PatrickPretty.com

Month: July 2009

  • GUEST COLUMN: Payment Processors That Give Refunds Unilaterally Help Surf ‘Industry’ Live To See Another Day

    Editor’s Note: This is a guest column by Gregg Evans. Online Payment Processors, Enablers of Scams By Greggory B. Evans, PhD Recently it came to light that online payment processor Solid Trust Pay had decided unilaterally to refund some participants in the besieged autosurf ASD Cash Generator. In doing so, it appears STP may have…

  • U.S. Secret Service Partners With European Agencies To Form Electronic Crimes Task Force Headquartered In Rome

    In what is bad news for cyber criminals and online financial hucksters, the U.S. Secret Service has announced a partnership with European law-enforcement agencies to form the first European Electronic Crimes Task Force. Officials signed a “memorandum of understanding,” with the Secret Service, Italian Police and the Italian Postal Service taking the lead roles. The…

  • Two More Attorneys Added In RICO Lawsuit Against Andy Bowdoin; Move Comes On Heels Of AdViewGlobal Mention

    Plaintiffs suing AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin for racketeering added two more attorneys to their roster this morning and have added a total of four since June 24. The plaintiffs now have attorneys in Washington, D.C., Phoenix, San Francisco and Mill Valley, Calif., on their side, perhaps with more formal notices of appearance to follow. Today’s…

  • EDITORIAL: AdViewGlobal Blames Subcontractor For Problems

    UPDATED 3:30 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) It was utterly predictable: The AdViewGlobal (AVG) autosurf has blamed subcontractor Syndicate Digital for problems plaguing the firm, implying it might sue the Canada-based company. In recent weeks, AVG has threatened to sue media outlets and even its own members, up to and including contacting their Internet Service Providers in…

  • Is Anybody Home At AdViewGlobal?

    We are beginning to receive reports that AdViewGlobal (AVG) has not posted daily paper profits since July 3 for members who surfed. Some AVG members seem not to know whether they even are supposed to surf. The external shell of the site loaded quickly today, which may indicate a lighter server load because fewer people…

  • What Happened To ASD’s Money In Canada?

    UPDATED 12:42 P.M. EDT U.S.A (SEE BOTTOM OF POST FOR STATEMENT FROM SOLID TRUST PAY) Over the weekend, some AdSurfDaily members reported they had received what amounts to partial refunds for money they spent in ASD. The members said they received the payment notifications in an email marked as a “final” refund through SolidTrustPay, a…

  • Is An ASD ‘Final Refund’ Scam Under Way?

    UPDATED 3:18 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Some AdSurfDaily members have reported that they’ve received surprise, partial refunds through SolidTrustPay, the Canada-based payment processor, for money they spent in ASD. A poster at the Pro-ASD Surf’s Up forum was first to report the news yesterday. She described the transaction as being labeled the “final refund” from ASD,…

  • ROLLER-COASTER: AVG Forum Closes, Reopens, Closes

    UPDATED 2:03 A.M. EDT (July 4, U.S.A.) In the past few days, the AdViewGlobal (AVG) forum has closed, reopened, and closed again. The actions occurred in the wake of complaints from members who have been pleading with the company to provide understandable explanations and to stop blaming participants for AVG’s seeming inability to explain itself.…

  • Unusual Circumstance Affects PP Publishing Operations

    Today the PatrickPretty.com Blog encountered an unusual circumstance that affected its ability to publish for several hours. This unusual circumstance resulted in the temporary loss of the Blog’s entire library of posts and its archives. The content now has been restored, and we are consulting with the appropriate experts to determine what happened.

  • BREAKING NEWS: AdViewGlobal Consultant Leaves Beleaguered Surf Firm; Company Closes Forum Again And Cancels Conference Call, Members Say

    Donna Rougeau, who identified herself as a subcontractor for AdViewGlobal, has decided not to work for the firm, members said. Rougeau left a farewell message in the AVG forum, which appears to have closed again after opening back up earlier today. An AVG conference call scheduled for tonight was canceled without explanation, members said.

  • AdViewGlobal Withdraws Announcement Of New Payment Plan; Initial Announcement Baffled Members

    UPDATED 9:47 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) AdViewGlobal has disabled its forum. The move followed on the heels of complaints from members that the surf company was confusing them when trying to explain its new pay-out program. The payout program was introduced with great fanfare today, and included a prediction that AVG would become a Fortune 500…