Avoid Virtuoza Products (e.g. Smart To-Do) - they sell your email

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Avoid Virtuoza Products (e.g. Smart To-Do) - they sell your email

(27 posts) (16 voices)

Started 17 years ago by alch3mist
Latest reply from marcoscu

alch3mist
Member

Virtuoza was the publisher who published Smart To-Do, which was on GAOTD. Just today I received a scam email (one of the "you've won the lottery, contact us" scam emails) from the email I used to register with them. I know the scam email came from their actions because I only used that email with Virtuoza and it's a very arcane email address (not guessable). The email address is also relatively new.

Virtuoza is the same publisher people were worried about with a key-logger. Given that they sell your emails to places that send scam emails (not just spam, but a lottery scam!), this is not a company you want to share your information with.

I suggest everyone avoid any Virtuoza software in the future.

Posted 17 years ago #
Archangel
Member

Thanks for the head up alch3mist. I use the Smart to Do 1.8 myself but haven't recieved any emails like that yet. Since I used my policeone email addy, I invite anyone to send such a scam. I could have been deleted from that list too. LOL

Posted 17 years ago #
alexiussg
Member

are you using gmail? cos it filters out most spams from the rest of the emails, if not you can click on the "report spam" button which will send that email and subsequently to the spam folder instead. and i don't like using giveaway's that requires you to register on the product's website.

Posted 17 years ago #
Archangel
Member

I purchased the software and use it because of my failing mind. LOL

That could be why I haven't recieved any. Good advise alexiussg

Posted 17 years ago #
BuBBy
Teh adnim

Well I just checked my "spam bucket" and floating on top with the other scum, is:

THIS.

(I guess I will be sharing my jackpot with a few more people than I anticipated).

Well that email address is now cancelled - nice thing about sneakemail.com - you can tag the email addresses it generates - so when it comes back from someone else as spam, you know exactly who was the lowlife who gave it out. Cancelling that single address is very simple and leaves all my other contacts in place.

I think if I purchased anything from "Virtuoza" - I'd be double checking my credit card statements, just to be sure I hadn't accidently purchased some lottery tickets as well...

Posted 17 years ago #
Archangel
Member

Guess what......Hope you don't mind me borrowing the sneakemail addy from you and checking it out. I guess I'll be using it from now on. Much appreciated for the heads up again alch3mist.

Posted 17 years ago #
BuBBy
Teh adnim

Yep no worries. I can recommend http://sneakemail.com to everyone.

Wondering how it works?

They have a free (but still very usable) service, or a paid service which has much more generous limits for around $2 per month. IMO a small price to pay to stay spam free, and to identify the sites that sell your email address to spammers.

Posted 17 years ago #
alch3mist
Member

Wow, ANOTHER scam email from them. These type of e-mails are illegal, and since we know who started the chain, I wonder if the FBI or anyone would be interested in that.

"

Barrister Eze Uba.
Ajumogobia and Okeke Chambers.
Company and Property Lawyers.
Gerald Ford Avenue.
Appapa.
Lagos-Nigeria.
Telephone: 234-803-4279662.
Personal Email:ezeuba@mail15.com
Chambers Email:ajumo_okekechambers@excite.com

Sir,

Compliment of the season.

I am a principal partner to Ajumogobia and Okeke Chambers. I was a Legal adviser to a National of your Country,an Oil consultant/contractor with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation {NNPC} who lost his life along with his wife and only daughter in the plane crash of Kano on 6th of May,2003.

The following websites could be referenced:
http://www.usafricaonline.com/ngrkanocrash.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1968616.stm

Before his death my client{Mr.Mark Hayes} deposited with Inland Finance and Securities a conglomorate of First Inland Bank Plc $10,000,000.00 (Ten Million US Dollars only}with the hope of moving it to his country before his unfortunate death in the plane crash.Since his death the fund has been with Inland Finance and securities without any claim either from his family members or relations and all necesaary enquires I made to locate them proved abortive as the only heir/next of kin died along with him.

[snip... no need for the entire spiel - I am sure everyone has seen these before]

Posted 17 years ago #
alexiussg
Member

the scam sounds so real, but when i saw the address "Lagos-Nigeria", i knew there's something fishy about the email.

Posted 17 years ago #
Archangel
Member

Last I heard there were 30 some odd different Nigerian scam letters. The FBI is on top of it but I'm sure one more directing them back to the original sender sure wouldn't hurt.

The bottom line is, you open or give them access to your bank account for the money transfer. Thats when the draw out everything plus a credit limit usually 300 bucks and your left holding the bag.

There are 100's of thousands that fall for this. Now multiply that with what it takes to open a checking account.

