Spammed bargain?

[Richard King]

I don't normally respond to spam in my mailbox, in fact I normally delete it from the server before it reaches me, but....

Today I received a spam spouting the following site: http://oem4all.biz/ and oem software pricing that I felt was too good too be true. Has anyone had any dealings with this outfit or ever heard of them? I haven't ordered, yet, and am trying to research them a bit to find out if they are legit. So far all I have found are spam complaints with no comments on the legitimacy of the site or their offers. Any suggestions? I sure would like that Adobe Photoshop and Office XP Pro (and maybe Cakewalk to play with).

[Richard King]

oops, nevermind....

From their faq:
How can you sell this software so cheap? It seems to good to be true - is there a catch?

There is no catch - the software versions that we sell are OEM (yea, right)
This software is recognized as a backup software.
(meaning it is a copy of a legit disc).


What do I get when I order something from you?

You get the CD(s) with the software in jewel case and labels. You also get the activation key, serial number or cd key necessary to activate the software so it work. Note, that you will not be able to register the software with the manufacturer ...
and...
Where does this software comes from ?

The software is shipped from Eastern Europe.Can you say Russia? :(

[RichW]

Russian pirates, I do believe.

[dtcarson]

I know nothing about that company, but the fact that you haven't found anyone actually commenting on the product or the service speaks volumes to me.
Browsing their site:

"You get the CD(s) with the software in jewel case and labels. You also get the activation key, serial number or cd key necessary to activate the software so it work. Note, that you will not be able to register the software with the manufacturer and get their support, but we will do our best to support you any way possible."

"Where does this software comes from ?

The software is shipped from Eastern Europe. "

"All the software is OEM-OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer. Retail version comes in a fancy box, OEM does not. Retail version contains a printed manual. "
Isn't this the kind of thing that comes with a PC when you buy it? No PC = No [legal/legit] OEM software.

Also, if it actually is spam, even if I'm interested in the product, I bounce it and sometimes report it to admin/abuse. And I'll buy it from someone else. That company is already stealing from you [their spamming costs your ISP time and money to block it, and they pass those costs right down to you], and shoving their junk in your mailbox; I wouldn't support them on sheer principle. Besides, if they're scummy enough to spam you, they're probably scummy enough to sell pirated or HK versions of software.
Borrowed from Randy Cassingham's informative Spam Primer site http://spamprimer.com/

"My second, related bit of advice is never, never, ever buy anything from someone who sends you unsolicited advertising by e-mail, even if the product is something you want! Many of these offers are fraudulent, and the advertising method is, by definition, underhanded, especially if the "from" address is forged! Why in the world would you want to give your hard earned money to people who would forge their return address, or make you pay to receive their advertisement that you didn't even ask for? But consider this: even if it's not a scam, by buying from a spammer you legitimize spam, and thus add to the problem. If only 1 recipient out of 100,000 messages sent buys from the spammer (and that is approximately the number), and you are one of those buyers, that pretty much makes you responsible for 100,000 more spam messages coming into mailboxes -- yours and everyone else's. Is that what you really want? It is simply not worth it to encourage spammers! Think of the corollary: If no one bought anything from spammers, they'd stop spamming -- it wouldn't be worth their effort if everyone ignored them. But since a very small percentage does buy, it encourages them to continue or even expand their operations, resulting in ever-more spam. You have noticed it's increasing, right? Thus, the major blame for spam is the people who buy from the spammers, making it profitable for them to continue filling your mailbox with garbage. "

Here's the site's info from Whois:

