The Buying and Selling PageRank Scam

hijaker · 2004-06-19, 08:20 AM

There's a scam out there, and I'll be the first to tell you that it's really a scam against website owners--and a lot of innocent webmasters (just like you and me) are falling victim to it. I'm hoping that by posting and exposing this scam that you will be more educated as a webmaster and as a consumer.

I've labeled this scam the "Buying and Selling Stolen Pagerank Scam". Here's how the "Buying and Selling Stolen PageRank Scam" works and what these scummy people are doing:

The fraudster buys a domain name and sets up a website Directory. But, before they make the directory available for public view, they steal the PageRank of an innocent website. They do this by redirecting their directory's domain name to the innocent website that has a high Pagerank. By doing a redirect to, for example, a website that has a PR8, Google thinks (rightly so) that the Directory's domain name has a PR8. Once Google has assigned the backlinks and the PR to the redirected Directory domain, the Directory domain owner 'turns on' the Directory--and it appears to have a PageRank of 8.

Redirecting a domain name is not the problem. The problem is when the Directory owner attempts to scam innocent webmasters into thinking that they are getting a link from a PageRank 8 website (whereas the PR has been stolen from another website). In many cases, the Directory owner is selling links from their website on the premise that it's a link from a PR8 site. The next month, the Directory will most likely not have a high PageRank. Therefore, the innocent webmaster who thinks they have bought a link from a high PageRank website has been scammed.

What's an innocent webmaster to do? There are tell-tale signs that a directory or website that you're going to get a link from has stolen PageRank from another website.

First, check the backlinks of the Directory or website that's going to link to you. If you cannot find links that are suppposed to be linking to the Directory, then become suspicious. Look some more at random, and you might see a pattern. It's very easy to expose sites' backlinks like this if you use a tool like Optilink that will analyze backlinks for you. In Optilink specifically, if the "target links =0" on the majority of these backlinks, then be suspicious.

Second, if the backlinks of the Directory or website that's going to link to you has a huge number of backlinks (thousands or hundreds of thousands) and you've never heard of this directory or website, then be suspicious. Check more backlinks and see if there's a pattern.

Third, if you've never heard of the directory or website that's going to link to you and it has links from extremely well-known websites, is there a reason why you've never heard of it?

Fourth, if you receive an unsolicited email that states that you can purchase or get a reciprocal link from a high-PR website, then be suspicious. Most real high-PR websites or directories (like DMOZ, Yahoo!, or niche directories) won't send you an email. In fact, in most cases, you have to beg, plead to, and offer your first-born son just to get into their directory. They won't be contacting you by email. If you get such an email, check the backlinks out thoroughly like I suggest in the first three tips.

Lastly, if you see advertisements that state that you can purchase or get a recprical link from a high-PR website and it sounds intriguing, check the backlinks thoroughly like I suggest in the first three tips here.

Buying and selling stolen PageRank is definitely a scam, and those doing it are feeding off of innocent webmasters. In fact, as a consumer who almost got suckered in, it really should be illegal for them to do this--it's downright fraudulent.

SirMoby · 2004-06-19, 11:03 AM

That's a nice post and you're correct. I'll highlight a couple of things though.

IF YOU RECIEVE AN UNSOLICITIED EMAIL ask yourself why the company needs to spam to gain business. I was on the Internet when people were still asking "What's email?" and I've yet to find a good reason to receive and unsolicited email.

Can anyone think of 1 reputable company that spams? I'm sitting here trying and I don't think I can remember one.

xxxjay · 2004-06-20, 04:27 PM

Look what happened to Chocker for selling PR:
http://www.chokinchicken.com

BANNED

serious · 2004-06-21, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xxxjay
Look what happened to Chocker for selling PR:
http://www.chokinchicken.com

BANNED

He said it was becasue he had thousands of similar pages, and was considered spam. Obviously it could be either or, but the selling pr thing wasn't highly advertised or obvious I don't think, unless G noticed the new network wide footer and triggered the alarm for hand review.

xxxjay · 2004-06-21, 07:49 PM

That may have triggered the audit, but I would bet anything the PR for sale killed him.

Bill · 2004-06-21, 08:17 PM

Whereas my guess is that somebody reported the pagerank selling to google, presumably thru the spam report page but maybe in direct emails to google staff, and that triggered the audit, which then saw the thousands of near identical sites.

The combination got him killed.

Just a guess, admittedly. But it explains why chicken got the axe when other script generated networks haven't been touched yet.

Choker had a few enemies, and google has a past history of banning pr-for-sale businesses.

All just guesses, tho...

urb · 2004-06-22, 11:37 AM

hijaker,

No offence, but that's two posts I've seen from you today which are simply copy and pastes.

