Are Online Advertisements Spying on You?

  • Thread starter Brainguy
  • Start date
In summary, these ads are likely scams designed to trick people into buying services from the advertisers.
  • #1
Brainguy
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15004900429758165634.png


This, and similar banners seem to be everywhere recently, and it's not the adware on my computer, since I see them at school as well. Is anyone else being spied on as much as I am? because these things are everywhere and I'm getting the feeling that the two people who made this ad are the ones it refers to.
 
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  • #2
I click back to the PF homepage, guess what's at the top of the screen? :0
 
  • #3
I assume that you're joking and that you know that the ad is bogus. I've also seen the ad, unfortunately there are people that actually think it's real and respond to the ad out of fear. It should be illegal, IMO, to trick people into buying your services.
 
  • #4
Yeah it should but it may be because of the new law cisp the gvrmtn can "spy" on you and so can companies check the bill; anywyas i wouldn't click a baner that looks like a free virus.
 
  • #5
Evo said:
It should be illegal, IMO, to trick people into buying your services.

It reminds me of "Clean PC", which for some reason is back in business. It was shut down, or at least warned that it would be shut down, quite a while back. They offer a free check of your system to snoop out worms, viruses, whatever. A consumers' advocacy group took the "test" with a brand new computer that was absolutely free of anything other than the standard system software. Of course, Clean PC reported that it had over a hundred pieces of malware and demanded a huge amount of money to get rid of them.
 
  • #6
Oh, Jeez, that reminds me of another nasty example. (New post because the edit option on the last one has expired.)
Back in the early-mid 70's, Aamco in Detroit had one hell of an extortion scheme going. They offered free transmission inspections, which they provided as advertised. Then they charged a couple of hundred bucks to reassemble it and put it back in the car!
 
  • #7
One thing that creeps me out is how many sites are linked to Amazon and items from your wishlist appear as ads on those sites. At first I thought it was a fluke but later discovered that there's some form of cookie tracking in use.

It also happened on Ars Technica where Ars seemed to know people in my friends list who have posted Ars articles on their feeds.

We need browsers with full enduser control to stop this kind of tracking.
 
  • #8
With respect to Clean PC there was a similar scam where the checker would encrypt your files and demand payment before it would decrypt them.
 
  • #9
I once had an interesting time with a special virus I will never forget. It was truly ingenious. See, my Norton subscription was up, and before I renewed it I was going about my daily internet filled life (after school of course). I don't remember exactly what happened, but here are a couple of things it had and did:

A fake BSOD: (Seriously, it was funny) A full-screen window would instantly open (covering the taskbar and everything, it was flawless), but not like when you full-screen a picture or game and the screen turns black for a second or two before displaying the image. You just had to hit escape, and it would minimize, then left click the icon to close it.

A fake start-up sequence tailored to your operating system: Same as above, but you could ACTUALLY log in, and all your files were "corrupted" or "moved" (A little message would also be on the bottom of the windows boot sequence that read "(I forgot the name of the virus) has restarted your systen on a attempt to protect your data". Pressing "Escape" five times would minimize it and it would instantly close.

Keeping your programs from opening: This is the best one yet. If you had ANY programs open, they would function flawlessly, until you closed them. Then, at whatever point you decided to reopen them a small message would pop up on your screen, making the "windows error" noise saying "The file you tried to open is infected. (program name) has terminated the operation" unless it was Internet Explorer... which was pretty funny.

All I had to do was restart in safe mode, renew my subscription and run a virus scan and it was gone. No harm done to my computer or my psyche, although if it had happened to a relatively computer illiterate person, they likely would have caved instantly.
 
  • #10
Brainguy said:
[...]I'm getting the feeling that the two people who made this ad are the ones it refers to.

Just so we're all clear... I'm constantly spying on everyone.

I don't know who the other guy is.
 
  • #11
Brainguy said:
15004900429758165634.png


This, and similar banners seem to be everywhere recently, and it's not the adware on my computer, since I see them at school as well. Is anyone else being spied on as much as I am? because these things are everywhere and I'm getting the feeling that the two people who made this ad are the ones it refers to.

:eek: One time I saw that I was being spied on by 17 people!:eek:
 
  • #12
I wish that someone would spy on me. I guess I'm not interesting enough!
 
  • #13
phosgene said:
I wish that someone would spy on me. I guess I'm not interesting enough!

I just looked at your bio, and you appear to be male based upon your hobbies. Therefore you are correct; you are not interesting to me. Get a sex change and call me back.
 
  • #14
But for the price of a sex change, I could be paying multiple meth addicts to stalk me and camp outside my window. I'm not sure that it's worth it.
 
  • #15
Coolguy100 said:
:eek: One time I saw that I was being spied on by 17 people!:eek:

That reminds me I am constantly getting e-mails from Facebook asking me if I know Betsy Fudrucker, Danny Limbserlost, and 14 other people.

I would block them but that is about the only e-mails I get.:shy:
 
  • #16
edward said:
That reminds me I am constantly getting e-mails from Facebook asking me if I know Betsy Fudrucker, Danny Limbserlost, and 14 other people.

I would block them but that is about the only e-mails I get.:shy:

Same Here:tongue:
 
  • #17
phosgene said:
I'm not sure that it's worth it.

I'm pretty sure that you're right about that. (I'm not the kind of stalker that you'd want, anyway. :devil:)

edward said:
I would block them but that is about the only e-mails I get.:shy:
I still can't believe that anyone with an ounce of brains would ever become involved with FaceBook, it I'll let it slide.
If you and Coolguy want to be up to your asses in e-mails, just subscribe to a thread here on PF. I'm still trying, with no success, to eradicate those subscriptions.
 

1. Who are the people spying on me?

The identities of the people spying on you cannot be determined without further investigation. It is possible that they are government agents, private investigators, or even individuals with malicious intent.

2. Why would someone spy on me?

There could be various reasons why someone would spy on you. It could be for personal gain, to gather information, or to monitor your activities for security purposes.

3. How can I tell if someone is spying on me?

There are a few signs that may indicate someone is spying on you, such as unexplained changes in your devices or accounts, unusual activity on your social media, or a feeling of being watched. It is always best to be cautious and seek assistance from a professional if you suspect you are being spied on.

4. What should I do if I think I'm being spied on?

If you believe you are being spied on, it is important to gather evidence and seek help from authorities or a cybersecurity expert. It is also important to take steps to secure your devices and accounts to prevent further spying.

5. Is it possible to stop someone from spying on me?

Depending on the situation, it may be possible to stop someone from spying on you. This could include changing your passwords, securing your devices, or seeking legal action. However, it is important to seek professional help and follow proper procedures to ensure your safety and privacy.

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