February 20, 2006
Additional Data about Dale Begg-Smith & AdsCPM: A Spyware distributor and Olympic Gold Medal winner
Learn additional facts not published anywhere else about Dale Begg-Smith and his Spyware distribution. Including my very own emails, his IP data, and much more. This entry is a follow up to my original post which you should read first.
New and exciting data for your reading pleasure
1) I previously reported that Dale Begg-Smith was a banned member of the GeekVillage Forums and posted in this thread. The post is signed "Dale Begg-Smith" and the member name he used was "adscpm". During this period of time (5/2002) I owned these forums. I sold same in 10/04. Part of my duties was to warn members when they violate the rules. In this respect I sent the following email to member adscpm/Dale Begg-Smith. Please carefully note the email address of this member:
From: "Webmaster of GeekVillage"
To: dale@adscpm.com
Subject: NOTICE: your post removed from geek/talk Forums at GeekVillage.com
Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 12:09:44 -0700
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200
RE: member adscpm
Hello,
Please do not "push" threads to the top of the Forum list with an
unnecessary post. This violates our Rules and Posting Guide.
Your "push" post is no longer visible on the BB.
If you wan't more exsposure then please consider paying to advertise.
Thank you in advance for your anticpated cooperation.
Best regards,
Steve Shubitz
Webmaster/Owner
http://www.GeekVillage.com
Tribal communication with like minded
natives at it's very best!
------------- End of email ---------------------
2) During the period of time (5/2002) that member adscpm/Dale Begg-Smith was posting and using the GeekVillage Forums, my own records indicate that he used the following IP and only this IP which is retained by the vBulletin script which runs this Forum:
142.173.11.206
This IP is and was located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where Begg-Smith lives/lived and ran his Spyware Network. The owner of this IP and the Class C block was his ISP who is:
Stentor National Integrated Communications Network
OrgID: STEN
Address: 110 O'Connor St., Floor 3
City: Ottawa
StateProv: ON
PostalCode: K1P-IH1
Country: CA
3) When I penned my original entry on Dale Begg-Smith I was also aware of the following press release which states:
"San Diego, CA, Nov. 11, 2002 -- ValueAd has been selected by AdsCPM Network, a revolutionary pop-under internet advertising company, to provide full-service, customized advertising solutions for its customers. As the buyer of pop inventory of high-traffic sites, AdsCPM Network needed a respected online media delivery technology and advertising group, and chose ValueAd for its world-class, customized solutions and proven expertise in this field, and its dedication to customer service."
"ValueAd AdXpress technology allows my customers to manage their campaigns and provides incredible targeting capabilities, said Dale Begg-Smith, President, AdsCPM Network, Canada. A bulletproof stable system (available) for a fraction of the price of their competitors has increased my profits 200%" Source - which indicates a date in 11/2002. Just in case this page is removed, you can also view the same page via the Internet Archive.
Obviously, both parties (ValueAd and AdsCPM) have an understandable and appropriate financial interest in seeing that the other party suceeds. Other parties have questioned the validity of the press release sited above, so lets document the relationship with additional details. In this respect, I sent the following email warning to member "ValueAd" which should in fact help support the validity of the original press release noted above. The email:
From: "Webmaster of GeekVillage"
To: "HostMaster" hostmaster@valuead.com
Subject: ABUSE NOTIFICATION - URGENT - from Steve Shubitz at GeekVillage.com - URGENT
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 11:08:31 -0700
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200
RE: member ValueAd
Hello Vlad,
Thank you for your contributions.
I have reviewed your first post in the following thread:
http://www.geekvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=102305
We have the original post which was:
ADSCPM.com
I would recomend ADSCPM.com for popups
Vlad Kogan
www.valuead.com
---end
The nature of this thread is a WEBMASTER looking for recomendations from other Webmasters on the best pop companies to use on HIS SITES. Please carefully READ the original topic starters post.
Your original post is a clear an absolute violation of our Rules and procedures. See the edit of your post for an explanation. Please insure that this does not happen again.
