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General discussion

Hey CNET, does this website belong to you?

Mar 25, 2011 12:18PM PDT
www.groupbuy.com, this is a groupbuy website for software, and sometimes it shows the comments by cnet, I just wondered if it belongs to you or you just cooperate with its owners.

Please look at this page: http://www.softbuy.com/pc-booster-55.html, drop the page and you'll see the comments at the bottom.

I'm just a big fan of cnet, would you please give me the answer? Thank you.
I'm sorry our contry forbids people to get access to Facebook, twitter or Youtube, so I can't contact you directly with your editors or people who work for CNET.

Discussion is locked

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That link is invalid,
Mar 26, 2011 12:19AM PDT

it returns a 404 error

P

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Doesn't look legit
Mar 26, 2011 5:58AM PDT

Strip the product from the url and you'll find the site. Go to the bottom and see how they spell "business". They can't spell and look bogus to me.

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Suspicious.
Mar 26, 2011 6:05AM PDT

It looks like some sort of Pyramid scheme. The more referrals you get, the more you gain.

Personally I would stay away. Pyramid schemes always fail.

Mark

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Not really a pyramid but maybe worse
Mar 26, 2011 10:06AM PDT

It appears that they need to meet some sort of quota before the actual order can be placed. They collect everyone's money up front and promise to refund it if the quota isn't met. They are not collecting large amounts from each person so, should they default on their promise, I imagine that plenty of folks wouldn't squawk is the outfit "forgot" to issue the refunds. I really don't see much that's exciting in any of those software titles anyway and who knows if they are legit or pirated.

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Nope...
Mar 26, 2011 11:16AM PDT

1.) Those sites are not owned/run/managed by CNET. The websites themselves state they are owned by GroupBuy Inc. and BrotherSoft, respectively.

2.) Those sites are, as far as I can tell, not affiliated with CNET whatsoever. It looks like they just copied quotes about products they offer on their sites.

3.) Both sites look like scams, replete with grammatical mistakes, programming errors, unrealistic claims, and blatantly fake 'user' comments.

4.) BrotherSoft has been red-flagged for quite some time, largely for reports of malicious activity and fraud. I wouldn't trust any service they supposedly offer.

I've seen quite a few 'group buy' and 'penny auction' websites pop up as of late, including the much-hyped QuiBids. They've secured advertising spots on Yahoo Mail, cable networks, and more. Yet, a scam is a scam, regardless of how well it is promoted or defended. My advice: avoid these unless you're willing to risk losing more than you aim to save.

John

Note: This post was edited by forum moderator on 03/26/2011 on 6:22 PM PT

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Is it legal?
Mar 26, 2011 5:46PM PDT

Thank you for your reply. Is it legal to register an account named CNET or somebody else, and then fake comments?

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That I do not know...
Mar 27, 2011 4:38AM PDT

It depends largely on the laws of the land of jurisdiction as well as whether intent of fraud is deemed to have occurred. It would be something for the courts to decide, if it comes to that.

John

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Yeah, this page has been deleted
Mar 26, 2011 5:32PM PDT

and I have a picture of it, can I upload an image of it?

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Not here...
Mar 27, 2011 4:39AM PDT

These forums do not support/permit image uploads, but there are free file hosting sites you can use. ImageShack.us is one such example.

John

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Yeah, it's 404 now,
Mar 26, 2011 5:48PM PDT

but I have found another page which appears the same thing - a comment from a user named CNET, I have saved the page and I'm afraid to give the URL, it will turned to be 404 page too!

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Yeah, I don't think it is legal either.
Mar 26, 2011 5:48PM PDT

Is there something I can do to let CNET knows?

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Sure...
Mar 27, 2011 4:41AM PDT

You can use the "Help Center" link at the bottom of every CNET page to submit your questions/comments directly to CNET.

John

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Me either, I didn't see anything exciting about the software
Mar 26, 2011 5:50PM PDT

I'm sorry for Brothersoft, they are disgusting.

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Thank you
Mar 27, 2011 11:59AM PDT

Thank you so much for your information, have a nice day!