Orginal Print: 10/16/07
"Free ring tones!" "Free cell phone!" "Free laptop!"Every time you go on MySpace it seems that someone is trying to give you something for nothing. You want that iPod? Here you go, no strings attached. Well those blinking banners are hiding more than just spyware.
In fact, most of the free sites out there might give you a free item, but with the time and money it took to qualify for the item. You could have went out and bought it.
These sites are built to lure users in with anything from free condoms or baby food to home computers and laptops.
What they don't mention when they advertise is that you only can get the items when you sign up for, and sometimes pay for, other offers. Not to mention give out your email address to every Tom, Dick and Harry that wants to "bot," "spam" or "hack" you.
In these websites' defense, yes, you are getting something without directly paying for it, but is it really worth it?
According to the fine print of www.getmyfreelaptop.com a consumer must "agree to receive solicitations, marketing materials and other communications from us and Sponsors via e-mail, telemarketing, direct marketing, mobile marketing and any other method."
I don't know how many people think that it's worth the risk of having your professor's e-mail bounce back to them because FreeCondoms.com decided that you might want to check out some kinda free Soulja Boy ringtones...over a hundred times.
Let's say that you have a brand new Gmail account and you want to see just how full you can get that inbox, and spam isn't an issue for you. Well, there's on more thing keeping you from that iBook of your dreams, you need to sign up for the right amount of sponsors, or if you are into condoms, the right about of points.
On Getmyfreelaptop.com after signing away my privacy and the personal information of one Mr. Ike Lyke Bigboughtts, I was asked to complete several surveys when I answered "no" the website stalled. It wouldn't take me any further until I said "yes" to at least one of them. I picked an offer for a $5,000 dollar shopping spree, all I had to do was take a survey on tobacco. Of course I don't use any kind of tobacco product and there was no option I could choose to say so, but it did ask me if I was interested in Smoker's rights. (Maybe the smokers and the furries can march on Washington together.)
I couldn't complete this survey because I didn't want to give them permission to spam my email or call my cell phone and the survey asks in the question: Are you legal age to use tobacco and do you give us permission to spam you to bejesus and back. They don't separate the two at all.
Everywhere I turned on the site, they were looking for a way for me to give them permission to email me junk, their worthless coupons, and more "free" offers. The kicker is that once I waded through all the surveys and submitted my email address to at least ten sites…I was nowhere near getting a laptop, Why - Because you need to sign up for and be approved for two different credit cards, to be considered for the computer.
If I had good credit, couldn't I just buy a computer? I don't understand how people let websites like this get away with jerking them around so. They are after your email info, your phone number and your address, so they can have access to you so they can shove a bunch of crap you don't need down your throat.
Don't fall for these sites, they're set up so they can get over on you. These free stuff sites are nothing more than the cyber version of a rider holding a carrot out on stick in front of a mule.
The poor animal is to focus on the carrot to think about where the rider is taking it.
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