As much as I like you as a person and your lovely wife, I have a Community to run with rules that must be inforced. I'm truly sorry if you find our rules not to your liking. No hard feelings, just leave and never return. Geek/talk is not for everyone.
Please contact me privately BEFORE you post to a thread for guidence and help.
Thank you
Best regards,
Steve Shubitz
Webmaster/Owner
http://www.GeekVillage.com
Tribal communication with like minded
natives at it's very best!
---------------End of email ----------------
Who is Vlad Kogan? Actually, a very nice Geek with outstanding skills whom I have met in person. During this period of time (7/02) my other emails and in person meeting indicate that his position with ValueAd was owner and the VP Business Development. I have determined that in 2005 ValueAd provided technology to AdsCPM. Carefully study the following page from the AdsCPM web site. Please note the text and links at the very bottom of the page.
4) Connecting the dots with another email address: Dale Begg-Smith also used an email address of "prodesigning@hotmail.com"
a. The following thread contains this email address and the post is a complaint by member budsinc of non payment against AdsCPM. AdsCPM owed money to the Budsinc advertising network according to the post. Part of the post reads:
"I am here to make a formal complaint. We have an account with ADSCPM and the webmaster agreed to pay us every 5 days through paypal. Anyway he asked us to e-mail him at his hotmail account with the bank info so we did and here is what followed:
__________________________________________________ __
Hey,,,
I need to know your bank address and your home address please. Since I am
sending from Canada I need some more info.
THanks
Dale
>From: "contact " contact@budsinc.com
>Reply-To: contact@budsinc.com
>To: prodesigning@hotmail.com
--- Snipped --- See original post for more data.
b. The following thread contains a post by member "sumguy" which is dated 4-26-2002 and reads in part:
"You can contact Dale from ADSCPM at their personal address prodesigning@hotmail.com to get more information until the mail servers are back up.
c. Why am I obsessing over the use of this email address? Fasten your hard disk! The following post by "Dale" and using the same email address is very troubling since he is actively solicitng business from warez and cracks sites :
"Name:
Dale
Email address:
prodesigning@hotmail.com
wrote:
Advertising Proposal Hi,
Our popunder has been going for 4 months, now I am ready to buy all the traffic you get to your site. I am willing to pay you $1.5 cpm (per 1000 unique ip's) that you send to my popunder (a popup that loads behind your page so it doesn’t bother your users). I currently have 10 other warez/cracks/appz sites with my popunder on them for 4 months now and I have never missed a payment. They say I am the best advertiser they ever used." --- Source - In case that link dissapears, you can also read the same data via the Google cache which is dated "Feb 19, 2005 11:20:09 GMT".
Conclusions
I hope my additional research has provided enough data to enhance my original entry. The majority of this entry is unique to StopScum.com. Iv'e actually had most of these facts for a number of days and decided to hold them internally. I kept wishing that Dale Begg-Smith would "come clean" but that hasen't happened. If you find my research of value, please contribute to your favorite charity.
The follwoing thread on the GeekVillage Forums contains additional information on this issue. Including a whois "walk back" on Freescratchandwin.com and a civil and respectfull debate on both sides of this issue.
This entry is a follow up to my original post.
Posted by Steve_S
February 16, 2006
Dale Begg-Smith & AdsCPM: A Spyware low life Criminal Distributor wins an Olympic Gold Medal for Australia
You can run but you can't hide. If you fail to answer reporters questions in a candid and detailed manner, lots of folks will poke around and discover your checkered past. You may have won an Olympic Gold Medal, Mr. Dale Begg-Smith who runs/ran AdsCPM, but your checkered past is back to haunt you. February 20, 2006 - Don't miss my follow up article to this entry.
An Aussie starts the ball rolling
Please see this thread on the GeekVillage Forums. Started by the owner (Joshua Smith/ Czar) who recognized the names while he was watching TV and then performed some outstanding research which discovered this low life's checkered past. Dale Begg-Smith of AdsCPM is a banned member of this Community and you can even read his comments before he was banned inside this thread. This thread also contains complaints from members.
