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Something Strange About AdsOnCraigs
David Utter
Staff Writer
2007-09-07
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A software package aimed at people who want to manage multiple listings on popular classifieds site Craigslist should be viewed with suspicion by potential buyers.
 | | Something Strange About AdsOnCraigs |  |
A tipster contacted us about AdsOnCraigs, with a vague suspicion about the software. A press release about this software hit the Internet on Wednesday. Our tipster, who follows the classified industry closely, found some issues with that release.
The press release lists a contact for AdsOnCraigs as 'Mike Smith,' about as generic a name one can find. Although the press release has a byline of Detroit, the listed phone number is for the Orlando, Florida area, and isn't a contact for the company.
Their domain has been registered by proxy with all details hidden about the registrants. The IP address for the website resolves to Kuala Lumpur.
We decided to check with McAfee to see what they might know about the site, as it carries a "McAfee Site Tested" green checkmark on the home page.
Surprise, surprise. McAfee's John Viega said they rated AdsOnCraigs red based on what they found through their SiteAdvisor service. The green checkmark rating should not be there.
Viega also noted that of the six badges at the bottom of AdsOnCraigs, which included McAfee's, only one provides an actual link. That goes to a site they consider a distributor of potentially unwanted software, including adware and malware.
There is also what appear to be user-posted reviews and ratings of the product on the main page. However, the site has no mechanism for accepting reviews. Viega also said that McAfee has observed spyware sites using the same "GUARANTEED Virus, Spyware Free Software" type of language that AdsOnCraigs advertises.
Since managing multiple listings on Craigslist is frequently another way of saying "spam Craigslist," coupled with the assorted warning signs, people should be very wary of AdsOnCraigs. We suspect the site's traffic as measured by Quantcast and Compete consists of a lot of people who don't care about the Craigslist terms of service.
As for spyware concerns, McAfee's SiteAdvisor found that a demo version of the software did not contain any suspicious programs. Despite our tipster's concerns, we think the software is just a tool to game Craigslist, rather than being a direct menace to its downloaders.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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