    Bill “The Fisherman” Nevis

    Delete my last comment.
    I have fished around and looks like a real scam.
    51 W. Center St. #621, Orem UT, 84057
    This looks like a bogus address, they are moving around pretty fast.
    My bank has already been contacted.

    Regards Bill

  88. jeff avatar
    jeff

    Strangely Perfect has a link to this scam:

  89. Bill Nevis avatar
    Bill Nevis

    No Scam I was ble to get a refund it is real.

    call 866-870-4257
    This was also at the bottom on the link

    By submitting this form I authorize Fresh Keyword Ideas to immediately charge my credit card for instant access to the Instant Google kit. I hereby request that Fresh Keyword Ideas activate my account and authorize them to advance funds as indicated. Monthly Service fees will commence seven days from the date of this purchase, and will be billed monthly thereafter. After the seven day trial you will be billed seventy one dollars and twenty one cents USD monthly for the continued access to the software. No refunds will be given for failure to use the requested and provided services. You may cancel at anytime by writing to 51 W. Center St. #621, Orem UT, 84057 or calling 877-208-6571.

    Regards Bill

    1. Strangely avatar

      Thanks Bill.
      That’s another phone number to add to the list!

  90. silgneb avatar
    silgneb

    hey i got this crap they didnt even tell me i would be charged 70 bucks i just had a bad feeling and googled it after i got a crappy loaded cd with useless techy stuff…these bastards should fry in hell for doing this to people its not cool, i didnt mind paying a buck for a possible lead or help or something but when you charge my card and i didnt authorize it thats fu*&^# up

    1. Strangely avatar

      @silgneb
      I’ll add you to the ‘dissatisfied’ list then should I? 😉

  91. callmeRAY avatar
    callmeRAY

    Hey if any one can help me with the cd if that is even possible lol email me at jsnepy@yahoo.com. Thanks people and God Bless and Good Luck>>>>>

    1. Strangely avatar

      It looks to me if you’ve got the CD and the cancellation. You should be asking Robert how to work it….. 😉

      But as a clue… you set up a website very similar to the one you went to and sucker loads of folk into buying a CD that they can’t understand…..

  92. callmeRAY avatar
    callmeRAY

    Oh I forgot to mention… I have the cd and I looked at it but it is very confusing to me I dont know what to do with all the stuff on the cd and there is alot of stuff on it.

  93. callmeRAY avatar
    callmeRAY

    I bought the treasure chest cd and when it arrived I noticed it said I will be billed the 70 something after 7 days.I called the 866-951-1406 and talked to a real person and cancel and got my cancel # Hope I caught it in time.Another thing is mine was on “robertscashblog.com”and from Bell Fourche South Dakota.Hope they dont take it out Or I will be visiting ROBERT and family and get everything back LOL Cause he is right down the road from me all I need is an address and this is a smal town.He better hope they dont take it out.LOL well Good luck Everyone

    1. Strangely avatar

      @callmeRAY
      It’s not a real person down the road. The computer gets your location from your IP address and some computer mapping from the GeoIp location service from MaxMind. This is the link.

  94. Strangely avatar

    It’s working as I’ve just checked….but for how long? It’s the nature of the beast that sites like this fall off the end of the earth after a time. That’s why there are so many of them.

  95. Kim avatar
    Kim

    So I canceled yesterday, and the guy forgets to give me my cancellation number. I had to call back and get it.

    I tried going to googletreasurechest.com and it always said that the connection timed out. Has anyone ever really been to that website?

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Kim
      Did you mange to cancel properly?

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Not Kevin.

      That link is another well researched bit into this hidden registration malarkey. I too tried the “TinEye” thing on some of the images that I found were the same. Unfortunately, the TinEye database isn’t very big at present and I received no matches when I looked. I guess it’ll be more comprehensive over time.

      The pay-cheque check was the best bit. Same fingers – different amounts!

      EasyMacTips advises people to click on the robertscashblog.com link as it’ll be charged by Google for every click. Personally, I edit out the html of any backlink to sites like that in my posts. I just don’t want a single SEO pointing back to them! I see his point though. However, I tried the link and it works – but when I tried to return I got an annoying pop-up and if you click ‘cancel’ you get a timed redirect countdown to another shite site.

      One commonality in all this, is that all the sites and ‘programs’ that you can ‘enrol’ with, all claim to be:

      • NOT a MLM thing
      • NOT a pyramid thing

      However, nearly all the vast income returns are made by the instigators of the scheme charging others to copy the ‘program’ by becoming a ‘member’.
      …er. This IS MLM and it IS a pyramid scheme!
      I prodded another one that unfortunately stuck a Google ad on my website (see my earlier comment!).
      This is for something called CarbonCopyPRO. This is the bumpf that describes the eight ‘income streams’. It’s very similar to the Google Cash/Treasure/Kit things, once you are past the initial signups. Now they can claim that a pig is a posey, but for me, if it looks like a pig, sound like a pig and smells like a pig – it’s a pig!
      Now look and learn folks at these amazing ‘income streams’ and consider where or who the ‘income stream’ is coming from?

      CarbonCopyPRO gives you eight (8) streams of income …
      =============> 8 Ways You Make Money < =========== 1) Affiliate commissions associated with paid application fees and Application Kit 2) Affiliate commissions associated with your team members use of the CarbonCopyPRO Marketing System ($30 per month per team member) 3) Sales of the 1st-level product of the Top Tier Direct Sales company you represent ($800 to $1000 per sale) 4) Many people who purchase the first product, decide they want to purchase the 2nd product. You earn $4000 to $5000 per sale of the 2nd product if you are qualified. And you earn $7500 on sales of the 3rd product. 5) You earn residual (override) commissions on the sales of your direct sign ups ($300 to $2300 per sale). 6) If one of your team members hasn't qualified for the 2nd level but you have, and they make a sale of the 1st and 2nd product, they earn the commission for the first product and you earn the commission for the 2nd product sale. ($3000 to $5000). If you're qualified for commissions on the 3rd product but a team member isn't, you earn the $7500 commission for that sale. 7) You earn a commission for referrals to one of the companies with whom our primary company is associated ($500 to $2000 per successful referral) 8) If you wish, you can earn affiliate commissions by monetizing your list--We teach you how to do that. Many Consultants earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month with this income stream. 9) In the future, stock options and other sources of income are possible.

