Officials flagged sandals with 11 times the legal lead limit! Google’s forcing your site to train its AI if you want it searchable. Plus, the FTC is cracking down on fake reviews, and a hack to find cheap flights online.
The dark truth of a fake killer-for-hire website
You wouldn’t hire a hitman on the internet … would you? Even if you wouldn’t, plenty of people would and actually did.
Buckle your seatbelts, folks. This ride’s a wild one.
The backstory
RentAHitman.com creator Bob Innes never thought things would go this far. He recently shared all the details of this crazy story with the Daily Mail.
Back in the day, Innes and some friends kicked around starting up a web security business. In 2005, he bought the domain for RentAHitman.com, mainly as a click-baity way to drive traffic to the site. However, Innes’ friends wound up moving out of state and the business never really took off.
Innes eventually put RentAHitman.com up for sale and set up an email address for interested buyers. After forgetting about the site for a few years, he returned to check on things and was shocked at what he found.
Inside the contact email inbox were hundreds (yes, hundreds) of messages from people who actually wanted a real killer for hire. After making his initial earth-shattering discovery, Innes turned the information over to the local police department, which then launched a worldwide investigation.
Today, Innes dedicates his life to catching these wannabe killers online. He spends about four hours per day looking through emails for serious requests. Sometimes, the work gets emotionally taxing, especially when kids are involved.
Methods to the madness
How do these people order their bogus hits? Visitors to RentAHitman.com are first directed to a service request page with an application. The site also has many fake reviews, making the service seem legit, at least to those who are goofy enough to believe it.
In the application, people include personal information and details on their “intended target.” While many requests are a joke or a prank on friends and relatives, a startling number of them are real. We’re talking around 150 per month.
RentAHitman.com has led to dozens of arrests and at least 12 convictions of people with plans to make others disappear.
Scammers using AI to post fake reviews - And there's a dead giveaway
There are so many great uses for ChatGPT. It can help you plan a trip, recommend new recipe ideas, write you a workout program, clean up an email … I could go on. Not such a great use? Product reviews.
Alas, I’m not surprised to see reviews very clearly left by artificial intelligence (AI) all over Amazon. Is this the beginning of automated spam? Oh boy.
Surprise: Study shows app stores are full of fake reviews
Exploring your favorite app store can be fun, but you can’t trust everything you see online. There are tons of malicious apps with fake reviews on official app stores. It’s not just Google Play, either. A recent report has shown that you can find phony reviews everywhere. Who can you trust?
Don't waste money on this tech rip-off on Amazon
Amazon is a great place to buy almost anything you need. There is usually an extensive selection of retailers selling similar items, so the prices are competitive. But every so often, a deal pops up that seemingly beats all others.
Tesla's unsafe autopilot
Elon Musk’s Tesla has reported over 1,200 autopilot crashes in the past three years. Also, look out for foreign nations spreading misinformation on social media, fake reviews targeting restaurants, and the rise of restaurant robots.
Watch out for these Amazon scams during your holiday shopping
The holiday season is prime time for scammers. People are in a rush, looking for deals and trying to find exactly what they want, which leads to careless decisions.
Christmas lights are already going up, and you can hear holiday tunes everywhere. If you want to shop for decorations online, be careful! Scammers are out in full force with fake ads and shoddy merchandise. Tap or click here for holiday decoration scams to watch out for.
iPhone malware: Check your phone for these 7 apps
Android phones seem to have a higher risk of picking up malware. It’s not because Apple devices are immune. It’s because there are so many Android phones in the world they are targeted more by cybercriminals. Tap or click here for signs of Android malware.
FTC taking on fake reviews
Do you read online reviews? Here’s why you should never trust them, in 60 seconds.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Here's why you still can't trust product reviews on Amazon
Unlike so many other businesses, Amazon saw growth during the pandemic as people ordered their stuff, essential or otherwise, for delivery.
Do you ever take a moment to review your orders? You may have so many packages delivered that you wouldn’t miss one. You can check your order history in your Amazon account anytime, but you can also download your entire purchase history in a spreadsheet. Tap or click here to learn how.
Amazon banned 600 Chinese brands for sketchy reviews
There are only a few online stores that can compete with Amazon. By sheer numbers, Amazon easily beats the nearest competitor in product selection. Tap or click here to avoid falling for this Amazon trick that will cost you money.
Sketchy sellers are bribing and hassling Amazon customers via email
Amazon enjoyed huge profits during the pandemic, as consumers scrambled to buy essentials and items to keep busy while staying home. The online retail juggernaut saw more orders and members as people jumped aboard the Prime bandwagon.
These apps have great reviews - Here are the clues that they're mostly fake
It’s a familiar story, you find a hotel with one excellent review after another, but it doesn’t meet your expectations when you get there. Reviews influence the majority of our decisions, everything from healthcare to Amazon purchases. Tap or click here to find out why Apple just removed an app that spots fake Amazon reviews.
Apple just pulled down an app that helps you spot fake Amazon reviews - after Amazon asked
Across several online stores, fake reviews or paying people for a good word has become an increasing problem. The issue is prevalent on Amazon, where a dozen or so companies were recently caught in a “reviews for rewards” scheme.
Tech from 6 gadget brands pulled from Amazon
The pandemic saw online sales skyrocket as many brick and mortar stores either shuttered their doors or ran low on essential supplies. Even as restrictions eased, people continued to order everything from toilet paper to electronics to crafting materials online.
Sick of buying junk? Spot duds with this new secure shopping browser
The pandemic played a huge role in introducing online shopping to millions of people who otherwise wouldn’t have used it. By some estimates, there will be 300 million regular online shoppers by 2023.
How do you make sure your purchases, your payment methods, and your info are secure? Tap or click for four ways to make online shopping safer.
Scam VPN app is bringing in $1M per month - Is it on your phone?
Apple’s iOS infrastructure is fairly robust when it comes to app downloads and services. Unlike third-party platforms, Apple’s App Store is guarded against malicious apps or those that don’t meet the requirements.
Amazon flooded with fake reviews as holiday shopping kicks off - how to spot them
Sales may have slowed for brick-and-mortar retail during the pandemic, but companies like Amazon have thrived — with the company posting recording profits in the second quarter of 2020.
It might be less convenient to shop without seeing the item you want in person, but there are plenty of ways that buying from Amazon beats real-life shopping. Tap or click here to see how to get more out of your Amazon account.
Walmart, eBay and Amazon flooded with fake reviews - don't get scammed
When buying a product you haven’t used before, what’s the most common way to make sure it lives up to what’s being advertised? User reviews, which give you the good, the bad, and the potentially ugly sides of any products listed on the site. They can be a big help when shopping online. Tap or click here for safer online shopping and banking tips.
Amazon has a new policy to stop third-party sellers from ripping you off
Amazon is the world’s biggest retailer, and with that title comes several pros and cons. On one hand, Amazon’s service is fast, cheap and full of choices. On the other hand, the platform has attracted a number of scammers with counterfeit products and fake reviews.