You first post in this thread is a replica of this page....

http://searchwarp.com/swa2055.htm

DangerDave · 2004-06-22, 04:38 PM

2004-06-19, 08:20 AM	#1
hijaker If something goes wrong at the plant, blame the guy who can't speak English Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 36	The Buying and Selling PageRank Scam There's a scam out there, and I'll be the first to tell you that it's really a scam against website owners--and a lot of innocent webmasters (just like you and me) are falling victim to it. I'm hoping that by posting and exposing this scam that you will be more educated as a webmaster and as a consumer. I've labeled this scam the "Buying and Selling Stolen Pagerank Scam". Here's how the "Buying and Selling Stolen PageRank Scam" works and what these scummy people are doing: The fraudster buys a domain name and sets up a website Directory. But, before they make the directory available for public view, they steal the PageRank of an innocent website. They do this by redirecting their directory's domain name to the innocent website that has a high Pagerank. By doing a redirect to, for example, a website that has a PR8, Google thinks (rightly so) that the Directory's domain name has a PR8. Once Google has assigned the backlinks and the PR to the redirected Directory domain, the Directory domain owner 'turns on' the Directory--and it appears to have a PageRank of 8. Redirecting a domain name is not the problem. The problem is when the Directory owner attempts to scam innocent webmasters into thinking that they are getting a link from a PageRank 8 website (whereas the PR has been stolen from another website). In many cases, the Directory owner is selling links from their website on the premise that it's a link from a PR8 site. The next month, the Directory will most likely not have a high PageRank. Therefore, the innocent webmaster who thinks they have bought a link from a high PageRank website has been scammed. What's an innocent webmaster to do? There are tell-tale signs that a directory or website that you're going to get a link from has stolen PageRank from another website. First, check the backlinks of the Directory or website that's going to link to you. If you cannot find links that are suppposed to be linking to the Directory, then become suspicious. Look some more at random, and you might see a pattern. It's very easy to expose sites' backlinks like this if you use a tool like Optilink that will analyze backlinks for you. In Optilink specifically, if the "target links =0" on the majority of these backlinks, then be suspicious. Second, if the backlinks of the Directory or website that's going to link to you has a huge number of backlinks (thousands or hundreds of thousands) and you've never heard of this directory or website, then be suspicious. Check more backlinks and see if there's a pattern. Third, if you've never heard of the directory or website that's going to link to you and it has links from extremely well-known websites, is there a reason why you've never heard of it? Fourth, if you receive an unsolicited email that states that you can purchase or get a reciprocal link from a high-PR website, then be suspicious. Most real high-PR websites or directories (like DMOZ, Yahoo!, or niche directories) won't send you an email. In fact, in most cases, you have to beg, plead to, and offer your first-born son just to get into their directory. They won't be contacting you by email. If you get such an email, check the backlinks out thoroughly like I suggest in the first three tips. Lastly, if you see advertisements that state that you can purchase or get a recprical link from a high-PR website and it sounds intriguing, check the backlinks thoroughly like I suggest in the first three tips here. Buying and selling stolen PageRank is definitely a scam, and those doing it are feeding off of innocent webmasters. In fact, as a consumer who almost got suckered in, it really should be illegal for them to do this--it's downright fraudulent. __________________

2004-06-20, 04:27 PM	#3
xxxjay You can now put whatever you want in this space :) Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: atlanta Posts: 1,787	Look what happened to Chocker for selling PR: http://www.chokinchicken.com BANNED __________________ Circle Of Violence

2004-06-21, 07:49 PM	#5
xxxjay You can now put whatever you want in this space :) Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: atlanta Posts: 1,787	That may have triggered the audit, but I would bet anything the PR for sale killed him. __________________ Circle Of Violence

2004-06-22, 11:37 AM	#7
urb All the way from Room 101 Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 3,557	hijaker, No offence, but that's two posts I've seen from you today which are simply copy and pastes. You first post in this thread is a replica of this page.... http://searchwarp.com/swa2055.htm __________________

2004-06-22, 04:38 PM	#8
DangerDave Bonged Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: BrisVegas, AUSTRALIA Posts: 4,882	__________________ Old Dollars >>>> Now with over 90 Hosted Free Sites <<<< DangerDave.com.au - Adult Links to Free Porn

2004-06-19, 11:03 AM	#2
SirMoby Jim? I heard he's a dirty pornographer. Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 2,706	That's a nice post and you're correct. I'll highlight a couple of things though. IF YOU RECIEVE AN UNSOLICITIED EMAIL ask yourself why the company needs to spam to gain business. I was on the Internet when people were still asking "What's email?" and I've yet to find a good reason to receive and unsolicited email. Can anyone think of 1 reputable company that spams? I'm sitting here trying and I don't think I can remember one.

2004-06-21, 08:17 PM	#6
Bill Selling porn allows me to stay in a constant state of Bliss - ain't that a trip! Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,914	Whereas my guess is that somebody reported the pagerank selling to google, presumably thru the spam report page but maybe in direct emails to google staff, and that triggered the audit, which then saw the thousands of near identical sites. The combination got him killed. Just a guess, admittedly. But it explains why chicken got the axe when other script generated networks haven't been touched yet. Choker had a few enemies, and google has a past history of banning pr-for-sale businesses. All just guesses, tho...