  96. Strangely avatar

    I’ve added another two links to the end of the main post at the top to ‘I’ve Tried That’.

    Two things stand out:

    1. This ‘thing’ has been going on since before Christmas 2008!
    2. If you find a phone number that works, it’s more than likely to be a Collection Agency for the real people behind the ‘business’. They get paid whether you sign up or cancel. So they are more than happy to take calls.

    This second ties in with the experience of many latterly, who’ve seemingly managed to cancel with no trouble at all!

  97. Giselle avatar
    Giselle

    I got through and spoke with Holly. She was very nice and provided me with the cancellation number. I’ll still keep an eye on my bank account though…we’ll see. Thank you all for your tips and advice 🙂

    1. Strangely avatar

      Good on you, Giselle! And thanks for getting back with some information. We seem to be getting more positive results than negative compared to when I first stumbled into this area all of…. er… a week ago! I think it’s the power of direct action – when enough do it (and there are tons of folks complaining on other websites as well), the others are forced to do something. Possibly it’s the continual exposure of their business methods…. I don’t know; but there’s been a definite improvement in people’s cancellation experiences.

  98. Kim avatar
    Kim

    I actually signed up for this. I feel SO STUPID for doing this. Does anyone know if you are charged anything for canceling?

    I went over the terms and conditions AFTER I signed up and saw that I was ‘automatically’ signed up for something called GrantSpring and FraudLock ID.

    I was told that FraudLock ID cancels when you cancel the google profit kit/ treasure chest. But you have to cancel GrantSpring separately. The number I was given for GrandSpring is 1-888-247-2155.

    I can’t stop telling myself how stupid I am for doing this. I was sucked in with the promise of a shiny new Mac laptop. I feel like an idiot. Am going to cancel EVERYTHING in the morning.

    I feel so stupid about this, I haven’t even told my husband. Sort of scared that he will freak out. He should though… I would and am.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Kim
      The GrantSpring number is pretty useful and confirms the experience of Liam earlier.
      It looks like it’s the opposite of what happened in the UK when Richard Michael appears to have got everything cancelled in one go! (I’m assuming that he had the two extra ‘free’ subscriptions)

  99. Jessica avatar
    Jessica

    Thanks for all your help. I signed up this morning before getting enough infomation. I went to work and thought “that is the dumbest thing I have ever done.”

    It was!

    I just called the 1-866-951-1406 number and cancelled as soon as I got home.

    Thanks for your blog…..otherwise I wouldn’t have known.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Thanks Jessica.
      Like all these people, it must be pretty hard to admit that you’ve been so easily sucked in. I don’t know if I’d be so brave, actually.
      And for some reason, your words made me chuckle. It must be the mental picture I’m getting of the delayed realisation.

      I’m glad the phone number still works. It’s obviously the one to use.

  100. Jane avatar
    Jane

    What a bunch of crap. They charged my account $72.21. Immediately went to the bank to dispute the charge. Called the number I found on this page to cancel the account. Supposedly a refund will be credited in 7 to 10 business days.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Jane.

      Hi Jane. Was that the 0018669511406 Jackson WY 83001 number?
      If this works then this is definitely the one our US people need to go for at present.

      I’m glad you got through so fast!

  101. Drako avatar
    Drako

    Well I fell for this.. paid up the $1 and then hit the terms and conditions *doh*!. came across this site once searching the scam so with in 10mins of reading phoned and cancled my card you get a new one within 5days.

    So for anyone who hasnt been ripped off yet and handed over the $1 really dont take the chance cancle your card as it seems like trying to find these guys is like chasing a rainbow… thanks for the blogg once I read your information I knew I had to sort it out with the bank asap.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Drako.
      That seems to be the way – act fast! Don’t hang about. They only ‘give’ you 7 days!

  102. Samantha avatar
    Samantha

    I can’t believe that I have also been that stupid. I didn’t realise until I checked my bank statement this morning to find £52.02 deducted with the same reference as other people have quoted above of ‘For refunds call 866957’. I have since called my bank and they have canceled my bank card etc and are now going to investigate the matter. I have also written an e-mail to ‘Watchdog’ in the UK to alert them of this. The Tonstep Networks in Sunderland is registered at a private address, which should have rang alarm bells to me if I had of looked into this properly. I fell for the speech on the following website http://www.kevinlifeblog.com, it came up as a pop-up on a site that I was in, should of listened to my husband when he tells me to block pop-ups…. I dread to think in the current climate how many people have fallen for this, and judging by your very informative website at least I know I wasn’t the only one, not that that will get our money back. The thing is I doubt people will be seeing this before they have already made the mistake.

    Thank you for your advice anyway

    Samantha

    1. Strangely avatar

      Samantha.
      Try phoning the Sunderland address as people seem to be getting some action there. Richard Michael’s comment here seems to be the current best bet for the UK.

      Keep plugging away. If you get no joy, try some of the other success routes people have gone, and make sure you keep a record of all your calls, emails etc to ensure you have some sort of proof for your bank/credit card company.

      Your Watchdog email seems like extra fuel as they’ve already got one from me. I’ve been given a name on ‘Panorama’ that may help with this problem as well…. watch this space (I said I needed professional help!).

  103. Giselle avatar
    Giselle

    I can’t believe I didn’t do my research ahead of time. I’ll try those numbers and post tomorrow to let you all know if it worked for me. I’m so pissed that I fell for this. I was dumb enough to believe the joshmadecash.com site 2 days ago. I never received any e-mail from them and had no printer available to me, so it’s through your site that I was able to get the 1-800 #s. Wish me luck.

  104. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    This one [petergetspaid.com] is now including the following text on their website (but mostly in tiny print right at the very very bottom of the page in a grey font!!)

