Crescent / Babenet seems to be at it again

[gonzo]

But they call themselves Big Clicks . . . somebody must have got early parole.

I knew this looked familiar...

I just got some spam from Babenet. It led to a website which followed exactly the formula that the guy Bruce Chew used running Crescent's operation. In fact some of the sites which started loading on exit popup windows looked a helluva lot like the old Crescent stuff. Maybe he's working for them now or maybe they're just taking his scam and running with it. It was the same stuff - the email led to a site that is absolutely free they say - then you are asked to give them your email and name to get completely free access to this great porn site - when you finish doing that you get taken to another page where they go to great lengths to tell you 'YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NEVER BE BILLED FOR THIS' - but of course there it is, a form box to fill in your credit card number, remember they have already collected your email address a page earlier - so at this point you are on the page telling you that your credit card will never be billed that they need it only for age verification - underneath in small print is a whole deal about another premium site that you are under no obligation to remain a member of that charges i think 39.95 but they don't give you any opportunity before you input your credit card number to opt out of that premium site membership.

I am assuming that your credit card gets nicked unless you cancel the membership yourself and lord knows I am sure they make make cancelling that membership as hard as hell, if not almost impossible. Even funnier is that if u go back and check your email they send you a fake usernameassword for the original site where they asked for your email, there is no real usernameassword. When you click the link, you are taken to a page for ExxxtasyMail and are told you have now confirmed that you are double optin mail subscriber. There is no link on the page into the great free porn site the original spam was promoting - just three or four links to more free porn which are in reality links to 'Lifetime Bucks' affiliate program websites. So from one email promising some free porn site offer - they've now got you for 39.95 joined to a paysite the average surfer idiot might think he is getting for free, plus they've got another confirmed optin subscriber to their ExxxtasyMail spam operation, which is sold and resold a hundred times over.

Cliff Notes as a refresher course
http://www.lukeisback.com/essays/essays/babenet.htm

[RawAlex]

Welcome to the ass end of the pre-checked cross sale systems. This is how all those amazing offshore accounts created with 101 companies all at the same cyprus PO box will be used to screw as many people out of as much money as possible before Visa / Mastercard pull the plug and the FTC comes sniffing around.

Another black hole that will suck the life out of another chunk of potential porn buyers, causing them to say "never again" to using a credit card online.