DP owner Shawn Sued by eBay for Cookie Stuffing?!

[NCMedia]

Perhaps most already saw this, but still I figured I'd post as I found it rather amusing:

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Three men defrauded eBay in a "cookie stuffing" scheme that made it appear the men's companies should be paid commissions, eBay claims in Federal Court. It sued Shawn Hogan and Digital Point Solutions, Todd Dunning and Kessler's Flying Circus, and Brian Dunning and Thunderwood Holdings.

eBay says the men devised software programs that, "unbeknownst to the [computer] user, redirected the user's computer to the eBay Web site without the user actually clicking on an eBay advertisement link, or even becoming aware that they had left the page they were previously viewing. As a result, the eBay site would be prompted to drop an eBay cookie on the user's computer even though the user never clicked on an eBay advertisement or even realized that their computer had ever visited the eBay site."

The complaint continues: "once the cookie was stuffed on the user's computer by one or more of the defendant's any future revenue actions initiated by that user when the user later visited eBay intentionally, and not as a result of any advertisement places by defendants, appeared to be eligible for commissions payable to one of the defendants".


eBay claims the defendants also used deceptive means to prevent it from discovering the fraud, and to conceal it. eBay demands compensatory, treble and punitive damages. It is represented by David Eberhart with O'Melveny & Myers.

Original Source: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/0..._Stuffers_.htm

Actual Case: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/08/26/eBay.pdf

[lucidflux]

What donkeys if they are found guilty.

[jimmybloggs91]

thats insane, surely shawn must make enough from adsense on that site, i know full well i have made well over $1 in the revenue sharing program lol

[LTY83]

wow.. thats crazy... lil greedy if you ask me... i'm sure dp makes them some nice ching

[lazarus4444]

Lazarus4444 stops his cookie stuffing campaigns...

[NCMedia]

I think this is actually a good wake up call to those that do an excessive amount of it, or try to stuff forums, or bigger community sites etc. If the shit hits the fan with these guys it's going to be quite the case - If there are any updates you guys here about please post them, keep everyone in the loop as I think we should all watch what happens here when you misplace your powers.

N.

[lucidflux]

The doors are locked to this place right? Haha, is that $7 membership in place yet, I will gladly pay to keep those hundred thousand donkeys from moving here if that place crumbles with this suit. lock up

[NCMedia]

The doors are locked to this place right? Haha, is that $7 membership in place yet, I will gladly pay to keep those hundred thousand donkeys from moving here if that place crumbles with this suit. lock up

lulz, already thought about that - many forums will crumble as the parasites infest them... .. . ... Yes the $7 is in place, new members are modded, can't PM, can't view anything more than the first section and product listings...

Also just found this - http://dockets.justia.com/docket/cou...ase_id-206526/

and - Shawn makes a statement on Shoemoney's blog about catching missspellit stuffing

Shawn Hogan said on September 10th, 2006 at 9:41 pm

As far as I know, it’s a perfectly legit way to make money via the eBay affiliate program. Also, I think “cookie stuffing” isn’t entirely accurate… unless you consider a “normal” affiliate link to be cookie stuffing too.

I'm not sure if this will have an affect on their forum, however due diligence will be performed for sure. FTR - you don't have to rely on simply i-frames etc. You guys would be surprised at what some software out there does re stuffing, hiding, server side ops, etc. Do some deep reading about the possibilities of stuffing you'll see it's a huge market, and case in point it is also a direct disregard for the RICO act. Perhaps the defendants even knew this all along, that when caught, the penalties and various randomizing will not outweigh their reward. However, even then, where there is money - there is a trail.

[lazarus4444]

Norb, you have helped deliver me from the black hat world but the allure of it all beckons to me when my sales are slow, like for the past two weeks, lol. But, i'm learning to do things the hard way, i mean the whitehat way. Although i may be considered a grey hatter now, hmmmm...