    Please Read Terms Carefully
    * I do NOT work for Google and Google is in no way associated with this website. Terms and Disclosures.The Google Startup kit mentioned above worked for me and for many other people, but results may vary by person. Also, keep in mind that I got the Google Startup trials for free, but there is a shipping fee and some advertisers have terms regarding continued billing after trial expires if you do not cancel. Some advertisers require trial to be canceled within seven or fourteen days of the trial period while some other advertisers give you thirty days to cancel the free trial. Please see terms per advertiser regarding the specific amount of days required to cancel your free trial before continued billing begins. The Google Startup kits I recommend usually retail for around seventy dollars. If you enjoy the products, simply do nothing. You will be billed at a discounted price, usually around fifty or sixty dollars at the end of the free trial period. By signing up YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THIS CONSUMER TRANSACTION INVOLVES A NEGATIVE OPTION AND THAT YOU MAY BE LIABLE FOR PAYMENT OF FUTURE GOODS AND SERVICES, UNDER THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, IF YOU FAIL TO NOTIFY THE SUPPLIER NOT TO SUPPLY THE GOODS OR SERVICES DESCRIBED. Thanks and good luck with filling your first application! By clicking the order button, I am ordering the Google Startup Kit and trial membership for $1.95 s&h, after the 7 day trial I will be charged $47 a month thereafter if I do not cancel. I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy / Terms and Conditions / Purchase Agreement . Charges will appear on credit/debit statements as “eMillionaire”. For questions, call 1-800-309-6980 Mon-Sat, 9am-9pm, EST.
    ** I do not work for Google and Google is in no way associated with this website.

    He seems to be a bit confused how much you might be billed though! And I wonder if Google’s lawyers made them put that last bit?

    Also is this Peter or Corey? The site is https://www.petergetspaid.com/ but the page title says Coreyhasmoney.com ? Hang on! This one says his name is Timmy or is it Jimmy! http://timmysjob.com/ Could be his identical twin brother..no hang on that wedding photo is the same too. Hmmmm….

    There must be a lot of vacancies for account managers at pipe manufacturing companies at the moment. 🙂

    1. Strangely avatar

      Yeah! It’s that same spiel that I pointed out in the main follow up post to this: https://strangelyperfect.tv/3140/google-kit-or-treasure-chest-the-plot-thickens/

      I found over a hundred with the pipe manufacturer (drum roll) bit!

      However, these terms & conditions seem to be changing on an almost daily basis. You know.. I think they’re listening and reacting to complaints! Now, if they’d just have one central name, address and phone number, they’d almost be a proper company…. But it’d certainly make people’s lives better.

  105. LaShawn Blanchard avatar
    LaShawn Blanchard

    I called the 888-705-1275 number and talked with someone named Vanessa. She said her company is a 3rd party representing various companies. I explained that it was illegal to charge more than advertised, so the $1.97 charge, right off the bat, was wrong. She placed me on hold forever and said that the $72.21 would be charged back to my card and no further charges would appear on my card. I was given a confirmation number as proof that I called to cancel it. I also asked for a customer service address to write whoever is responsible for this scheme. The address I was given was as follows: 970 W Broadway Ste. E347, Jackson, WY 83001, which was the same address listed in a previous post. I will update this when I find out for sure that I have been credited back the $72.21.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Thanks LaShawn. So it appears the Jackson place is ‘live’. Someone found it ‘dead’ a little while ago.

      Anyway folks, it appears that THIS IS THE NUMBER TO USE IN THE USA (at least for the next five minutes!)

  106. Richard Michael avatar
    Richard Michael

    Thanks for that – but I just hope it all works and everyone can get out of this nightmare reasonably unscathed. Thanks for your advice and good luck.

  107. Richard Michael avatar
    Richard Michael

    Just googled the telephone no 888 705 1275 and got onto a complaints board about Google Treasure Chest. There was a UK entry from Junz confirming the Sunderland address and the Jackson Wyoming address and stating UK residents should contact 001866 951 1406. I tried the no. and got through to (would you believe) Jason!!!! He appeared to be able to find my account which he cancelled and gave me a cancellation code 041309-2591610. I asked if that was it and if I had to do anything else – he said no my subscription was cancelled – phew – I hope!!
    Just hope this helps out others.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Richard Michael That’s really good news and really well done Richard. I’m not too sure if you’ve not given away a little too much information there, but you seem to have made real progress where others have come to a brick wall.

      THIS SEEMS TO BE THE ROUTE FOR UK BASED PEOPLE!

      To confirm Richard’s info, the board is at https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/google-treasure-chest-alabama-c210916.html and the info from Junz is:

      Hi! Everybody
      Beware of googletreasurechest. They are fraud. If you are one of the victim and you live in UK please ring this number to cancel your subscription 0018669511406.
      Their address is in usa : 970 w. broadway ste
      E347 Jacsons WY 83001
      UK address :
      Tonstep Networks Ltd
      36 Colchester Terrace
      High Barnes, Sunderland
      Tyne And Wear
      SR4 7RY
      UK

      Funnily enough, the complaints board was one of the places I checked last week but there was so much information, it was impossible to check all the bits out.

  108. Richard Michael avatar
    Richard Michael

    Thanks for the info. for what itsworth I’ve written to the Sunderlandaddress and told them I wished to be removed from their list etc. I also phoned my credit card co. and had my card blocked – they said they would investigate( Egg.) I think I will try the e-mail addresses people have recently listed as well as the phone no. – I take it that is a US no and has to be prefixed with the Int code.

  109. sneed avatar
    sneed

    heres a bit of news.none of the numbers listed here will go through.g.t.c are “unble to complete call” and grant srings “circuits are busy”.anyone have other numbers?btw i too have been duped.ut i am looking to give these peoples info to local news stations.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @sneed
      Thanks sneed. It looks like liam’s experience is a rare event. Did you try the number(s) for international calls as well? Sorry I haven’t listed them yet – too busy this Monday…

  110. Star avatar
    Star

    Dudes, Don’t bother calling or sending romantic letters asking for a refund. Best to cancel your credit card….(and quickly)

    1. Strangely avatar

      You’re a star! Thanks for the alternative viewpoint. People have had trouble with that route though, from what they say.

  111. Liam avatar
    Liam

    OK
    I got through to grantsprings who wanted my telephone number to “find” my account. Incase they did not have it I didnt want to pass it on for fear of telemarketing calls. I asked them to look up my name instead and they could not find any account!

    The man assured me I am not on their system and so would not be charged by grant springs!

    so to reitterate,
    I first emailed “support@googletreasurechest.com” and recieved a reply with 24 hours from the email address “support@internetincomeinitiative.com” giving me a telephone number.

    I called 888-705-1275 where I was able to cancel my googletreassure chest account avoiding the $72.21 monthly charge AND cancel the Fraud SafeLockID membership avoiding the $19.95 monthly charge. I was given another telephone number to cancel the Grant Springs.

