Guess This Is How They Pay The iPod Bill

from the do-I-still-get-my-DVD-player? dept

Thu, Mar 23rd 2006 12:50pm — Carlo Longino

We've chronicled the rise of all these companies giving people free iPods or other items in exchange for signing up for various services, and noted that even if they're not outright scams, they're pretty shady. The end result of most of them is an onslaught of spam and marketing offers, which isn't surprising. But New York's attorney general has sued one of the free-iPod companies for "the largest deliberate breach of privacy in Internet history" (he's never one for understatement, that Eliot Spitzer), alleging it sold people's email addresses despite having a privacy policy that said it wouldn't. Wow, so the people behind a too-good-to-be-true offer weren't too good. Is that very surprising?

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34 Comments

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Gary Phillips, 23 Mar 2006 @ 1:52pm

Irony
An article about free iPods has a link to a Free iPod Nano survey site........LOL
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Mark, 23 Mar 2006 @ 1:54pm

nothing new
we've heard plenty about the selling of our email addresses already. its about time Spitzer hopped on the bandwagon too
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jt, 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:01pm

Hurts, don't it?
It must have finally happened to him
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:15pm

no
lawer dont need to sign up for free ipod scams...there already well off as being a lawer, if not completely rich
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Rich Miranda, 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:16pm

Re: Irony
LMAO....

I guess that's how TechDirt 'pays the bills'

:)
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:16pm

What i want to know is: do you really get a free ipod?
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Ha-ha., 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:18pm

Re: Irony
That's great.
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icepick314, 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:24pm

Re:
I heard that few does work...if you're willing to give up information...not just your own but others you know....

if you are willing to give up some time and clicks, and if you're brave enough to risk giving up your address and your phone number as well....

me...i make decent enough money so i don't need free iPod...it's more fun to save up and buy stuff on your own....
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Joe Snuffy, 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:31pm

The colest thing I've ever seen
I love that this page has a "free ipod" offer on it. was that on purpose?
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Mar 2006 @ 2:39pm

People give out their real information?
I got my free ipod this way signing up friends. But I went to out and snagged them all some junke email accounts to sign up with because, well, I'm not a complete moron. People are giving out their real email addresses to these things? Seems like a waste of time to go after these guys when it's so much easier to simply protect yourself.

Granted you're pretty much stuck giving them a real address, since they need the billing address of your credit card. But I've never had a problem receiving real mail, I've helped 3 people get free ipods, and no one I've ever talked to has had a problem.

Moral of the story: If you have half a brain it's pretty easy to scam a free ipod out of these guys without giving up personal information.
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Parched, 23 Mar 2006 @ 3:19pm

Re: People give out their real information?
Just curious, how does your credit card come into play?
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eDDit, 23 Mar 2006 @ 3:28pm

re: people give out their real information?
>>Moral of the story: If you have half a brain it's pretty easy to scam a free ipod out of these guys without giving up personal information.
Um, and your credit card info and billing address *aren't* "personal information?"
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imnotgivingthemmycreditcaednumber, 23 Mar 2006 @ 3:32pm

Re: Re: People give out their real information?
i think they use it to verify the info you gave them, but i dont realy know. you better watch your credit card bill!
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:01pm

I'm here from earlier
You have to give your credit card info to the companies you sign up with, AOL or stamps.com are the two I remember using. So AOL and Stamps.com ended up wiht my credit card and billing info, not the ipod distributor.

And like I said, none of us have ever received real mail from these companies.
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Joe, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:12pm

It took me a year!!
It took me a year but I did all the requirements to get me some free iPod goodness... BUT because one of the people on my list was my mother in law who i helped fill out her form, as she was very excited to get her own free ipod, anyways.. they disqualified me for that.. granted they are still taking referals on my account (i have like 2.5 times the requiremnts now, my site got real popular) but they will not give me a free ipod!

So i cal Bull S&%t!!

