Yet Another Internet Scam

Check out this cool email I got today:

Do you wholesale? I sent you an email a few weeks ago about selling your spices through our network of stores. They'd be a great fit.

We work with buyers from thousands of grocers, specialty food stores, large chains, mail-order catalog companies and Internet shopping sites. We need a larger variety of spices can choose from, hence my email to you.

If you're interested in selling your spices to more stores visit us at http://www.wiserep.com/sellers.php We guarantee sales.

Sincerely,
David Thibos
Director of Merchandising
WiseRep.com

Seems kind of suspicious to me. After all, I don't sell anthing here - the only mention I've made of spices have been in recipes and reviews.

I decided to find out a little more about WiseRep.com. A quick Google search yields a bunch of hits, but nearly all of them fall into one of these categories:

• Bloggers with items to sell - mostly arts and crafts, but some other items too - who have been contacted by WiseRep with the same kind of email that I got, asking if WiseRep is legit. Funny how the emails are all exactly the same - the only parts that differ are the the words describing a product.
  

• Press releases announcing that WiseRep has "joined forces with [insert major retailer name here]." That's a pretty clever way of spinning the news that you've signed up for an affiliate program. Your bullshit detectors should ring loudly and clearly at press releases like that - Target, Macy's, Walmart, and other big retailers are household names. Why haven't you ever heard of WiseRep before that suspicious email slipped past your spam filter?
  

• Blog comments enthusiastically reporting how great WiseRep's services have been and how much sales have grown since Anonymous has signed up with WiseRep. A large number of these comments quote the exact same press release and are so similar that they are obviously copypasta posted by WiseRep shills.

Now, let's take a look at the WHOIS information for WiseRep.com:

Registrant:
Domains by Proxy, Inc.

DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: WISEREP.COM
Created on: 17-Oct-06
Expires on: 17-Oct-09
Last Updated on: 06-Mar-09

Administrative Contact:
Private, Registration WISEREP.COM@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599 Fax -- (480) 624-2598

Technical Contact:
Private, Registration WISEREP.COM@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599 Fax -- (480) 624-2598

Domain servers in listed order:
AUTH03.NS.HOSTING.COM
AUTH04.NS.HOSTING.COM

So, the people behind WiseRep.com are hiding their identities behind a proxy registration service. Seems to me that a legitimate business wouldn't have any reason to scurry under a rock.

Buyer beware.