    I called 1888 247 2155 where I was stuck on hold for 11 minutes. I was then told they could not find my account using my name or telephone whch means I am not a registered member and as such would not be charged $14.95 a month.

    Hope this helps

    1. Strangely avatar

      It certainly does help. Hopefully a lot of folk will read this. And I hope they’ve got plenty people manning the phones!

      So in comparison to my first post a week ago, for your experience we now have:

      Emails answered
      Phones answered
      Orders cancelled
      Alternative phone numbers and names provided.

      Let’s see if everyone else gets the same results?

      One thing about all this…. It’s like the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing. How can they set up these things and then be clueless about it all later?

      KEEP ALL YOUR DOCUMENTATION! If you can, record the phone calls – it all seems very strange.

  112. Liam avatar
    Liam

    OK
    I called the number 888-705-1275 just now (they open 8am to 5pm mountain time) and spoke to a rep called Holly.

    She gave me a cancelation id made up of 6 digits-4digits-4digits (wont post mine incase someone quotes it as their own).

    Holly confirmed that I will still receieve the CD I paid the $1.99 shipping for and thats mine to keep.

    She confirmed I had cancelled within the 7 days and would not be charged the $72.21

    I went on to ask about the two other things id seen in the sites Terms

    “”You have also unlocked a fourteen-day trial and twenty one-day trial to the Fraud SafeLockID and GrantSpring for just $19.95 and $14.95 a month thereafter (shows as “SafeLockID” and “GrantSpring”) should you choose not to cancel”

    She said she couldnt find anything about these 2 charges then put me on hold. came back and asked “was one of those Grant Springs? we dont do customer service for them so you need another telephone number.”

    Asked about the “Fraud safelock” she said I would not be charged for that and to cancel the grant springs id need to call 1888 247 2155.

    I tried but got a strange dialling tone. Im in the UK so i cant tell what the tone means busy line / dead line etc

    So at the very worst i should be charged $14.95 if the grant springs is not cancelled. not so bad.

    I will continue to look for a way to contact grantspring. i’ll keep you posted!

    1. Strangely avatar

      @Liam
      Thanks for getting back Liam.

      I think your experience WILL BE VERY USEFUL TO PEOPLE. If anything, it continues to show that this company is changing. If enough people shout then people listen. Let’s hope it stays that way. It still doesn’t get away from the fact that the basic business model they use, to paraphrase Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – is bogus.

      • You still signed up for one thing and got lumbered with three!
      • They still obfuscated their intent with confusing, unclear, almost hidden terms
      • Their history is really really bad. It’s gonna take a lot of work on their cumulative karma to shift their accumulated detritus of even worse business practices. Earl J. Hickey’s karma is nothing on theirs!
      • They are still creating new websites to the same formula with the same bewildering array of sound-alike names and look-alike imaginary success stories
  113. steve (feeling like an idiot) avatar
    steve (feeling like an idiot)

    Like an idiot, I fell for this one too. Had suspicions aroused during signup and had a look around on google. I contacted my Bank and immediately had my card cancelled, so hope this puts an end to this. I was taken in by the Google banners etc.
    Why do google allow people to flagrantly use their banners and name to scam people, I did trust the Google name up to this point. Don’t Google realise this impacts their credibility as well.

    1. Strangely avatar

      @steve (feeling like an idiot)
      I think you’ve got a point about the usurping of the various companies’ names there Steve. In my original investigation into this ferago, I found Google Support forums all about this and similar topics. I posted Google investigation into GoogleTreasureChest as one link.

      I hope your bank honours your requests and not their honour to pay for services which you asked for. Some people have had trouble with this as the banks/card companies say that the terms are written down. Others have fared differently. I noticed that in that Google forum, a user called stan.kendall on the 6th April 2009 phoned 1-866-951-1406 and managed to get a cancellation…

      Well that’s another phone number to add to my list!! Make sure you try and cancel officially with the ‘company’, keep all records and hope for the best.

  114. k0lumbus avatar
    k0lumbus

    I just signed up like a dummy as well b4 researching.
    Received two emails immediately:
    1) From Iplanfinancial.com: Welcome to iPlanFinancial.com. We are excited that you have taken advantage of our risk free trial membership. This email is your activation email for our exciting new product – iPlanFinancial.com. Using your login information below, you will have access to a huge library information specifically designed to help free yourself from financial stress.
    This one is from Orem, UT ph –
    (888) 247-3851
    2)Welcome to FreshKeywordIdeas.com. We are excited that you have taken advantage of our risk free trial membership. This email is your activation email for our exciting new product – FreshKeywordIdeas.com. Using your login information below, you will have access to a huge library of current techniques and resources to help you master search marketing through Google’s Adwords.We’ll show the beginner the very basics to help them on the way. We even have some tips for you search marketing pros

    1. Strangely avatar

      @k0lumbus
      This ties in with what other people have been saying, such as Not Kevin yesterday in this related post and this one as well.
      Others earlier got bombarded with email ‘ideas’ and some were contacted in the first instance via a spam email and still signed up! It’s likely that these are from purchased email lists – and of course, every time someone enquires, that email is added to the stack.

      It’s hard for people to admit they’ve done something stupid so to you, and everyone else who’s commented with their stories, I salute you. I sincerely hope that you can get some form of redress from all this; certainly, if you try all the various addresses and techniques people have tried to get their money back and stop any further payments, I think you’ll hit one that works.
      When I can find the time, I’ll collate all the addresses and phone numbers that I’ve accumulated in the past week into one place. This may be some help.

      How long is it since you got suckered and have you managed to stop payments and/or get a refund yet?