[lucidflux]

Haha, I can just imagine these guys in the pen

Conversation:

Mafia hitman: "So whatta ya in here for?"
DP crew:"Violated RICO."
MHM: "Really, me too, what statute?"
DP crew:"Uh.......???!!!!.......we...uh...stuffed some cookiezzz."
MHM:

PWNEDDDDDDDDDDDD

[Spliff]

I can't see this having any effect on their forum, people want to make money and it's one of the highest traffic IM forums out there.

I was so stupid though, I just purchased a few hundred bucks worth of golf equipment off eBay and I'm an eBay affiliate! I should've stuffed myself before purchasing

[Spliff]

DP crew:"Uh.......???!!!!.......we...uh...stuffed some cookiezzz."

LOL! "You are now sentenced to 10 years for stuffin people's cookies!"

[lazarus4444]

Now it's going to be time for their cookies to get stuffed in prison <---- This is my face of the day...

[lucidflux]

LOLZzzzzzz

[inzpiration]

Hahahahahaha! that's funny! I totally agree, Let's Lock the Castle before they come!

[mikey1090]

There is a gigantic thread in the DP general chat forum about this. The amount of arse lickers there is untrue. If he has played with fire he will get burnt. Quite simple.

Ebay will probably want to make an example of him to all the small time blackhatters doing this.

[Blackman]

If that's true, then it's really low for a forum, like DP.

[servizot]

No comments. I am actually banned at DP anyway (and it was not my fault)

[Spliff]

Now it's going to be time for their cookies to get stuffed in prison <---- This is my face of the day...

Just no chocolate chunk cookies please!

[bunch]

why would they do such a freaking stupid thing??

they must of knew if someone found out it was to the hoosegow with them
they have a forum and website worth millions, why jeopardize it?

[willyboy104]

Has anyone ever wondered why Shaun doesn't monetize the forums more? Surely you can do more than add Google adsense in the top right hand corner and a 756x128 link in threads.

I can think of loads more ways, just astonishes me that he never has.

Anyways if Shaun was doing it then he will get whats coming to him, if not then hey good marketing for DP.

By the way anyone think Digital Point is going down the drain so to speak?

[kingwallace]

DP has been down the drain n back.

[lucidflux]

Yeah, I agree, I don't know why they don't monetize that forum better as well, I mean a simple hostgator link at the top of the forum alone could do some serious damage. Someone more experienced care to chime in? Maybe he's just such an IM baller that he has huge stuff going on everywhere, but adsense seems like such a waste.

[willyboy104]

Yeah it seriously is Lucid, Shaun could of sent a mass email or something to members once every month (most wouldn't mind) giving a review of one product, or advertising other relevant sites (therefore selling advertising spots) for sheer money he would make more than he makes in a week there or even a month.

He could of had top 5 relevant products in a little banner on the side or something with his affiliate links in or made people pay for BST section or something else.

Either way DP seems to be getting too many newbies and not enough experienced members who know what they are talking about. Soon its just going to be a playground to all those newbies who are going to feed each other the bullshit about pagerank and alexa rank.

[mikey1090]

Has anyone ever wondered why Shaun doesn't monetize the forums more? Surely you can do more than add Google adsense in the top right hand corner and a 756x128 link in threads.

I can think of loads more ways, just astonishes me that he never has.

Anyways if Shaun was doing it then he will get whats coming to him, if not then hey good marketing for DP.

By the way anyone think Digital Point is going down the drain so to speak?

He used to have a newsletter of 70,000 subscribers, to which he charged $70k to get featured in it!

[willyboy104]

70k!!!? what the hell, who would pay that....

Does he still do that now then? or was that something in the past...

He has let the forum go sour, with all these damn admins/mods they dont have a clue a lot of them.

[jimmybloggs91]

Either way DP seems to be getting too many newbies and not enough experienced members who know what they are talking about. Soon its just going to be a playground to all those newbies who are going to feed each other the bullshit about pagerank and alexa rank.

I personally cant wait! before i was in this clickbank business i was selling websites, you know the kind "Auto-Updating Great Niche Low BIN" but sales started to dry up. But the more and more noobs getting in there would help sales!