[Donna]

Event Title: Do NOT sign-up for TrialPay unless...
Event Owner: Donna
Event Calendar: Calendar of Updates
Event Date: April 10th 2009
Topic Starter: MysteryFCM
Event Post:
Hi All,

:notice2: Some software vendors are now using TrialPay service to offer their software, service or subscription for free. Please do NOT sign-up for TrialPay account unless you want to buy or try a product or any item in TrialPay.

IF ever you arrived on such page (sample below) because you want to download the free software, just click "Continue To Download", do NOT enter your email address and Full name if you DO NOT plan to buy or try anything in TrialPay.

IF you want to buy the vendor's software or subscription, please check their website for OTHER OPTION (not the trialpay method) unless you really want to use TrialPay to buy another item.

Example:

Free AutoUpdate subscription for SpywareBlaster when you sign-up with TrialPay
http://www.javacools...sbdownload.html


Free Ad-Aware Plus when you sign-up with TrialPay
http://www.lavasoft....le/trialpay.php

Please note that users will not get a FREE software or subscription for FREE unless you will buy or try something in TrialPay (depending on the terms of every product or item that you will buy!)

Also, before you will sign-up on anything... read their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy:
QUOTE Completing a TrialPay Checkout and Offer
a. In order to successfully complete the TrialPay checkout and receive your product, you must initiate the completion of the third-party offer ("advertiser offer") from within the TrialPay checkout. Any transactions (offer completions) initiated directly on the third-party website without originating from within the TrialPay checkout will not be tracked by our advertising partners and you will not be credited for your product/service.
TrialPay Terms of Use is at http://www.trialpay.com/terms/
TrialPay Privacy Policy is in http://www.trialpay.com/privacypolicy/
Trial Pay FAQ is at http://www.trialpay.com/faq/

QUOTE How does TrialPay work?

TrialPay lets you pay for products from more than 7,500 online sellers by completing an offer from your favorite brands. TrialPay matches you with ideal offers from our partners and pays the seller using money from the selected partner. For example, if you sign up for a DVD rental service to get a free movie ticket from a movie site, the DVD rental service provider will pay for your free ticket. All parties benefit from this deal. The movie site makes more sales, the DVD rental provider acquires a new customer who is already interested in movies and you get a free movie ticket. So while this offer sounds too good to be true, it's actually in everyone's best interest—and it's just as good as it sounds. TrialPay makes it happen.
Is it really free? What's the catch?

Yes, you get your initial product for free when you try or buy an offer from one of our partners. The advertising partner you transact with pays for your free product. For example, you could get a full license to a software product for free by buying clothes from one of our retail partners—and the retailer will pay the software company for the license.

The terms of each offer vary from totally free to paid or subscription services. Regardless of the offer terms, your initial product and the TrialPay transaction are always totally free. And TrialPay's customer support is free, too.

Is it really free? What's the catch?

Yes, you get your initial product for free when you try or buy an offer from one of our partners. The advertising partner you transact with pays for your free product. For example, you could get a full license to a software product for free by buying clothes from one of our retail partners—and the retailer will pay the software company for the license.

The terms of each offer vary from totally free to paid or subscription services. Regardless of the offer terms, your initial product and the TrialPay transaction are always totally free. And TrialPay's customer support is free, too.

:pinnednote: This topic here made me decide to create this entry in the calendar to alert other users on the above.

Repeat: IF ever you arrived on such page because you want to download the free software, just click "Continue To Download", do NOT enter your email address and Full name if you DO NOT plan to buy or try anything in TrialPay.
Enter only your email address and full name if you want to try and buy a product or service in TrialPay to receive the offered free software (where you wish to download a free product).

View Event

[MysteryFCM]

Had a comment on my blog concerning this, from someone that says TP have given what they claimed. However, he also mentions having to give over his real name etc, and credit card details (the fact you can cancel is kinda besides the point here - they now have your CC details, so can do whatever they like).