  115. Richard Michael avatar
    Richard Michael

    Yes I got caught too – on the 8th April – appeared when I opened up an e-mai from Motley Fool so thought it was genuine. Trouble is I haven’t any paperwork with any addresses or phone no to contact to cancel. The entry on my Credit Card statement shows ‘For refunds call 866957 Sandy’ Where the hell is that and what’s the code – is it a UK or US No? I’ve contacted my card co. and told them not to pay any further amounts other than the $1.97 I’ve been taken for and told them to cancel that card and reissue a new one.
    I’d love to send a letter or e-mail to cancel but just don’t have any links at all – can you help – I’ve read all the responses and see some people have had the same message as me – 866956 Sandy etc. My enquiry was re Josh Parker and the Google Biz Kit offer.
    I’m dammed if I’ll pay anything else and I’ll see them all in court if they threaten me because as far as I am concerned they have broken their contract with me having supplied nothing except a receipt from securecartcenter.com.
    Any assistance would be appreciated,
    R.M.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Richard.
      I see you’re UK based. I found a UK address up in Sunderland in my personal trawls. Also, drop a line to ‘Watchdog’ or similar. I’ve done just that as I’m truly shocked by the large number of people who’ve contacted me in only a couple of days, and then, when I fished around a bit more, I find it’s a global scourge of moving targets and false promises. Because my website is just a pimple on the globe, scaled up I think that tens of millions in money is involved in this. After all, most people don’t like to admit they’ve been conned so I reckon I’m just looking at the tip of an iceberg. I think I need some professional help to nail this lot down.
      There are two other posts I’ve made on this so check through them as well. I may have a contact who works in the same building as one serpent’s arm of the Medusa’s Head that is this scam. However, if the address is revealed, and knowing previous behaviour, I reckon they’ll push off in a flurry of meal tabs and credit slips…

      Try these for more stuff and trace some of the supplied links through. You may spot something I’ve missed!
      https://strangelyperfect.tv/3126/drill-down-through-bsadnpanthersslcom/
      https://strangelyperfect.tv/3140/google-kit-or-treasure-chest-the-plot-thickens/

  116. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    This one even claims that you can “Get paid $5 to $30 for every website link that you post on Google. No one needs to buy anything from you or Google in order to get paid.” …Followed by an image of an Adsense cheque..kevinmakesdough.com SCAM
    (this one has audio too!) 🙂

    Further on down the page it says “Google will start sending their first check to you in about 48 hours. Or you can start to have them wire directly into your checking account. (Your first checks will be about $500 to $1,500 a week. Then it goes up from there. Depends on how many links you posted online.)”

    As you have adsense ads on this blog you will know how ridiculous and innacurate it is to describe adsense as ‘posting links on Google’ not to mention the ‘$5 to $30 for every website link that you post’; ‘check in 48 hours’ and ‘$500 to $1,500 a week’ claims!

    1. Strangely avatar

      This is actually the same page including the audio as the one that first started my interest in this all of er… 6 days ago! That was kevinlifeblog.com and this is kevinmakesdough.com.

      There’s a small difference in that this later one actually reveals himself as Jose Menendez from 17425 Nw 77th Ct, Hialeah, FL 33015 in a WHOIS. This small difference is quite big, because the anonymity is one of the things that bugs me. Some of the copyrights are a bit different at the bottom and the signup still goes to securecart.

      The Florida address is interesting because of the proliferation of top quality gnomerage in the street, such is the success of his venture! See below:

      View Larger Map

  117. Strangely avatar

    This is a pointer to a good breakdown of the general setups of these scams from “Not Ken” on a comment to a related post here: Originally Posted By Not Kevin

    In it mention is made of a good comment on another site WafflesAtNoon here: http://wafflesatnoon.com/scam-alert-car-wrap-sales-pitch/#comment-2388

    All the commentary and descriptions relate to diet-type scams but the same principles hold and they use the same methods of obfuscation and delay relating to money and addresses.
    They also use the same photos time and again, as we’ve seen. I tried four consequetive links for demos of this in a comment made in January this year (4 months ago) and only one site is still going! This is the comment.

    This is a good demonstration of the fly-by-night nature of these people and their activities, as any sound business would be proud of their domain name and keen to stay in business – WeightWatchers for instance.

    On the one remaining site I checked, the same artwork and stuff was evident in the right margin menu with claims about recommendations apparently being made by MSNBC, Oprah and the like.
    This is the artwork coming from Monica’s Diet Blog, the one site still going from the four I checked:
    ….and this is the text from the bottom of the follow-through click page:

    *These statements have not been reviewed by the UK Department of Health. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. AcaiBerryExclusive.com is not affiliated in any way with CNN, MSNBC, and CBS News. CNN, MSNBC, and CBS News are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

    It’s all a big flag to look good and real with a suitable disclaimer at the bottom! This is exactly the same as the Google Money Chest and other related stuff.

    To compare Jason’s Road to Riches which I talked about here, https://strangelyperfect.tv/3140/google-kit-or-treasure-chest-the-plot-thickens/, we see the same process. Here’s the big logo splash to make it look good:
    ,
    …. and here is the disclaimer:

    All trademarks on this web site whether registered or not, are the property of their respective owners. The authors of this web site are not sponsored by or affiliated with any of the third-party trade mark or third-party registered trade mark owners, and make no representations about them, their owners, their products or services.

    Google® does not endorse or sponsor this site and is in no way affiliated with www-GoogleCash.com
    The trademarks of Google®, MSN®, CNBC®, USAToday®, ABC®, CNN® and Yahoo!® are the properties of their respective companies. These organizations do not specifically endorse or sponsor this site.

    Exactly the same, and it ties in with the folder list which has been left exposed as I tried to describe here; https://strangelyperfect.tv/3126/drill-down-through-bsadnpanthersslcom/

    Just watch out; look and read, think and act!

  118. J avatar
    J

    I work in the same building and they are crooks, please please please do not talk to them. They will try to get you to use “OPM” (Other People’s Money) to invest in their coaching. They take hundreds of thousands of dollars from people every single week.

  119. Strangely avatar

    Originally Posted By X
    I know who they are!!!! I work for another company on the same floor as me and I hear the things that they tell people…saying that they are calling from Google, “The Google Success Team”, etc.
    They have white boards up with the amounts of money ….

    Hi X.
    There are two things you can simply do; that is contact the US BBB AND FTC using the links I put at the bottom of the main post above. Mention this website and others that list the various goings-on in copious detail if you like. It all adds to the body of evidence. They can be shut down – a similar thing got a $3m fine two years ago, which demonstrates the volumes of cash being bandied around and why they spend so much time being circumspect and skirting the meaning but not intent of the law.

    Also, can you confirm their current address? There’ve been several listed along with the phone numbers and it’s all getting a bit confusing….but that’s their game, isn’t it? !!

    I was going to suggest getting a picture of the whiteboards but in retrospect, keep safe. Don’t attract any attention to yourself. I see your IP address is an ISP in Denver so you’re all in the same rough area.

