Sponsor's Message

"Could you please check our updated translations of yourdomainname.com into eight languages, if you don't mind, at: http://top-site.net/update.htm?...

Do they look OK? If so, there's no need to reply. Simply paste the following code onto your web pages. This will make your web site readable by the 90% of the world who can't read English (for only $5 a month)"

Now because I hate spam so much, I thought I'd check this offer out -- after all, if they're translating my websites without my permission, they're breaching my copyright!

Being the cautious sod that I am, there's no way I was going to click on the URL they provided since it contained my domain name and what looks as if it's a unique identifier. This would have confirmed that their spam was being read and I didn't want that.

So I went to the domain top-site.net

Since I surf with my Javascript disabled, I got nothing but a message inviting me to turn on my Javascript and reload the page -- fat chance Mr spammer!

A quick gander at the HTML code behind this page revealed that the actual content was located at topsites.us.

Look at that... the TopSites website appears to be little more than a shell placed around the freely available content of the Open Directory Project.

But what about that claim that TopSites has already translated your website into eight differnet languages and that you can make those translations available for a mere $5 per month?

Well let's check it out.

If you go to the TopSites Translate Your Website page you can enter your website's URL and have TopSites demonstrate its translation abilities.

Try keying in CNN.COM and see what you get...

Gosh look at that, just pay $5/month and add that HTML code to your own pages then visitors can instantly view those translations that the TopSites people have kindly done for you.

But hang on, I smell a rat here.

One of the advantages of running with Javascript disabled is that sometimes you get to (or have to) see a lot more of what goes on behind the scenes and I noticed something interesting.

The URL of the translated page which ultimately gets displayed indicates that the page doesn't come from a TopSites domain at all. In fact, here's the URL used to show a French translation of CNN.COM:

http://209.73.164.146/babelfish/urltrurl?lp=en_fr&url=http://www.http://cnn.com

Hey, what's that "babelfish" reference???

Hmmm.. why are they using an IP number instead of a domain name? Take a look and see what the website at 209.73.164.146 really is.

Egads! It's good old AltaVista (also found at www.altavista.com).

Guess what? Those lying spammers over at TopSite are trying to make money by *selling* services which are available for free elsewhere.

Have they translated your website into eight languages? Hell no!

These fraudsters are simply running your site through Altavista's free BabelFish service and returning only the HTML that normally sits in the bottom frame. They're effectively *stealing* the BabelFish service by concealing the true URL and stripping all the AltaVista trademarks and logos that normally appear in the top frame.

What a cool business model -- steal your competitor's product/service and sell it, by way of spamming, for $5/month to unsuspecting victims.

I wonder, did they read the last paragraph on this page?. Of course they did -- but hey, they're spammers and the rules the rest of us live by don't apply to spammers do they?

So just what do you get for that $5/month?

Well one can't help but think that you get to pay (and encourage) a spammer for a service of perhaps questionable legality which is actually stolen from another website that usually provides it for free anyway.

This morning I contacted AltaVista for comment and Ethan Fassett, Product Manager for BabelFish, informed me that they had just become aware of TopSite's activites and were about to take action.

For more interesting reading on the scams being perpetrated on this site and its many aliases, check out these postings to usenet

And here's a website which documents the other unscrupulouse and fraudulent activities being conducted by TopSites.

Remember: spammers lie, spammers cheat, spammers prey on the stupid amongst us.

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