Google Turns Blind Eye to Scam Ads

Oh yeah I think google is getting paid lovely. I cant think of any other reason they wont reply. Every time someone clicks on the ad and good gosh if the person buys that kit and keep it with the monthly fee accumulating google is having a bloodsuckfest.

Where is this bridge you have a good deal on? I agree that Google likely cares a great deal on how their brand is used.

It doesn't sound so unbelievable that one could make some extra money by placing ads on websites. I agree that it may be hard to make $500.00 a day, but what about a couple of dollars a day?

What is unfortunate is that the ad in question seems to be a complete scam in total. Not that the premise is so out of reach.

That to me is the greater scam. So I need to find a good bridge. Any leads?

cmj

Great reply to a good article. I think it's bad that Google allows these scam artists to advertise on their networks (incl. Search). They make money off it and their failure to respond to questions is probably a little bit akin to telephony operators not wanting to comment on the money they make off of all these shady adult premium SMS providers.

Posting that you screen (and doing it!) the ads that are published on your site is a great start, but Google should also find a way to keep them out (or just come out and say they won't and why). Maybe it has to do with their (over) reliance on algorhithms in filtering out unacceptable texts etc.

I think Google should be doing something, and they probably are.  Again, I know other companies are trying what they can, but to a large extent, they have to hope for a technological breakthrough that wont affect other processes, and hope for small victories that have big effects.

At the same time, I believe that one of the reasons that the Internet is so insecure is that people take no responsibility for their own stupidity.  Until they suffer serious consequences, they will not change their actions.

First I will say I know nothing about what Google is doing in this regard.  However, if I extrapolate about what other companies like eBay, are doing, I assume that Google cares about protecting their name, more than they care about the relatively small ad revenue they receive from the scams.

I stronly doubt that the scammers are going to Google's legal department to license their name.  People do not need permission to technically use the word Google.  However the way Google works, it is an automated web crawler function, combined with people registering themselves for ads.  Should Goolge have an exception process whenever the word Google is in an ad?  Possibly, but I doubt it is feasable.  Even if it was, I am sure that people would then complain about Google doing it for Google, but not for other common scams.

They probably could be doing something better, but in the end, people have to have some minimal common sense, which involves the minimal common knowledge that get rich quick schemes are almost universally scams.

But to me, the bigger point is, if Google is knowingly allowing scammers to advertise, then shouldn't legal action be taken on that alone?

I know that you can find scams on job boards, trade boards, etc. They're all over the place. However, I do think law enforcement should step in if the find a US company been PAID to run a knowingly fraud based advertisement.

In many cases, it could be a tough call. However, in  Google's case, I think it could be easy to figure it out. These ads are using Google's name. If they are really found to be a scam, Google has given permission for their name to be used and runs the ads for the scammers, then we have a problem. Why did Google not check the company out? Why would they allow their name to be used in association with, at the very least, a questionable business offer?

But if Google did not give permission for its' name to be used, but they still take the advertising money, don't do anything to protect their name and allow it to be used in these questionable ventures, that brings up a whole new and disturbing set of problems.

So, while we might not have sympathy for those who fall for the scams, why are they allowed to be (fee based) advertised in the first place? Why are companies who knowingly sell ad space to scammers allowed to get away with it?

(I'm not picking on Google, as I would question any company who did this. But Google is the focus of this particular topic.)

What really bothers me on this, is that it doesn't seem to bother Google that their name is being used in this way. If I was a company like that and had a scammer or potential scammer using my name, I'd be going after them.

But Google doesn't seem to be doing so. Could it be because they have given permission for the name use? And if so, why not own up to it? Something is not right here.

However, it isn't just Google who seems to be condoning scams. People are being scammed left and right by the Nigerian Scammers (who are now not just in Nigeria). Our government knows this, but does nothing. They say it is "too difficult" to find out who it is. However, it has been proven over and over that if you play the game, you can actually meet face to face with these criminals. Yet the gov't still takes a pass, saying it just is "too hard", thus allowing more US citizens to fall into the scammer's trap. (Although by now, people should know better as well. When you read these scammers letters, they are laughable!) 

Maybe Google is using the same, albeit false reasoning?

Right, it will not be likely to most people to fall into the trap. But with that threat in mind it will be difficult to trust the real ads from google.

Don't you think that something should be done by Google to fight those scam ads or it is up to users to be vigilant?

It’s not that I am not given the elderly credit here, but probably like most of us here, our parents are way into their retirement age and again, like my father who grew up believing that a man’s word and a handshake was good enough for any deal, when you hear of all the great possibilities’ of the Internet, even the most educated can fall victim to any scam if that scam is well versed point in take some of the sites that Jonathan pointed out, with all the "success stories" they know just what to write to catch the attention of their prey..."hey this guy is going through the same thing I am, I can relate, where do I sign up!" yeah, clever success stories, gotcha sucker...

So back to this Google thing...Accountability?

Let's assume, arguendo, that it's acceptable for Google to facilitate fools being separated from their money.   What's not acceptable are the following consequences:

• Publishers who participate in AdSense are being shipped deceptive ads that lead to scams.  This damages the value of their web property.
• Advertisers with legitimate products and services are forced to compete in the AdWords auction against scams.  Unlike real businesses, scams don't have product development and customer service costs.  Scammers frequently can afford the highest bids, because their vaporous products are cost free.
• The Internet as a business marketplace is damaged when scammers are allowed to flourish.