    A good clear address would be a lot of help to people, so just do that. If their phone number is on the wall, we’ll have that. No more. We’ve seen names from people who answer the phones – but they’re probably as real as the people in the various websites!

  120. X avatar
    X

    Six Figure Consulting is a SCAM

  121. X avatar
    X

    I know who they are!!!! I work for another company on the same floor as me and I hear the things that they tell people…saying that they are calling from Google, “The Google Success Team”, etc.
    They have white boards up with the amounts of money that they literally steal from people.
    The CEO of this company has been affiliated with several other fraudulent companies in Utah. I don’t know what to do to get them shut down because I am not a victim.
    I know who they are and I know that they are stealing money from people. They manipulate people into putting money on their credit cards…a lot of money…
    Please let me know if you know how I can help shut them down.
    Thank you!

  122. Jonathan avatar
    Jonathan

    Hey,
    First of all, thank you for posting this article. I now know how 866957 SANDY UT is…anyways after loosing 2 dollars and now 72 dollars, I was wondering if filing a complaint against them (via my bank) would do anything. Thanks for letting me know.

  123. Strangely avatar

    Originally Posted By Liam
    @Holly

    Hey
    got this email yesterday (…)call Customer Support at 888-705-1275 (…) to cancel your account.

    hope that helps!

    I think it does help Liam! There’s a bit of a sea change going on here as I mentioned in my posting earlier today. Previously, as far as I’ve seen, no-one had ever got an email communication from anyone! So that’s a bit of a first, but it does tie in with what I said in “Google Kit, or Treasure Chest, the Plot Thickens?” – i.e. they’re modifying their behaviour following various bad stories.

    I’ve had another bright idea! ….

    I’ll add up all the phone numbers we seem to be collecting, start a website, and promise that that number will be the amount you’ll get in a year if you give me $71 a month!

    It’s as good and reliable as any of the schemes I’ve seen so far, hah! hah!

  124. Liam avatar
    Liam

    @Holly

    Hey
    got this email yesterday
    “Dear Google Treasure Chest Customer,

    Please call Customer Support at 888-705-1275 for further assistance and/or to cancel your account.

    Thank You,

    Customer Support

    hope that helps!

  125. Can't believe I was so stupid... avatar
    Can’t believe I was so stupid…

    The bank just asked me for the info on where and when I tried to call, e-mail, and for the registered letter that I sent with the cancellation. None reached Google Treasure Chest of course, but it was proof that I tried.

    1. Strangely avatar

      To Can’t believe I was so stupid…
      Ask the bank to try the Draper and Jackson addresses that other people have tried in earlier comments. That’ll be another bit of proof if they get the same effect or you never know, they might find someone, ha ha.
      Ask them to look at this website as well and trace through a few links if any more proof is needed!

  126. Can't believe I was so stupid... avatar
    Can’t believe I was so stupid…

    It’s only been a few days since I disputed, but from what I’ve seen, as long as you have proof that you attempted to cancel within the 7-day cancellation period, I will (hopefully) be refunded the money by my bank. In terms of the $1.97, I still haven’t received anything from Google Treasure Chest, so I disputed that one on the basis on not receiving the item. I also advised the bank that my credit card information has been obtained by a scam company, so they suggested I cancel it and they issued me another.

    1. Strangely avatar

      To Can’t believe I was so stupid…
      So it good on the bank and fingers crossed time until then! Your bank seems quite pro-active. Some other people have been told to go away by their banks as “the terms of sale were ‘clearly’ written on the website”, they’ve said.

  127. Can't believe I was so stupid... avatar
    Can’t believe I was so stupid…

    Just wanted to keep you posted on this interesting web of companies, I did a reverse lookup on the number that has been calling me constantly at home since I signed up for Google Treasure Chest, and I get this:

    Six Figure Consulting

    2755 E Cottonwood Pkwy

    Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121

    (801) 944-0838

  128. Can't believe I was so stupid... avatar
    Can’t believe I was so stupid…

    Hi Kay,

    Unfortunately, I believe that you are going to have to go the “dispute at your bank” route. Just make sure you keep notes/records on all the attempts you made to cancel, and then dispute the charges when they appear on your credit card/bank statement. I’m sure there will be no trouble getting the funds back as long as you have proof of your attempts to cancel.

    One other interesting thing to add, when the charge appeared on my statement, here’s what the merchant name came up as:

    FOR REFUNDS CALL866957 SANDY UT

    Apparently now their merchant name is “FOR REFUNDS”. lol.

    1. Strangely avatar

      To Can’t believe I was so stupid…

      Did you actually get your money back? I’ve seen a few successes on other websites but the vast majority of folk are having a hell of a job.

  129. kay avatar
    kay

    I signed up for the google treasure chest on the 7th of April, but after submiting my form with the $1.97 payment, I noticed that I missed out part of my address and tried to call the number but was surprised when an automated voice message informed that they have closed, that was when I decided to do a search on them and found out that it’s a scam and that I will also be charged $72.21 in seven days time, plus some extras of $19.95 and $14.95 respectively.
    I immediately call my bank up but they said they cant help me till after 15 days that is even after I must have written the scammers an e-mail. I searched on their website for an e-mail address the only one I got has to do with the support@googletreasurechest.com, which I eventually sent an e-mail to. The number given on their website 866.951.1406 has not worked again since my first call on the 7th of April, 2009, while reading all the comments above I noticed that the returns address I have (taken from their website differs from all of you guys’ what I have is 405 East, 12450 South, Suite G,Draper, Utah 84020.This address was given for returns only i.e the google starter kit and cancellation document.
    I live in canada can anyone please help me with the right address and a functional phone number if there is any.
    Funny enough the guy on the JohnMade Cash.com website states his name as Josh Parker who happens to ”come” from Airdrie where I live.
    I need your help please … anyone with the right information to stop this scammers from taking my money.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Kay.
      Other people have said that the email address doesn’t work. Some have contacted with the phone number, but as they seem to be a bit ‘mobile’ currently, I wouldn’t give much hope on that! What I’ve found is that nearly all the ‘addresses’ issued are in what was once “The Wild West”.

      It seems it’s still a pretty lawless place where people can sell snake oil with impunity, pack up and scarper quick before there are any come-backs.