The Media Interview with Begg-Smith
"A self-made, Lamborghini-driving millionaire at only age 21, he was a study in composure and precision during his winning run, knees in flawless symmetry and jump landings clean.
He didn't want to talk about his internet ad-tracking business and refused even to give the name of the operation.
"I don't know," he said, when asked repeatedly to name the business he started when he was 13 with his older brother, Jason, also a moguls skier who didn't qualify for the final Wednesday.
"It was like, so long ago. I haven't been doing much on that the last couple years."
Nice try DUDE! Thank you so much for infecting all those machines.
A band of criminals
Like every other Spyware player, they get greedy and continue to do nasty stuff with other sites. Sometimes they try and hide their deplorable actions by taking the site down but that doesn't work. For example:
"Welcome to Adscpm.com. Ranked top 500 on alexa.com, we are one of the highest traffic advertising agencies on the web. Our download partner does 100,000 software downloads a day. Adscpm.com does 20,000,000 pops a day."
- AdsCPM actually ran and hosted http://www3.adscpm.com/FreeMP3Music.exe This exe is loaded with Spyware.
- FreeScratchAndWin also installed lop/rnd and in it's earlier iteration dealt with xzoomy. It has it's own parasite designation and eadgbe appears to be correct that it is affiliated with adscpm somehow
- Xzoomy.com, which is actively running also has the contact info (Mike Cass) domains@adscpm.com. Xzoomy.com was apparently involved in some autodownload via exploit activity (no prompt download).
Special thanks and attribution to Scott Ashman - CTO Jaspin Interactive for the 3 Spyware connections noted above.
How about a cross check for these allegations? Try this: The dedicated server which currently hosts AdsCPM.com ALSO hosts:
21 domains found on 69.28.210.140
www.0dp.com
www.123expressview.com
www.Adscpm.com
www.Adslimitless.com
www.Adultexpressview.com
www.Advolt.com
www.Cpm-media.com
www.Datecal.com
www.Decknews.com
www.Free-scratch-cards.com
www.Freescratchandwin.com
www.Kill-pop-ups.com
www.Popnugget.com
www.Rebateshoppers.com
www.Searchblend.com
www.Searchprogress.com
www.Softtechltd.com
www.Websearchtv.com
www.Wfgtech.com
www.Xzoomy.com
Advice for Mr. Dale Begg-Smith
1) Return your Olympic Gold Medal. Your checkered past has tainted the Olympics and you don't represent the high moral and ethical standards which the Olympics endorse.
2) Come clean with additional details. Remember, we just started our invesatigation on you!
3) Return all your "wealth" to the Canadian authorities. Including but not limited to your Lamborghini and all the money you have stashed away.
4) Cooperate with the local authorities and provide details of other Spyware players.
Advice for local authorities
Investigate Mr. Dale Begg-Smith to confirm these details. Then use the Olympics connection as a tool to prosecute this Spyware distributor under your local laws which may apply. Imagine the "ink" you can garner by using the Olympics and this Spyware player.
February 20, 2006 - San Diego, California
Don't miss my follow up article to this entry.
Given the fact that Dale Begg-Smith has still not provided details, candid answers, and his complete story with respect to his profiting from the distribution of Spyware, I have started to compile additional research on this issue. Please surf back for my Part 2 entry.
This is a Breaking and Dynamic Story
Time is of the essence since criminals often try and cover their tracks quickly. Additional data and juicy details were just posted.
Please see this thread on the GeekVillage Forums.
Additional resources:
Run a search on the GeekVillage Forums for the term "AdsCPM" via this link which opens in a new window.
All That Glitters is Not Gold... by Wayne Porter - Some additional suggestions for Dale Begg-Smith and other juicy thoughts.
Posted by Steve_S
February 02, 2006
The Dirty Little Secret: Are CPA/CPL Affiliate NETWORK EMPLOYEES Stealing Secrets from Publishers/Webmasters and Using This Data to Make Money?
