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Internet Fraud and Data Recovery Scams Beware !

Internet Fraud and Data Recovery Scams Beware !
Description
Stranger Danger – Online Scams are on the increase -  how to check an online data recovery company is not a scam ! -The FACTS
**German Victims***
The rapid rise of  victims of scams in the field of data recovery is something consumers need to be aware of. 

"With nearly 40 million search results to choose from it has to be assumed the search results can be relied on, but beware sponsored listings whilst legitimate and used by many trusted companies are also used by the rogues."

This article follows Internet Fraud and Data Recovery Scams Part 1

So in this article we will focus on the search results for “data recovery companies”   Fig 1 and   companies house records in Fig2. 

We find many interesting websites, but how do you know which company is actually still in business?


Fig1 Data Recovery Companies Search on google UK

datarecoverycompaniessearchjuly10.jpg



We see a set of sponsored listings and  then the natural listings, but out of the top 10 results,  3 are sponsored listings which use pay per cllick to rise to the top of the search.

How many actually have a trading company.?

In Fig 2 we have a table of results compiled from a  search on the companies house database and this reveals a completely different story.

The top 3 sponsored PPC positions in Fig 1 are actually dominated by one group of connected companies which show poorly in Fig 2.

With nearly 40 million search results it has to be assumed the top 10 results can be relied on, but beware sponsored listings which, while legitimate and used by many trusted companies, are also used by the marketeers.

Unfortunately unlike television, radio and print, PPC (pay per click)  is not policed by the ASA - Advertising Standards Authority and is routinely used by insolvent and fraudulently trading concerns.

An analysis of the main results in the Google UK search engine makes interesting reading.  It shows the marketing budgets and adwords domination by three companies claiming many years of successful data recovery, which have yet to file any trading accounts, with others showing  as non trading . 

Unfortunately for the consumer only the  successful and profitable data recovery labs will be able to invest in the latest technology and resources needed, but paying for constant adwords seems to be the marketeers primary focus and is a problem for any business sector.

So how can the consumer be confident that an advert is genuine?

Fig2 – Background checking UK Ltd  data recovery companies:-

Profit and Loss comparisons with Networth and trading status


Refer to the search in Fig1 and note that the ones advertising most in PPC don't actually submit accounts. * All data referenced in this article was collected from a companies house / creditsafeuk  / google searches on 5th May 2010.

A Companies House check for Rapid Data Recovery Ltd  company number 06694289 and Rapid Online Ltd  company number 06793006 reveals that the companies, despite advertising on adwords in the sponsored listings, has never submitted trading accounts and was dissolved after 2 years.

Similarly the recent complaints about Clnica-de-Datos dot com  coming from victims in Spain show that the company markets for services in Spain yet never submits accounts for Clnica de Datos Ltd company number 06695310,  which is registered in the UK but was marked as struck off the companies house register..

Even if Trading Standards investigate who do they investigate ?,  the non trading business or the the "masterminds" behind the scam ?,  if the complaint is against a non trading business what redress do you have ? - None

How is a consumer warning message disseminated so that you too do not fall victims to online fraud, most victims only find out afterwards when doing the background checks they should have done in the first place.

Common sense must  prevail, consumers should use the tools in this article to help decide. The genuine companies cannot afford to spend their time helping the victims of scams without charging a fee to cover their time, and the victims will already have been defrauded of their money so are going to be wary to spend yet more money.

Both the unfortunate consumer and the genuine data recovery company to whom they turn for help are losing out financially.
 
A legitimate data recovery company cannot afford to work for nothing on behalf of victims who have already paid out substantial sums to the rogues and this is what the rogues rely on. Whilst many data recovery companies will offer a no data no fee service and free evaluation, you must expect to pay a fair price for successful recoveries to cover the resources, training and equipment of a genuine data recovery lab. .

Don’t forget just as this article exposes the marketing actions of the "rogues-traders" in data recovery services, it also will have an effect on how they react to genuine companies exposing them. Negative marketing campaigns on various websites are not uncommon and the "main villiains of the piece" in data recovery also operate elaborate scam in online divorce, will writing, employment tribunals, website design, and any other papermill service where they are adept in the art of the con.

We should all be familiar with the rise of the Nigerian email scam  Internet fraud advisory, which went hand in hand with the export of used computers to Nigeria, and the risk of data held on the hard disk drives being accessed and harvested for fraudulent use so beware the rogue traders are also after your information and will call you pretending to be another service - the phrase " Once Bitten - Twice Shy" would seem appropriate here.
  
There is data recovery software which can be downloaded and tried for free which can recover all files and folders even on deleted and inaccessible partitions and this could also be used to test if data on a drive has been wiped sufficiently to render the data irrecoverable.

Beware of any service that seems too cheap for what it is, if you are looking for a bargain make sure you can find others who can vouch for the pricing and services offerred.

Consider using a disk wiping program before sending your drive for recycling or donating it to charity.

Many advise that disk drives are physically destroyed, but this goes against the charitable and green arguments for recycling. Alternatively the disk drive or other storage device could be donated to a reputable data recovery lab who can use it for spares in the data recovery process. First you must check the data recovery company has secure premises and the systems needed to wipe drives beyond recovery.

If you pay a company for disposal of data, ensure you get a certificate which details the date and process used.

More victims of a UK Digital Marketing company  (who run a  data recovery company implicated in a global scam to defraud consumers of fees) have emerged since the victims setup their own website to share their experiences.  http://www.data-recovery-blog.co.uk and forum http://www.data-recovery-blog.com

In summation :-

 If a company claims years of trading history check its date of incorporation with companies house. Also check it is still trading and has submitted accounts,  then do a search online to find consumer reviews and feedback. Don’t just take the companies websites testimonials for granted.

Useful sites:-


Directory of reputable data recovery companies, articles and useful information about data recovery

Directory of computer repair companies

Additional reading about Data Recovery Scams

N.B Data recovery software for mac and windows operating systems is available for a free trial, some have the ability to recover any file type and any quantity of data, others are file specific and work out more expensive in the long run, always install the program on a working pc, and attach the drive needing data recovered from  as a slave or by usb. Never save the recovered data back to the same drive, use an alternative storage device to ensure the original data does not become corrupted further.

This article follows Internet Fraud and Data Recovery Scams Part 1
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