  130. Strangely avatar

    Screenshots of the two sites' contact forms
    Google Treasure Chest is now changing. From the main google results page you can trace two sites, one with a redirect. The redirect now points to a greenish-tinged site, compared to the golden treasure coloured one. Apart from the name, the colours and a small piece of text, the sites are identical.
    Each site, has different contact points following the link at page bottom. We have:


    INTERNET MONEY TREE
    You may contact us in any of the following ways:
    US
    By Phone: Customer Service: 1-866-870-4257 Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
    By email: support@googlemoneytree.com
    By US Mail: 2375 E Tropicana Ave STE 8, Las Vegas, NV 89119-6563

    UK
    TonStep Networks Ltd
    36 Colchester Terrace
    High Barnes, Sunderland
    Tyne and Wear SR4 7RY
    United Kingdom


    and the original GOOGLE TREASURE CHEST:
    You may contact us in any of the following ways:
    US
    By Phone: Customer Service: 866.951.1406 Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
    By email: support@googletreasurechest.com
    By US Mail: 970 W Broadway Ste. E347, Jackson, WY 83001

    UK
    TonStep Networks Ltd
    36 Colchester Terrace
    High Barnes, Sunderland
    Tyne and Wear SR4 7RY
    United Kingdom

    As Holly found, having a contact point is not the same as making contact! The Jackson address is illuminating. Check it out on Google Maps – it’s a motel type thing!

    TonStep is a common point though. It’s a little mid-terraced house in Sunderland – up north, where it’s grim. I’ll have a look next time up up there – which will be soon.

    Co-incidentally today in Somerset (where I live), the big cops have broken a potentially huge scam organisation. This was a mailing scam promising riches beyond your wildest dreams – and all for 20 quid! Read it here.

  131. Holly avatar
    Holly

    I signed up for the free goggle cash kit on April 6th like a dummy without checking into it more. I called the number above that was with the address 2510 warren ave. ste 3363 Cheyenne, wy 82001. Number 1 866-591-1406 and I was talking to Sarah and they have nothing to do with the goggle cash kit she told me I had the wrong number I don’t suppose anyone out there has the number to call to get this cancelled. if you do could you please pass it on.

    1. Kendall avatar
      Kendall

      The correct number is (866) 951-1406. I just called and was told I would receive a refund in 7-10 bus. days and was also given a cancellation #. We’ll see what happens. I feel sooooo stupid!

      1. Kendall avatar
        Kendall

        I called the (866) 951-1406 number after checking my credit card acct and reached a guy named Jared. He sounded nervous, but he was nice. He gave me a cancellation # and also stated I would be refunded the $72.21 within 7-10 bus. days. We’ll see. Meanwhile, I’m disputing the charge with my CC company. I’ll let you know how this works out. I, too, feel like an IDIOT!

        1. Strangely avatar

          @Kendall.
          Thanks Kendall.
          When these comments thin out, I intend to get back to people to see how they all fared and get some measure of people’s success rate at getting their cash back and cancelling. Of course people don’t need to get back but it’d be nicee to see the results! So let me know and I won’t need to contact you further.
          Good luck!

  132. sundene avatar
    sundene

    There is also a scammer for this at robertscashblog.com and he too, strangely, says he is from my city. It has a picture of him and his very nice family. I’ll have a look to see if this ‘family’ appears elsewhere.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Your town must be packed to the seams with wealthy Google kitters! Is there any one there with a proper job, I wonder?

      It just proves it’s a pack of fluff, with no substance to any of it.

  133. brian4xp avatar
    brian4xp

    I found this site searching for info on the joshmadecash site. I found it strange that he says he is from my city. I did a “view source” and found that he has code that is the equivalent to “I’m originally from ”

    So I googled for joshmadecash and found this site as a result.

    Of course most people don’t do any checking and get caught by these scam artists, unfortunately.

    1. Strangely avatar

      It pays to check before you hand over any cash, Brian!
      As you’ve found, the town, people and stories are wholly a bunch of fiction – pretty well crafted but much too good to be true.

      Everyone, just remember:

      It’s not a real person in the photos
      It’s not a real place
      Not one part of the story is real – it’s just a story, like the princess in the castle

      And finally – you will get ripped off!

  134. David Sutherland avatar
    David Sutherland

    Martin,

    thanks for the research.

    A friend of mine, Jeff Rogers of Youth With A Mission Woodcrest, an international relief and Evangelical Christian organization has had his photos stolen without permission and they are used by these scamsters. Regardless of how people feel about Christian charities I believe my friend ought to be helped in recovering his likeness from being associated with these Google Treasure Chest folks. Any group who offer financial hope by way of scam siphoning off people’s resources by way of charade and then use others identity to cover their cowardliness and thievery really ought to be dismantled and if laws are being broken they should be punished. If nothing else they are ruining my friend’s reputation through his likeness. Even today another one of these pop-ups showed up while I was visiting my mother’s home on her computer-!

    Does any one know a good lawyer that could help my friend?

    Here’s the ad showing Jeff and his family:

    Someone needs to figure out who these guys are and expose them! My guess is that the photos they use on their site might be some clues. Did they really randomly steal people’s photos or is there a pattern there?

    1. Strangely avatar

      David.
      This link bsadn.pantherssl.com had a load of folders full of pictures and stuff. A few (i.e. more than one) were for Christian type things. I never checked through them because, as I said, life’s too short. See if your friend is in there and if so, try some sort of cease and desist thing to the actual domain holder (the marketing company).

      The link you gave has almost the same text as the heaps I found previously and is certainly the same format. This time ‘he’ is a data analyst (like me in a way!) instead of a plumber’s merchant middle manager. Whatever, none of it is real. They are as fictional as any play.

      My guess is that they’ve chosen pictures straight from the net – random, quiet sites or Flikr type places. From somewhere they think no-one would notice. However, using pictures for illustration is completely different to misrepresentation. I’m sure that even some sort of small claims court type procedure, if you bring a stack of evidence, would certainly stop the misrepresentation at minimal cost to yourselves. The UK has such a system. I don’t know anything about the USA apart from Judge Judy, I’m afraid…
      Damages is a different matter. In the UK there are hosts of damage claimant victors who’ve never received nor are likely to receive any cash. For a host of reasons, although company bankruptcy crops up a lot as an excuse. Dodgy spiv type places can’t be expected to last long unfortunately – it’s their modus operandi.