I've been working on this article for a few weeks. Inspite of my numerous connections with Networks it's been very challenging because Networks don't want to go "on the record". I'm tired of waiting, so this article contains some stories which I believe to be fact and more importantly, specific techniques which Publishers/Webmasters can use to protect their hard work and help me bring this issue to light.
THE Two Issue:
(1) The perception of a conflict of interest when any current employee of any Network is running a Web Site which either derives income from the Affiliate Space or attempts to do so.
This deplorable issue was first brought to light by David Lewis via the following Blog and thread on ReveNews. You will also see posts from ME (Steve Shubitz). Please carefully read the entry and all the comments.
(2) The perception of a conflict of interest with respect to current employees inside the Corporate structure of a given Network who are engaged in "SEO/SEM/arbitrage".
This deplorable issue was first brought to light by David Lewis via the following Blog and thread on ReveNews. Don't miss the comments from actuall Super Affiliates and those third parties engaged in "SEO/SEM/arbitrage".
Want a little bit more fuel for the fire? Carefully read Adam Vieners Blog on this very issue in addition to Vinny Lingham's Blog. Please let me summarize these issues: in fact, it's true (as per the accounts of others) that current employees of Networks have not only "stolen" the hard work of Publishers/Webmasters but used other confidential data to engage in "SEO/SEM/arbitrage".
Procedures for Webmasters/Publishers
(1) Pick up the phone and call your AM or send them an email or ask them in a Forum the following questions which are "on the record":
a. Do any of your current employees run Web Sites which derive income from the affiliate space and or attempt to derive income from the affiliate space?
b. Do YOU have an internal document which many would call a "code of conduct" which prohibits ANY Network employee from running a Web Site which in fact generates revenue or attempts to generate revenue from the Affiliate Space?
Ideally That's a Yes or No answer but that may not happen. Wait for a definitive answer. Continue to move up the chain of command until you have an answer. If you can't get an on the record answer, then it might be time to move on and find another Network who will answer your questions BEFORE you send them sales/traffic.
(2) This sliver of advice is very difficult for me to tell you, since I spent over 6 years trying to help both Networks and Affiliates trust each other, help each other, and truly embrace the "partnership" credo. I've really got no choice in the matter since Networks in the CPA space are so reluctant to go on the record and more importantly, stories from others indicate this issue has occured in the past.
If the answer to question "a." above is YES and or the answer to question "b." above is NO do this:
Webmasters/Publishers should assume that every single Network engaged in the CPA/CPL does in fact have current employees who are "stealing" their data and using it to make money. Wash/obviscate your htttp referral code. Use an intermediary site and or a script to do this. Never disclose the keyword terms and or other Media you use and the site which generated the click to sale. Use your own "codes" to track conversion which do not include any data that a Network employee could use to steal your procedures and income.
Never disclose any details about your: marketing procedures, Media buys, other sites you own, and your sites demographics to your Network. Immediately complain to Senior Management in writing if you suspect that your procedures have been compromised and in fact are being used by current Network employees to make money. Continue to be a friendly "partner" but a tight lipped partner.
On the record statements from CPA/CPL Networks
In the interest of fair play and providing ALL CPA/CPL Networks an opportunity to rehabilitate your tarnished image, please send me your "on the record statements" which specifically address the following 2 issues. I will publish same in this section. Please sign the email with your full name, your position with the Network, and provide a phone number so I can verify the authenticity of your statement. Please send them to: ss AT StopScum DOT com and in the subject field please include: On the record statements from (Networks Name) Your "on the record" statement must answer these 2 questions:
a. Do any of your current employees run Web Sites which derive income from the affiliate space and or attempt to derive income from the affiliate space?
b. Do YOU have an internal document which many would call a "code of conduct" which prohibits ANY Network employee from running a Web Site which in fact generates revenue or attempts to generate revenue from the Affiliate Space?
Posted by Steve_S