[whois.melbourneit.com]
Domain Name: OEM4ALL.BIZ
Domain ID: D5784490-BIZ
Sponsoring Registrar: DIRECT INFORMATION PVT. LTD., (D.B.A. DIRECTI.COM)
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registrant ID: DI_232409
Registrant Name: Egor Makashin
Registrant Organization: Egor Makashin
Registrant Address1: uralmash str. 15a-5
Registrant City: Ekaterenburg
Registrant Postal Code: 171811
Registrant Country: Russian Federation
Registrant Country Code: RU
Registrant Phone Number: +32.738222
Registrant Email: macarona6171@yahoo.com
Administrative Contact ID: DI_232409
Administrative Contact Name: Egor Makashin
Administrative Contact Organization: Egor Makashin
Administrative Contact Address1: uralmash str. 15a-5
Administrative Contact City: Ekaterenburg
Administrative Contact Postal Code: 171811
Administrative Contact Country: Russian Federation
Administrative Contact Country Code: RU
Administrative Contact Phone Number: +32.738222
Administrative Contact Email: macarona6171@yahoo.com
Billing Contact ID: DI_232409
Billing Contact Name: Egor Makashin
Billing Contact Organization: Egor Makashin
Billing Contact Address1: uralmash str. 15a-5
Billing Contact City: Ekaterenburg
Billing Contact Postal Code: 171811
Billing Contact Country: Russian Federation
Billing Contact Country Code: RU
Billing Contact Phone Number: +32.738222
Billing Contact Email: macarona6171@yahoo.com
Technical Contact ID: DI_232409
Technical Contact Name: Egor Makashin
Technical Contact Organization: Egor Makashin
Technical Contact Address1: uralmash str. 15a-5
Technical Contact City: Ekaterenburg
Technical Contact Postal Code: 171811
Technical Contact Country: Russian Federation
Technical Contact Country Code: RU
Technical Contact Phone Number: +32.738222
Technical Contact Email: macarona6171@yahoo.com
Name Server: NS1.MUSHROOMS-SOFTWARE.BIZ
Name Server: NS2.MUSHROOMS-SOFTWARE.BIZ
Created by Registrar: DIRECT INFORMATION PVT. LTD., (D.B.A. DIRECTI.COM)
Last Updated by Registrar: DIRECT INFORMATION PVT. LTD., (D.B.A. DIRECTI.COM)
Domain Registration Date: Sun Nov 30 01:44:13 GMT 2003
Domain Expiration Date: Mon Nov 29 23:59:59 GMT 2004
Domain Last Updated Date: Sun Nov 30 01:44:19 GMT 2003

You have to make your own decisions, but I would strongly advise against it; and as a fellow recipient of spam, I politely request that you don't 'feed the trolls.'

[RichW]

oops, nevermind....

From their faq:

(meaning it is a copy of a legit disc).



and...
Can you say Russia? :(

Ahh, that pretty much verifies my previous post.

I get these solicitations for "cheap" software all the time and have been told by Microsoft that they are knockoffs that don't carry a certificate of authenticity. If you try to activate any of the XP software, the request will generally be rejected.

[dtcarson]

There's a huge shift in the mentality of 'pirates' nowadays. Stealing, whether it be money or software, is wrong regardless, but I find it incredibly ironic and hypocritical for these pirate scumbags to be *selling* their stuff. Do a search on Ebay for 'anime dvd' and probably 1/2 of them will be Chinese/HK versions 'Playable Worldwide! 12.00 Shipping!'. So they steal from the creator/publisher, and then expect people to buy their stolen, inferior quality stuff. And people do : ( I don't know if it's out of ignorance or selfishness/greed [I'd like to think the former], but it harms all of us. Hackers/crackers/pirates in the past used to crack the stuff and release it in the wild, kind of like a 'Robin Hood' thing. Obviously it was still wrong, but they were doing it more for the thrill, rather than the profit motive, which is exactly what this new generation of pirates is taking away from the actual creating company.

[RichW]

My contact at the Commerce department tells me that knockoffs of all sort are a BIG business with the Russian Mafia. They were recently chased out of The Ukraine by some sort of raid whcih I heard turned up hundred of thousands of CDs that took a bulldozer to destroy. The little guys may be doing it for pocket change, but Russian organized crime uses it as a big money maker. Microsoft is now shipping only "localized" version of XP software to The Ukraine.

Also there have been reports that pirating based in South America has bee a source of funds for Al Quada terrorists.

But I also agree that even if they were legit, I wouldn't give 'em the time of day. I did the same for telemarketers before the National DNC list was put into effect.

[Bogy]

Shoot, if you want to steal, you don't need to pay anyone for it. Kazaa has people glad to download about any program you want. This is certainly not an endorsement, but dtcarson's post above reminded me that there are still those "pirates" that offer programs with no profit in mind.

[Richard King]

There is not a chance that I would buy this stuff after reading the FAQ. I was just curious though. Interesting, educational responses. Thanks. I have never bought illegal software in the past intentionally. I did buy Coral Draw 9.0 quite some time ago as an OEM package, but I was able to register the software with no problem so I suspect that it was an ok deal.

[James_F]

I'm sure they will do nothing illegal with your credit card number either. :lol:

[Richard King]

credit card number
I thought of that too. :D At least they admit that they are from "Eastern Europe".

[James_F]

A honest crook eh?

[Richard King]

ehWhen did you move to Canada? :D

[James_F]

What are you talking about? You know I love baseball and since baseball is Canada's national sport...

[Nick]

SPAM: Unsolicited or unwanted email, whether product or service offered is legitimate or not.
FRAUD: Illegal or deceptive practices intended to defraud another of money, goods or services.

The email is unwanted or unsolicited, therefor, SPAM. The offer contained in the spam email attempts to defraud the software copyright owner and/or licensor by illegally copying and selling or distributing software, and therefor is FRAUD.

There is also the possibility that all these Ruskies really want is your credit/debit card information. You get no product and they get all your money. It happens al the time.

[Richard King]

Yep. And I wasn't dumb enough to fall for it.