  135. Not Kevin avatar
    Not Kevin

    Nice research. These people have been scamming people using the Gogole name for months now. Why biliion dollar Google has not shut down /sued these monkeys I don’t know.

    Waffles at Noon did a nice expose of the fake blogs (so numerous a new term has been coined for them: flogs) a while back at:
    http://wafflesatnoon.com/scam-alert-website-list/

    There is also a massive thread at Scam.com:
    https://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=56093

    Very similar tactics have been used by another shady outfit in Florida going by the name emillionaire aka EZnetincome / Marqilife / Brock Felt – loads of complaints on complaintsboard.com for that one too, just do a search there for emillionaire or google it.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Thanks for that bit of extra info. Let’s hope it helps someone and forces this load of scum to get proper jobs…. I doubt it though, but there’s always hope!

  136. Can't believe I was so stupid... avatar
    Can’t believe I was so stupid…

    I also received an e-mail with an offer from “Google Money Tree” today, with an address listed in Utah. I’m guessing it’s just the same organization.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Yeah. The ‘Treasure Chest’ and the ‘Google Kit’ are the same. That’s why I put a couple of SEO-type Amazon ads on the post. I suspect that all the ‘Kit’ does is tell you all the ‘tricks’ to get better websites. These books are part of it, and there’s a ton of stuff for free on the web if you use a well-known search engine like … er … Google, and are clever with a few terms.
      It’s certainly cheaper than $71 a month! For instance, this website (Strangely Perfect dot teevee) is top in Google if you type “Strangely Perfect” in as a search. The same goes for the website about my old musical life under the moniker “Crawling Chaos” – this is also top in Google, I don’t have a Wikipedia entry for it and I haven’t spent a penny!
      Whether the sites have any value to humanity is debatable, but they still rank top, which is undeniable. 😉 And this is all that the ‘Treasure Chest’ and the ‘Google Kit’ are trying to con people with!

  137. Can't believe I was so stupid... avatar
    Can’t believe I was so stupid…

    I signed up before doing any research. I signed up on April 6, researched it AFTER (dum dum, I know) and realized that this was going to be a problem. I called to cancel immediately and got an automated message (no voicemail). I tried the email and it’s a bounce back. So today I sent a letter via registered mail to the address provided to ensure I have a record it was cancelled within 7 days. The address may be a dummy, but at least I’ll have proof of cancellation to provide to my credit card company when I challenge the extra charges as fraudulant.

    Something else interesting, I have gotten three different telemarketing calls since the time I signed up (yesterday), all from numbers in Utah, clearly they are selling the phone numbers as well.

    1. Strangely avatar

      I’m not surprised by the last bit. When I trawled through the images and other folders at https://bsadn.pantherssl.com/ I found over 30 different campaigns in there. I gave up after a while – there may be more, but life’s too short.

      The Utah connection is interesting in that in my (limited I know) research, Utah didn’t pop out once! I had various places, mainly west coast. Maybe they choose every place to hide except the place they are?

    2. X avatar
      X

      Please, I work on the same floor as these crooks..I don’t know what to do to stop them, but they are so insanely horrible in the things that they are doing and I don’t know where I can go to stop them. Please respond and let’s get them shut down.

      1. Strangely avatar

        Thanks Mate.
        Firstly thanks for contributing.
        Secondly, I’ve changed your displayed name to “X”. My opinion is that it’s still like The Wild West where you are and your situation is too close for my comfort. There’s a lot of anonymity in what they do – it’s got absolutely nothing about protecting their email addresses from spammers and real mail addresses from internet registration sharks. After all, my name and address are clearly broadcast on the web if you hunt for all of er.. 10 seconds! The amount of spam I get hasn’t materially altered since I started my own websites and I get a internet shark thing once or twice a year (I also exposed their letter to me like so https://strangelyperfect.tv/1388/domainrenewalgroup-dot-con-artists/).

        I’ll get back to you.

  138. Gail avatar
    Gail

    Thank you very much for this information! Times are hard and a lot of people will probably fall prey to these kind of scams. I almost did.

    1. Strangely avatar

      Yes. “If something looks too good to be true, it is” is a good motto. The thought crossed my mind, too, before I started digging around – only for a short while though!

  139. Kamen avatar
    Kamen

    I looked into the address 2510 Warren Ave, Cheyenne, WY and found out that they are the registered agent for the companys listed on google maps. So the business are not actually located at that address but the registered agent for all of those companies resides there.

    1. Strangely avatar

      I thought it may have been a dead office drop point.
      When I did a similar little investigation some time ago, it turned out that it was a one-man band of schemes run from his house. It could be that the registered agent you’ve found is one and the same as the company owners? Without living in the USA and physically doing some actual checks – who can tell?
      It’s a time thing really. Once I found out enough bad stuff, that’s all I needed to know.

  140. David avatar
    David

    I ordered that CD thinking, $2 dollars what can I lose. Then I read the small print and realized it was a scam. I ordered it a week ago and still haven’t received it. Also I never got my name and password for the google treasure chest. I called today to tell them what I thought about there service and to cancel. I got my code so lets hope I don’t get any charges.

    1. Strangely avatar

      You’ll be lucky, I think.
      Their small print is quite specific – you’ve got seven days from the order, not from when the CD is posted or when you receive it!

      It really is a nice little earner – just don’t post anything, get the $70 and then cancel when asked. No CD actually needed and no postage. Wahay! (although from reading other complaints on other sites, some people do get the CD and most haven’t a clue what SEO and stuff means…)

      Let me know how you get on, David.

  141. Matthew avatar
    Matthew

    So I signed up for it this morning but that was before i did some research. (Not thinking at all) and they charged me the $1.97 is it still safe to get out of before they chharge me the $72

    1. Strangely avatar

      Matthew
      Reading in some of the links I posted, you have to PHONE them up. Make sure you have a pen and paper and WRITE DOWN the code they give you. That’s the cancellation code. The email addresses don’t work, apparently.
      That’s YOUR ONE CHANCE and you’ve ONLY GOT SEVEN DAYS to cancel!!!

      Next time I suppose you’ll check stuff out on Google before you sign up to anything! It’s a grabby seedy world out there, just under the veneer of respectability.

Leave a Reply to brian4xp Cancel reply

Copyright ©1976

All Rights Reserved by Strangely Perfect

Occasional Tweets here @crawlingchaosuk