We are getting these spam mails almost everyday, selling expensive so -called OEM softwares at a great discounted price. This business of piracy
has basically 3 groups (in hotscams.com definition).
Type 1, they are geniune OEM Softwares seller but they are selling the softwares without following the rules. OEM softwares are meant to be sold together with hardware purchase, and not by themselves. At least this was what I was told earlier when I tried to buy a copy of them at a store. These softwares, e.g. Windows XP, comes with genuine COA (Certificate of Authenticity) and can be upgraded online without any problem.
Type 2 are those that claimed to be selling “OEM” softwares but are in fact (beyond reasonable doubt) dealing with pirated softwares. If you read the FAQ, you will find that the seller is coming out with weird excuses of explaining why the softwares are so cheap, and that they do NOT have any COA. These softwares are illegal and you may not be able to update or patch them using the official sites.
Both Type 1 and 2 may have a neat storefront like the one I captured above. The web design looks so professional that we thought that they are real.
Type 3 is basically the same as Type 2 except that they have a broader range of softwares, esp. those less commonly used but normally priced at several thousands of dollars. The site will sell pirated CDs or DVDs for less than US$ 100 in most cases. In terms of web design, some of those we viewed are quite straightforward with minimal graphics – the software titles does the sales, not the colours/pictures.
In summary, there are avenues for people to purchase pirated softwares from the internet. However, there are risks of performing such an illegal act, including potential legal actions if caught, malware, reliability of the sales (will they deliver or disappear after you pay?) etc.
There will be another article regarding cracks and keygen. In the meantime, these are the ones you MUST AVOID at all cost as they are the playing grounds of hackers. Google has incorporated a warning messages to potential visitors:
NOTE: HotScams.com do not promote the purchase and use of pirated and illegal softwares. We pride ourselves for using licensed software, such as the licensed PHP script used to drive this website and genuine OS for our PC. Thanks.
