SEO for Fraudsters

How fake sites trick search engines to hit the top
by Jordan Robertson
1010WINS
December 8, 2009

Search Engine ScamsSan Francisco (AP) — Even search engines can get suckered by Internet scams.

With a little sleight of hand, con artists can dupe them into giving top billing to fraudulent Web sites that prey on consumers, making unwitting accomplices of companies such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft.

Online charlatans typically try to lure people into giving away their personal or financial information by posing as legitimate companies in “phishing” e-mails or through messages in forums such as Twitter and Facebook. But a new study by security researcher Jim Stickley shows how search engines also can turn into funnels for shady schemes. Continue reading “SEO for Fraudsters”