According to the site GoogleDollars.org “Google Dollars has been seen on Google as well as CNBC,USA Today, ABC,CNN and Yahoo”.
Well what does “as seen on” mean here? Often it mean some company or affiliate is ADVERTISING the products on those sites. Is that the case with Google Dollars? I don’t know. But it’s a pretty good bet – well, kind of…Google has been kicking out advertisers that promote products using the Google brand name without Google’s consent.
Now, here’s a bold – and untrue statement made by GoogleDollars.org:
“It’s as easy if you have a computer and have decent typing skills you can earn money online with Google Dollars system.”
Also the statement doesn’t make sense. But making money with Google certainly takes MORE than just having “decent typing skills”. That’s just nonsense.
There’s a good article that discusses what it really takes to take money with Google here:
Make Money Posting Links on Google Scam – (and what it REALLY takes to make money with Google)
Paul, I have been following your blog for two or three weeks now through your RSS feed.
I am an attorney in Toronto, Ontario. Ontario has business opportunity laws similar to the FTC’s Biz Op Rule, and the many state’s business opportunity laws.
The information you provide appears reasonable, but I cannot help but notice the lack of reference to disclosure laws, state and federal, which would help people get the relevant information for themselves.
And while you did a short post on the FTC’s action against Google Money Tree, you might want to have referenced the FTC’s cause of action against Google Money Tree, http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923060/090622googlemoneytreecmplt.pdf
It is a virtual blue print of “how to engage in sneaky business”. It is also interesting that the new clones have changed some of the way they operate.
Again, nice work. I have enjoyed it and look forward to more.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for posting and for posting the link.
Providing links direct to the complaints is a good idea.
I was amazed at how well people came together to file complaints against GoogleMoneyTree and to help EACH OTHER out during the whole GoogleMoneyTree case on various websites inlcluding WorkAtHomeTruth here:
Google Money Tree Complaints
I’ve posted that in the past and was working on a centralized repository for both Federal and State disclosure laws at NegativeOptionMarketing.com which I plan to get back to.
The idea being that I would have one central place to send people for each post about the subject matter – a place that pulls or references the relevant FTC, AG, and consumer affairs department information on the subject.
Can you talk a bit about some of the new ways you’ve seen the clones operate?
Paul, let me give somebackground which may not be familiar to your readers.
The FTC regulates the “buy a job” schemes in two ways: under section 5 of the FTC Act which regulates misleading advertising and focuses on deception. The second way the FTC regulates a “buy a job” scheme is through required disclosure, and some 26 other states also do this, known as Business Opportunity Laws.
Section 5 actions by the FTC are lengthy and involve a lot of resources; whereas Biz Op actions are relatively easy: You are Biz Op, but you have no mandatory disclosure document, which is the equivalent right now of Franchise Disclosure document, so the FTC shuts you down.
The Google Money Tree was a Section 5 action, and we should expect that minor differences from the Google Money Tree will not result in immediate action from the FTC.
Some of the changes in the clones I have seen, which would defeat the pleading in the Google Money Tree action, are as follows:
1. The terms and conditions, the automatic enrollment, are disclosed better.
2. The telemarketers are offshore, one group is in the Philippines which makes the enforcement of the Telemarketing Rule that much more difficult.
3. The squeeze page has been designed to overcome the Telemarketing Rule, in establishing a prior relationship with the marketer, in that “You agree to be called at the # above & emailed information about your free trial (ie: order info)”
4. There is not the same space given over to “free”.
5. They continue to buy slots on Alexa, which is probably not a clever idea.
6. The landing pages are being rotated, here is one from the Alexa ad.
http://www.googleprofithouse.com/offer/googleprofithouse/aoffer/default.htm?mid=319&subid=31287-2653550, apparently operating out of 625 Main street West Indies Nevis. An unlikely address. This website was created by
Registrar of Record: TUCOWS, INC.
Record last updated on 03-Aug-2009.
Record expires on 31-Jul-2010.
Record created on 31-Jul-2009.
7. Because they haven’t done the domain correctly, you can find that the original website is:
http://www.orderconformation.com/offer/googleprofithouse/aoffer/default.aspx
8. Which a whois reveals as something called Ad Ventures UK
http://whois.org/whois/orderconfirmation.com, which incorporation details here: http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/b14a0df6246577e4506c667643ca3eac/compdetails
9. All of which makes enforcement far more difficult.
Thanks, Michael
The other issue of course is the fact that the FTC is understaffed and underfunded.
I agreed to testify in one of the recent cases listed on Operation Shortchange and got to talk to one of the Senior Litigators there quite a bit and I was stunned by the fact that she isn’t provided with a paralegal.
However, I was amazed by how efficient she was as she was in preparing my declaration and getting it for me to sign.
I can’t imagine how many hours she put in on just one of those cases. I initially had sent the FTC 10 pages of documentation and just that took me nearly 2 weeks to prepare – so I can only imagine how much time goes into properly preparing a request for injunction.
I’ve been lucky to meet people like you and my friend Lyndell Edgington who runs EagleResearchAssociates.org and has an assigned Federal Agent. I’m starting to better understand what consumers can do legally and point me in the right direction to learn more.
In fact I only just now noticed your own website here:
http://www.BizOp.ca which looks like a tremendous source of information.