[glenn30]

In my case it never got to the point of disclosing credit card information. I only started the process and entered my email address... seeing what was going on I never completed the form or registration. Still they had the email address and I immediately received the so called "one time email" from them which was promptly deleted.

I consider this entire procedure as shady dealing and questionable tactics by no full disclosure in the beginning.

[Data]

I mentioned it because I've heard of people that use It. I certainly wouldn't use It myself.

[glenn30]

Data, on Apr 11 2009, 02:18 PM, said:

I mentioned it because I've heard of people that use It. I certainly wouldn't use It myself.

Thanks! I think a lot of eyes have been opened regarding the tactics used... mine included.

[Donna]

Thanks Steven for blogging it! And for seeing a great discussion over at WOT that you started.
http://www.mywot.com/en/forum/3066-trial-p...ee-as-you-think

I think vendors should stick in giving free or trial for potential buyers or fully functional for users who paid only. That way users who enjoy the trial and want it all the time will just pay for it.

Glenn in my blog at msmvps.com/donna, there is another user who almost fall into entering all their personal details for SpywareBlaster AutoUpdate TrialPay.

[Donna]

Emsi is now also offering download of A2 via TrialPay but their website don't. I edited the calendar entry for sample (screenshot).

[Donna]

Just found this! Late but better than never

Quote

Anti-spyware in decline

Things are a bit different now of course. As described in an earlier post, the category of adware barely exists any more. Instead we have the annoying but relatively harmless bundled toolbars from Google, MS, Yahoo and Ask on one side, with the trojans, botnets and fake anti-spyware apps installed by PPI fraud and Russian exploits on the other, not even attempting to look legit. I guess if you're going to do exploits, the proper trojans pay better than adware.

There's very little in between (you still see the Mirar toolbar installed by the trojans occasionally, but that's about it), so there's little left that the anti-virus people aren't already targeting. Generally unsuccessfully targeting, but that's another story. Some anti-spyware apps have themselves drifted out to target this more obvious malware, with the result that there's little difference between them and the traditional anti-virus stack. There is no longer really any place for dedicated anti-spyware.

But the anti-spyware companies now really are out to make a buck, and it's hard to take a broken business model that's still making you money and just decide to pack it all in. This is leading to some strange bedfellows. AVG and SpySweeper have been bundling variants of the Ask toolbar (previously considered spyware), and now both Ad-Aware and SpywareBlaster are pushing users towards TrialPay, one of those nasty schemes where you have to sign up for dodgy offers you don't want, then cancel them and hope you don't have to spend the next twelve months on a helpline trying to stop your credit card being billed. Which may not be spyware, but it's certainly exactly the same kind of marketing unpleasantness that the adware companies loved to push. It's a bit sad to see previously impeccable software teams go this way.

To be honest I don't even know why SpywareBlaster still exists; its ActiveX CLSID-based blocking was relevant to the unsolicited commercial software threats of yesterday, but does absolutely nothing against the exploits, trojans and rogue anti-spyware that dominate today. The parasite-detector script on this site worked in a similar way, but has since been withdrawn as it's of almost no practical use any more.

(I'll probably remove the ‘parasite’ section itself completely soon. Certainly the advice about anti-spyware software there is woefully out of date. Perhaps I'll replace it with an archive of the old, much-plagiarised parasite list for historical interest.)

http://www.doxdesk.c...090421-trialpay
You can also read more in http://www.doxdesk.c...dates/2009.html

[Donna]

Another reason to be very careful in using Trial Pay:

A known rogue software is now available in Trial Pay
Spyware Removal DOC Can Now Be Used For Free With Trial Pay: http://www.officialw..._news&rid=98371

[weaselthatbites]

Donna - I don't suppose you could provide two links.

1) A site that documents that Spywaredocremoval is a rogue with a reputable status. (or even a list of A/Vs that will detect and remove it as such - eg a virus total scan of the executable).
2) The Trialpay link that is used to get it. (PM me this one if you want to avoid putting it in the public domain?)

