[photo] Mark Jeftovic

easyDNS CEO, Career Contrarian & AntiGuru

Category Archives: The Sleazemeter

TM-Collection – The latest “Trademark Directory” scam outfit

This one came in via postal mail from Hungary, a pretty straightforward looking “invoice” for our trademark in something called the “TM-Collection – International Register of Trademarks”.


I’m sure if one were to confront these companies they would tell you they are “offering a service” not trying to chump you with a fake looking invoice, but I contend that the latter is indeed the end-game behind all these. Why? Because when somebody is trying to sell you a service that you don’t already own, use, subscribe to, etc, the order form is invariably accompanied by a sales letter. No … Read the rest

Ontario Energy Savings or Ontario Energy Slamming?

I have known for some time that the practice of “slamming” was not exclusive to the domain name industry. In my business we are well acquainted with outfits like Domain Registry of Canada and others. There are other related “business models” in the online space: trademark monitoring “services” that look like they come from an official source, nebulous business “directories” you’re supposed to “renew your listing” in. These often look like invoices, run several hundred dollars and probably bank on the fact that a certain number of accounts payable departments will just treat them as such and remit payment on … Read the rest

Can one be a half-assed straight shooter?

It’s not often I use profanity in a blog post, usually when I do I blow some steam and then go back and cleanup the verbiage (like I did just now, the title of this post was a lot more colorful in v1.0)

The background: We have over the years, used another Toronto company, who shall for the moment remain nameless, for some equipment leases. This company farms out the financing to various other companies. One of them was CitiCorp Vendor Finance, 123 Front Street West, 16th Floor, Toronto, On. 1-866-778-1393.

So my bookkeeper noticed something strange lately. She noticed … Read the rest

ibill’s business model: screw your customers, spam their customers

A couple years ago I subscribed to Kirt Christensen’s “Buying Web Businesses” for about a month. I didn’t renew my subscription and haven’t given it much more thought, until today.

Today I got a porn spam in my inbox from “gspotnews.com”. I recognized the email address I received this to as the one-time address I used when I subcribed to Kirt Christensen’s website. I took a look at the fine print at the bottom of the email and saw this:

You are receiving this Monthly Newsletter because you provided us permission
by agreeing to our privacy policy when you signed
Read the rest

When marketing crosses over into deceit

Today, for the second time my bookkeeper put something on my desk that gave me pause. She is usually pretty good at weeding out ads and solicitations and filing them into the paper shredder, but a couple weeks ago, and again today she put a plain white envelope on my desk, my name and address had been typed off of what appeared to be a typewriter. No return address.

Inside is what at first glance appears to be a single page, ripped out of a magazine, with an article about executive planning or in today’s case, public speaking.

An ordinary … Read the rest

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