March 06, 2008 by sharky
Sounds catchy, doesn’t it? Here’s our take on movie download sites, and what you can do to avoid being sucked in to THE SCAM. Want some REAL movie download sites, tips and info? You’ve already come to the right place.
The ‘Services’ - What you get
By signing up, you don’t get much for your dollar. These sites serve as a gateway to an already free P2P file sharing program, with access to an existing free P2P network. You pay for free links to free software - with no exceptions.
— LINKS:Many sites are linking to the P2P program ‘Ares’, as is the case with topmovie-downloads.com. Some scam sites will link to Limewire, others will host free BitTorrent clients (µTorrent is the program du jour) with links to free public BitTorrent websites such as mininova, thepiratebay. All of which were already available freely.
— SUPPORT:Support/services vary. Technical support usually exists through email, although we can’t tell you how far this extends. If the 3rd party program stops working or the link disappears, you’ll be SOL. Online documentation is often just a copy from the original software’s FAQ or guide. Remember, since many P2P programs are open-source, their ‘official’ guides will also be fair game to anyone who wishes to reproduce them (under the GPL).
In an effort to wring out every last nickel out of you, many sites offer optional codec packs (for video playback) that, believe-it-or-not, are free to begin with. Others tempt users with an “unlimited” option or “lifetime” subscription package. Stealth marketing at its finest!
Is it legal?
It’s perfectly legal for these sites to offer this service, just as it is for Limewire and µtorrent to be legal. Scam sites don’t host any files for downloading, not even the links to available files (such as *.torrents, *.NZBs, eD2k or DDL links), and are therefore absolved of any legal responsibility or involvement.
What you DON’T get is the legal right to download copyrighted movies. Read their websites’ ToS (Terms of Service). Any ’service’ obtained through a gateway scam site should be treated just the same as with any P2P filesharing program - the onus is upon you the user to know the potential for legal ramifications associated with downloading and sharing copyrighted material. Here’s one ToS example:
When that ‘pre-lawsuit’ letter arrives via registered courier to your door, you’ll not be able to point any fingers.
Leave the Card in your Wallet
Generally, these sites follow the same 3-Step procedure for setting up an account. And Step 2 is always about the payment procedures. Here’s a sampling of signup pages that signify a sure tip-off to a scam. By no means are these the only examples. If you get to a segment of any website that asks for debit / credit card information or any other payment method, you’ve inevitably come to the wrong website.
— This first example is the most common, and spans across all venues of scam sites, including iPod scams, music scams, software, PSP, games, consoles, and anything else that could possibly be downloaded via P2P. Scam sites are ever-creative in using keyword combinations that lead unsavvy users to them through major search engines. We call this the “Three Arrows of Death” - notice any similarities?
Some Known Examples
For all practicalities, it would be near impossible to keep a running list of all movie download scam sites. They’re ubiquitous - akin to ants in the kitchen. They disappear and reappear, change names (however subtle) and their domains. The awareness rests on being able to identify key characteristics. And for that, my movie-loving friend, there’s just one simple golden rule: Never give money to any site that offers movies, or anything else. Listen closely to that alarm ringing loudly in your head, and heed it well. www.RipOffReport.com has some great testimonials to actual reported scams.
Alas, here’s a non-exhaustive list of just some of the movie sites that are scams:
- — http://freemovieslover.com/
- — http://allfreemovie.com/
- — http://myfreetvshow.com/
- — http://ultimatemoviedownload.com/
- — http://tv.org/
- — http://www.ezmovies.net/
- — http://www.imovieshare.com/
- — http://www.moviedownloadworld.com/
- — http://www.download-it-free.com/
- — http://www.tmd-moviez.com/
- — http://www.btefnet.net
- — http://www.tv-swarm.com/
Want even more listings of scam sites? Check out this page in the gnutellaforums.com, reported by users who’ve been scammed. Be sure to scroll down that page to view the big list of user-submitted scam links. www.filesharingplace.com also has a good list of sites that need to be avoided (although that site in itself is full of popup ads).
Many sites are now hiding behind http://tinyurl.com. This is a common stealth tactic used in advertising links.
Slippery Tactics
Many scam sites display “awards” that they want you to believe they’ve acquired. The links don’t work, nor did these ‘award sites’ ever have had anything to do with the scam site. These so-called awards are not even for their site - rather, they are for the file sharing program that they offer links to. Yet another slippery tactic to build reputability and rapport with unsuspecting individuals. We’re not sure which is the bigger scam - pretending to have awards; or pretending to be a P2P file sharing service. Perhaps I’ll put up some of these nifty-looking award icons on FileShareFreak, just because we have a link to Limewire, as well.
Usually these same websites will not let you “leave” the site without some crazy customer service popup window prompting for your attention. Usually the message is a little confusing, and the popup “chat” window is inevitable, anyways.
Final Thoughts
Forums everywhere are clogged with unhappy saps who’ve been scammed. Don’t be this statistic. And if it’s already happened to you, be relentless in your fight to get your money back. Be persistent - email them every day. Be belligerent, but not downright nasty. Contact your credit card company - they’ll likely be able to assist. And more importantly, chalk it up to a learning experience, and move on.
Use only official P2P links, and never search for filesharing programs in a web browser. Good luck, spread the word, and be safe.
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