So that way, as I already have an account with them, I can email them and explain its a rogue and hopefully get them to not provide their services to such a company.

I ask, because I googled the product and all I get was trialpay and other "non known" results about the product. Nothing from say Kaspersky, ESET,Sunbelt, Symantec etc etc.



(And before anyone asks, I don't work for Trialpay but because I liked their service I take an interest).

[Donna]

Weasel,

SiteAdvisor says:

Quote

McAfee TrustedSource web reputation analysis found potential security risks with this site. Use with extreme caution.

http://www.siteadvis...eremovaldoc.com

The site is red in WOT: http://www.mywot.com...eremovaldoc.com

It's flagged as FSA in HpHosts: http://hosts-file.ne...eremovaldoc.com

I don't know which site is offering their program using trial pay. As you can see, I found the above info in a news (PR news only) item. However, their website links to TrialPay:

http://www.trialpay....380&tid=A7DcffW

And their site do not have Privacy Policy and there's no way for people to contact them via email or phone support except ticket system (not big deal but a missing privacy policy at their site is fishy already and as you know also....often a work of a Rogue/Suspect Antispyware programs).

[weaselthatbites]

Thank you Donna

I emailed them with the relevant links and my concerns and hopefully it will get taken down. I guess its a good way of gauging whether they are just interested in profit or whether there is something more to them.

(The main reason I am giving them a chance, is so many of the major security vendors that we talk about in here, are available - in other words in partnership - with Trialpay. Spywareblaster, Adaware, McAffee, AVG etc. )

[Donna]

Hope they'll do something about it, Weasel. If not, we can only warn people in using TrialPay.

Quote

The main reason I am giving them a chance, is so many of the major security vendors that we talk about in here, are available - in other words in partnership - with Trialpay. Spywareblaster, Adaware, McAffee, AVG etc.

I find nothing wrong with Trialpay but people have to be careful in using it especially if their location offers only a more expensive stuff than the free item. I think I mentioned the issue about this in the other thread that lead this entry in the calendar and where Javacool participated too. Also, it seems it's not the first time that trialpay offered a spyware/adware software.

[weaselthatbites]

Lets hope something gets done - at least they have a spyware account manager . Just an update.

Quote

Dear Weasel,

Thank you for taking the time to email us at TrialPay.

We appreciate your valued feedback. I have forwarded your concerns to our Spyware account manager for further review.

Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Regards,
TrialPay Customer Service


> To whom it may concern,
>
> As a concerned security conscious users, I notice recently that you have started offering Spyware Removal Doc via trialpay.
>
> http://www.trialpay....380&tid=A7DcffW
>
>
> I believe that this is a spyware rogue application. It has no privacy policy, there is no way to contact them for support - except via tickets.
>
> No address. Nothing really to support that they are a legitimate company.
>
> Can I suggest in order to maintain your impeccable record, that you investigate this further - to make sure that the fears are unfounded. Being a security conscious user, there is a lot of press about Trialpay and this spyware removal doc. In fact typing into google spyware removal doc brings up trialpay in the first few results. Like you guys are saying this is a good/clean application. Please investigate.
>
>
> Some further background!
>
> The MyWOT rating:
> http://www.mywot.com...eremovaldoc.com
>
>
> McAffee Site Advisor:
> http://www.siteadvis...eremovaldoc.com
>
>
> Why its spyware/Rogue which classifies it as a FSA: sites engaged in the selling or distribution of bogus or fraudulent applications, or using misleading tactics to peddle applications
> This classification is assigned to site's being used for the distribution of "rogue" security or other such applications, for example: SpyFalcon, SpywareQuake, AdwareAlert etc.
> http://hosts-file.ne...eremovaldoc.com
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Weasel

[Donna]

Great work for reporting using your account in TrialPay, Weasel! They need to put the Spyware Acct. Mgr. to work