Claim: E-mailed invitations from friends to join the Tagged.com web site are a form of scam or virus.
Examples: [Collected via e-mail, June 2008]
I understand tagged.com is a virus ridden site and produces a virus that invades through the users address book..any truth to this?
I have, in the past two days. received several email messages — often from the same person — saying
We deleted them all but have been getting more of the same messages from other friends. Is this a new virus? Where & how did it start?
This is fyi - I just received an email supposedly from a friend in Atlanta saying she wanted to share her pictures with me and I had to sign up to be her friend on a social networking sight named "Tagged."
She is not a photographer, and not the kind to share pics over the internet, but is a friend, and I didn't want to offend her, so I began the process. I didn't like info they were asking for
That email went to her - it was her legitimate address - but she emailed me back saying she had NOT tried to share any pics with me. Shortly after I got another email from her saying she had just received one from a friend who, when contacted, also had NOT sent it or tried to share pics with her. She ran a virus scan quickly and no virus was attached, so it is evidently some SCAM going around.
My thought is that it is from someone trying to sign you up for phone rings, games, etc. I noticed about halfway through the
Origins: Millions of Internet users have received messages like the ones referenced above,
Many recipients, upon learning that these mysterious messages were not actually sent by the persons named, have believed them to be a form of virus or scam. While these messages may not technically fall completely within either the "virus" or "scam" classifications (because they don't furtively install malicious software on PCs, nor is there an intent to disable computers or obtain money through fraud behind them),
the method by which they're spread and their deceptiveness include elements of both those classes.
Tagged.com is a social networking site which has been in existence since 2004. Its current registration process asks applicants to supply an
An April 2007 eWeek article describes and verifies Tagged's disingenuous
Tagged.com's current terms of service (TOS) now include the following disclaimer acknowledging that its members' personal information may be used for the purpose of "initiating commercial
MEMBERS CONSENT TO RECEIVE COMMERCIAL E-MAIL MESSAGES FROM TAGGED, AND ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THEIR EMAIL ADDRESSES AND OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED BY TAGGED FOR THE PURPOSE OF INITIATING COMMERCIAL
E) Notice Regarding Commercial Email
In November 2009, tagged.com was ordered to pay $500,000 in penalties and costs to the state of
Tagged CEO Greg Tseng said the 5-year-old company had voluntarily proposed reforms and overhauled its registration process. It also planned to add more privacy features. However, the company has failed to admit any wrongdoing.
Last updated: 14 November 2009
 | Sources: |
Seltzer, Larry. "Harvesting Teenagers." eWeek. 10 April 2007. Associated Press. "Tagged.com Settles With NY, Texas in Invite Fight." 9 November 2009.
