- Sponsored search results are advertisements that appear on search engines. Once you've run a query, they usually appear at the top and along the side of the page.
- Deceptive sponsored search results (scam ads or scads) result when advertisers misrepresent themselves by using brand names they aren't affiliated with or authorized to use.
- Scads lure consumers to their sites under false pretenses... bait & click!
- We all do! When you click on a scad you probably won't get what you were looking for and you might:
- Be subjected to fraud, spam & viruses.
Click here to read what the Wall Street Journal reported re: the prevalence of viruses and spyware in sponsored links - Waste time on sites you have no interest in and never intended to visit.
- Be charged for services you never wanted.
For example: Several scads deliver Internet users to sites that charge you for Firefox, a popular FREE web browser. Not only are people paying for something that’s free, they may be providing their credit card information to an unverified source.
- Search engines make money when you click on sponsored links. The more deceptive the ad, the more likely users are to click and the more money search engines and advertisers intent on deceiving you make.