Greed will get a person quicker than anything.

Posted 17 years ago #
Anonymous
Unregistered

Anyone that hands over their personal details via email deserve what they get.

I get 4 or so 419 scams per week.

Bounce them is what you do or reply with 'go screw' yourself.

Greed is the motivation of those that get scammed.

I did read that some people that got scammed them become the scammers.

Ohh well if a company sells off your email address then it can be proved and they can be dealt with.

Posted 17 years ago #
BuBBy
Teh adnim

I know just the person who needs $10,000,000.00

support@virtuoza.com

Emilian Stanev Street; 11-B-1
Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria

Phone: (359) 898-469160
Fax: (302) 347-6028

From their privacy policy.
The entire policy is available at - http://www.smarttodo.com/privacy-policy.html

----------
The information we collect is used to notify consumers about updates to our Web site, not shared with other organizations for commercial purposes.

With respect to Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have special relationships with any ad server companies.

From time to time, we may use customer information for new, unanticipated uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at some time in the future we will use for these new purposes only data collected from the time of the policy change forward.

If you choose to subscribe to our announcements e-mail list, your e-mail address will be used only for the purpose of sending you company-related email. Your address will not be sold or given away to any other entity.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us at the above email address.
----------

So feel free to contact Barrister Eze Uba on behalf of Virtuoza. I'm sure they will be of great assistance to each other. LOL. (I'm joking... don't really misuse Virtuoza's details... you should respect their privacy).

Posted 17 years ago #
VampireRat
Member

Glad I didn't DL that one.
Thanks from me, too, Bubby, for the sneakemail tip.
Archangel,
"I purchased the software and use it because of my failing mind. LOL
That could be why I haven't received any. "
Maybe you did get some, but you've already forgot.

For those who want something different from Sneakmail, I'd like to add these two temporary e-mail providers gleaned from my pursuing of the GAOTD Archives for just such gems:

Good for 10 minutes
http://10minutemail.com/10MinuteMail/index.html

If you cannot type that fast or get nervous with just 10 min - this one gives you 15 min.!
http://www.guerrillamail.com/

Posted 17 years ago #
Hadeda
Member

Glad I used my dodgeit address :)

Heres some receive-only email websites I know of
http://www.dodgeit.com
http://www.trashonthe.net

P.s. Enjoy my false email address Virtuoza :)

Posted 17 years ago #
MisterD
Member

Thanks for the link to Sneakemail BuBBy, just bought a year's sub, Virtuoza and the rest of them can now pump sand :)

Posted 17 years ago #
BuBBy
Teh adnim

Yeah - screw 'em, I say. ;)

Posted 17 years ago #
borisyankov
Member

Hi, my name is Boris Yankov and I am the owner of Virtuoza Software, we did the promotion of Smart To-Do and FusionDesk on GiveAwayOfTheDay.

The emails collected when promoting Smart To-Do were intended to be used to give away a discount coupon for FusionDesk, which I later realized could not be appreciated (considered spam).

To even think that a legitimate company will sell your emails to some scammers (both scamming and selling your data without persmission is highly illegal) is rather naive.

I have no idea how the guy in the post got his spam, but the very fact noone of the rest of 5000 people that registered that day complained means it is something else, not us, right?

Posted 17 years ago #
BuBBy
Teh adnim

I created a unique email address using the sneakemail.com service which was generated - and I tagged it (visible only to myself) as an email address used only for Virtuoza software.

I provided this generated email address on the same day only for the purpose of this giveaway. It had never been used or provided previously for any other purpose whatsoever. The email address was only given to Virtuoza software.

As I said earlier - I received THIS.

After receiving the "winning lottery" spam - it was not a coincidence that other people also received the same spam emails as a result of the Virtuoza promotion.

Sorry. Having this "secret email address" that only Virtuoza and myself knew about - come back to me as a spam email from a scammer - can mean only one thing.

Somebody can't keep a secret.

I have no idea how the guy in the post got his spam, but the very fact noone of the rest of 5000 people that registered that day complained means it is something else, not us, right?

It is more likely that most people automatically delete spam without investigating it - or have no method in place to investigate who sent the email or how they got their email address (especially if they used their regular/primary email address in the promotion). Who do you complain to if you don't know who gave your email address out?

This situation only goes to illustrate how important it is to guard your primary email address and identity as you have no control over how it is used, once you give it out.

Posted 17 years ago #
Michelle
Member

I get a lot of scam e-mails in my yahoo inbox. I just delete them and do not reply to them.