Joe
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:24pm

I think it's a pretty brave assumption that your CC info (and anything else you told the companies you signed up with) didn't get passed back to them on the backend as a sort of kickback for "referring" you.
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DWBjr, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:37pm

FreeIpods.com & RetailReportCard
Ridiculous services. I signed up with a unique e-mail alias/forward I gave to each of them. It's interesting the amount of manipulative BS that they pump through these addresses... as if I don't know its them. I feel sorry for the people that think they're going to actually signup and get paid to do "secret shopper". Doh. And now... nothing up my sleeve... *BLOCK FAKE-ASS ALIAS.* --Yeah, that was hard.
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Somenone, 9 Apr 2006 @ 3:02pm

hi
Just wondering. Can anyone tell me a site to get a free ipod on cause im going to test it
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ash, 20 May 2006 @ 8:35am

just google it. i dont think its a good idea to even try this. i tried ages ago and im still getting emails from random addresses which they create so when you block one address they send off another so you have to block that. im 16 and iv been getting junk mail through my letter box for about a year now and theres nothing i can do :(
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ash, 20 May 2006 @ 8:37am

visit this its a good article
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badb0iie, 18 Jun 2006 @ 10:45pm

Poker Freerolls
Poker4everFree Kickback Sharing Program & Poker Freerolls, We Put Money Back Into Your Wallet, Poker Freerolls & Freeroll Passwords Posted Daily !!
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2006 @ 8:57am

bla
bla
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Antipas, 10 Jul 2006 @ 5:15pm

More detailed article on this
Here's the link if you want to read more

http://fightidentitytheft.com/blog/?p=46
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Dosen`t Matter, 13 Jul 2006 @ 12:39pm

I don`t care
I really don`t care about them having my personal info as long as its not a credit card. Its just the credit card part I don`t like. But if someone told me they would give me a free Ipod for all my info except credit card and they would sell it to spam companys I woulden`t care. Telemarketers: just hang up, Junk e-mail just press the junk button, Junk normal mail: I do have a garbage bin so I really don`t care. Plus I could use my junk email account instead of my main one it takes like 2 minites to make a spare email account. If there is a site saying that tell me about it.
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Dosen`t Matter, 13 Jul 2006 @ 12:53pm

FYI
It took me about 10 seconds to find a no credit card free Ipod and all you need is 2 minites to make a junk email account. Plese use my link.
http://www.thisipodnanoisfree.com/?r=5881
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Dave, 7 Oct 2006 @ 4:22pm

A great guide for getting a free iPod was made by Dave Johnson. This guide includes comprehensive information on how to get a free iPod, proof about free iPods, step-by-step instructions on getting a free iPod.
Check it out at http://freeipodguide.i8.com

Dave’s Free iPod Guide
Comprehensive Guide/Proof to getting your FREE iPod! Includes a Conga Line.
The site includes a brand new conga line!
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Kelsey, 7 Oct 2006 @ 4:23pm

Signup for a free enhanced fifth-generation ipod!

http://www.flashipods4free.com/index.php?ref=24995
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joe, 16 Oct 2006 @ 9:20pm

This Stuff WORKS!
This sutff works. I got my 360 this way, and am getting a wii off this site!

http://free-wii-nintendo.blogspot.com/
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John, 21 Oct 2006 @ 10:39pm

Good Site
This site works very well. you dont have to give ur credit card or spend money just sign up then pick an offer. the offer thats doesnt require money/cc is iWon. http://www.thisipodnanoisfree.com/?r=8782
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Feb 2007 @ 3:42pm

best point site
Try this site, its a polnts based site. You dont need referrals, you can complete offers yourself, but you get 100% from referrals.
http://www.giftmonkey.com/?r=5878
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Feb 2007 @ 3:44pm

best point site
Try this site, its a polnts based site. You dont need referrals, you can complete offers yourself, but you get 100% from referrals.
http://www.giftmonkey.com/?r=5878
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ken, 15 Mar 2007 @ 9:23pm

heres a site that offers free ipods
look at this one. im trying this one. it might work. see if it works for you.
http://www.ezyrewards.com/?id=144982
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elizabeth, 6 Apr 2007 @ 8:20am

I can't afford an iPod on my own so I'm trying one of these out.. I've heard that this one works. But I have 0 referrals so far. If it works I'll come back and let you know it's legit!

http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=37014822
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nicole, 10 Aug 2007 @ 3:56pm

Re:
yeah i have received an ipod, ipod nano, acer laptop, and 500 dollars for southwest airlines.

just create a new email address for the offers
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