GrandPrive=GoldVIPClub: Black Hat AFFILIATE SPAM

[Roanan]

I received some black hat SPAM this morning:

The email itself was the typical 'go to my blog' for more info.

From: "Rodie Vorhaus" <rodievorhaus56@hotmail.com>
To: <xxxxxxxxxx@telusmail.net>
Subject: Roanan free chip for you
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:14:51 +0000

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When you reach the Yahoo blog page, you see:

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Good Luck
Mari Lee

Although the blog states GoldVipClub (roguest of rogues), if you click the link it directs you to a private webpage that has no content except the automatic downloader.

I paid VERY close attention to the status bar and when I clicked the link and it VERY BRIEFLY redirected to GrandPrive and when I checked my cookies folder, sure enough I see a cookie from GrandPrive.

So either GrandPrive have secretly started a new affiliate/spam program, or their past stupidity has caught up with them and they are going completely rogue.



PS: I have no idea how this happened or what it means:

I have not done anything yet today, since my cookies were cleared, except check FB and my email, report the above message to SpamCop, and make this thread, but there is also a cookie from Intertops now on my computer that was added at the same time.

[Roanan]

PS: I have no idea how this happened or what it means:

I have not done anything yet today, since my cookies were cleared, except check FB and my email, report the above message to SpamCop, and make this thread, but there is also a cookie from Intertops now on my computer that was added at the same time.

I have gone back and done a more thorough investigation regarding this and indeed it IS this black hat dweeb that is dropping an affiliate cookie from Intertops onto my computer.

I am presently in live chat with Intertops now to see if I can speak with a manager or security, but they're sloughing me off.


PS: Stay tuned for my new thread that ties this rogue to a 'legitimate' casino.

[Roanan]

Using the downtime to research this one further, I have determined that clicking from the blog, to the site that triggers the download for the fake casino TWO affiliate cookies get placed on my computer. One for Intertops and one for GrandPrive.

The Intertops one can be dealt with by them, but the fact that there's a GP cookie there shows that they MUST have some kind of affiliate program running, even after screwing everybody once.

[vinylweatherman]

Using the downtime to research this one further, I have determined that clicking from the blog, to the site that triggers the download for the fake casino TWO affiliate cookies get placed on my computer. One for Intertops and one for GrandPrive.

The Intertops one can be dealt with by them, but the fact that there's a GP cookie there shows that they MUST have some kind of affiliate program running, even after screwing everybody once.

It certainly looks like it, even rogue affiliates expect money in return for the effort. This must have taken quite a bit of effort to set up, so they MUST be getting paid for players who sign up.

Dropping cookies for seemingly unrelated casinos may also benefit them, because this Intertops cookie will credit them for the referral in preference to any affiliate who later on GENUINELY refers you through to intertops. Why stop at 2 though, surely the rogues could drop cookies for EVERY affiliate scheme they have signed up to, even though you only clicked through ONCE, about ONE casino. Affiliates are potentially getting screwed BIG TIME by this trick, since it allows affiliates to gain credit for almost EVERY casino subsequently signed up to after a player has been tempted to make just ONE click through, even if they didn't go through with the process.

[Roanan]

I've made it a point, from now on, to take a snapshot of my drive before I undertake any investigations, so when I reran the investigation into this I was able to determine that only TWO cookies were placed on my computer.


The cookies being placed on to my computer was never the issue here.
My internet security automatically deletes all cookies during its daily scan.

The issue I was trying to raise here is that one of the cookies was from GRAND PRIVE.

You know...the casino that already screwed over all of its affiliates once, and then used eCogra to do it a second time.

Now they have enacted a 'black' affiliate program AND it's piggybacking on spam for ultra-rogues.

[vinylweatherman]

I've made it a point, from now on, to take a snapshot of my drive before I undertake any investigations, so when I reran the investigation into this I was able to determine that only TWO cookies were placed on my computer.


The cookies being placed on to my computer was never the issue here.
My internet security automatically deletes all cookies during its daily scan.

The issue I was trying to raise here is that one of the cookies was from GRAND PRIVE.

You know...the casino that already screwed over all of its affiliates once, and then used eCogra to do it a second time.

Now they have enacted a 'black' affiliate program AND it's piggybacking on spam for ultra-rogues.

There was a mention that Grand Prive wanted to recruit affiliates, but were told to "take a long walk off a short pier" because of the previous events. Maybe they are now running, as you say, a clandestine affiliate program, one NOT visible to affiliates, but perhaps run on the basis of one to one deals. The affiliates more likely to accept such deals are the rogue ones, they know Grand Prive might screw them over, and since this is a clandestine deal, they would have no comeback. Thus, it is likely that the terms are far better than for ordinary affiliate deals, and may be based on payments per registering player, rather than a lifetime of player commission deal - this would make it almost impossible for such affiliates to get screwed with a future closure of the deal.

Alternatively, it could be Grand Prive themselves running the show, but hiding behind the guise of a "rogue affiliate", so that they can take an "anything goes" approach, such as spamming. Grand Prive have plenty of form for such clandestine operations, ranging from "Big Dollar", supposedly nothing to do with them, to Villa Fortuna, where they emailed players with accounts at the main 5 casinos to move their play over DIRECTLY, and this was BEFORE they told affiliates they could start moving their players over to Villa Fortuna after the grossly exaggerated rumour that the other 5 casinos were about to close. When someone posted here about Villa Fortuna, they were asked to DELETE THEIR POST, by Grand Prive, who did NOT want this to become public knowledge at the time. Needless to say, this CANNOT be done on this forum, and only made things worse when this requeat was also revealed to members.

I too received an email suggesting I could move over to Villa Fortuna, and perhaps cease playing at the main 5 casinos. This too would have screwed over affiliates, because tagged players were actively being moved to UNTAGGED play at Villa Fortuna, and Grand Prive didn't want this exposed in public, and at the time they were billing Villa Fortuna as "invite only" (which was a load of bollocks anyway, anyone could register once they found the website, except you poor Americans).

IF they are indeed running a new affy program, the truth about it will come out soon enough.

[Intertops]

Hi Roanan,

Could you please be so kind and post the values of the Intertops Cookie here or send them via e-mail to affiliates@intertops.com

Thanks!

[Roanan]

Hi Roanan,

Could you please be so kind and post the values of the Intertops Cookie here or send them via e-mail to affiliates@intertops.com

Thanks!

The cookie information was already relayed to your Live Chat rep TWO WEEKS AGO and can not be recovered as it was already deleted by Kaspersky.

[Intertops]

Hi Roanan,

I will follow up with support then. Thanks for your help!