Posted 17 years ago #
Keilaron
Member

Pardon for being off-topic...
I love some of the headers in that e-mail. Sneakmail's "is sneakmail" one is just funny - what's it for? Primitive mail clients?
Also, BuBBy, your e-mail addresses (sneakmail and I *think* hotmail) are still visible in a few places. By the way, enjoying Hotmail Popper? :> I love the program.

Posted 17 years ago #
clobermier
Member

I'm getting an enormous amount of spam ever since I gave Virtuoza my email address. While I admit the spam could come from anywhere, I can't help being suspicious since I didn't get spam until I gave my email address.

Posted 17 years ago #
Face
Member

I, too, have received an generous quantity of spam since downloading Smart To Do.

borisyankov,
As BuBBy has pointed out, it's difficult for people to complain about spam if they are not certain where it came from. Don't think that just because you haven't heard from the rest of the 5000, that we aren't also being bombarded with this trash.

I would like to hear your explanation of how spam ended up in BuBBy's mailbox when that address was given out only to Virtuoza. And in particular, why "Smart To-Do" specifically, is a part of the return address.

Posted 17 years ago #
AlexSJ
Member

Totally on target, Bubby. I use spamgourmet and did the same thing you did only for three pc's. All unique e-mail addresses never used afterwards but up until the alotted number of mails to be received spam over spam came in - lottery, nigeria ... on all the e-mail addresses given during these giveaways.
I can only highly recommend using a service like that, by the way spamgourmet is free (some restrictions apply). I usually allow 20 e-mails, but after this experience I will limit to 5 max.

Posted 17 years ago #
BuBBy
Teh adnim

keilaron asked:

Sneakmail's "is sneakmail" one is just funny - what's it for? Primitive mail clients?

Mail Filtering I would assume.

your e-mail addresses (sneakmail and I *think* hotmail) are still visible in a few places.

Sneakemail uses two addresses - a public one (like I gave to Virtuoza) and a private one that I use when replying to clean my headers and have the email redirected via sneakemail. I removed all of the "private" addresses. The public ones remain. The visible sneakemail addresses have since been deleted, and will now bounce as undeliverable.

By the way, enjoying Hotmail Popper? :> I love the program.

It is a bit slow (probably hotmails fault) and doesn't handle large attachments (timeouts) for me. Other than that, it's ok.

Back on topic - I don't doubt that I am 100% correct in what I believe happened. Even if two people who used a unique & virgin email address (from different services) for the giveaway subsequently received the exact same spam emails - only says to me that someone (likely working at or for Virtuoza) has demonstrated they cannot be trusted with peoples personal details.

Any future giveaways (or general promotions for sites other than GOTD) requiring an email address I would strongly suggest investigating the use of semi-permanent email addresses that can be created and used for a single giveaway - and terminated should you no longer wish to be contacted by the company in question.

Just don't give out your main email address to anyone. It's far too hard to get it back if they abuse your trust.

Posted 17 years ago #
FranckW
Member

Any future giveaways (or general promotions for sites other than GOTD) requiring an email address I would strongly suggest investigating the use of semi-permanent email addresses that can be created and used for a single giveaway - and terminated should you no longer wish to be contacted by the company in question.

I totally agree. I personally like this service : http://www.yopmail.com/en/
Just to let you know.

Posted 17 years ago #
Keilaron
Member

I use Yahoo/Rogers' own fake address support. Since my ISP merged with Yahoo, I can freely use that feature. All I have to do is look at "who" the e-mail was addressed to, and know who sent me the spam (and instantly kill that address) ;>

Any future giveaways (or general promotions for sites other than GOTD) requiring an email address I would strongly suggest investigating the use of semi-permanent email addresses that can be created and used for a single giveaway - and terminated should you no longer wish to be contacted by the company in question.

Agreed.
I don't remember - as I didn't get this program - but did it require or just ask for one? That is, would it have sufficed to use a completely fake address like null@example.com? (By the way, ever visit that domain?)

Mail Filtering I would assume.

Yeah, but I figure the address (and other) headers would be good enough, thus my (rather harsh) comment.

It is a bit slow (probably hotmails fault) and doesn't handle large attachments (timeouts) for me. Other than that, it's ok.

Hotmail a fair bit slow, yes. Attachments are an interesting problem with Hotmail, as despite the large storage they give you, the speed at which an attachment is uploaded to you drops proportionally to the time it takes to do so (eventually dropping to zero and timing out). The only way I can manage to download them is to... well, try again =/ I've been avoiding getting large attachments there, though - the space available there is nothing special.

Posted 17 years ago #
marcoscu
Member

I know who I believe in this. Hopefully this will be a lesson to greedy and unscrupulous developers that selling customer's email addresses is not a good idea. Thanks to BuBBy for the tip off.

Posted 16 years ago #

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