FTC Calls Out Spyware Company

By WebProNews
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2005-03-14

A company fraudulently claiming to detect spyware infections and selling bogus spyware removal software has been targeted by the US Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC wants to ban the marketing practices of MaxTheater who makes Spyware Assassin.

An article from The Register says,

"In papers filed with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in Spokane, the FTC alleges that Spyware Assassin and its affiliates used websites, email, banner ads, and pop-ups to drive consumers to the Spyware Assassin website. Thereafter consumers were exposed to a series of dire warnings designed to induce people into running a "free spyware detection scan" which allegedly "detected" spyware even on clean machines.

Frightened punters were then invited to shell out $29.95 for a package called Spyware Assassin which promised to "remove all spyware programs and files" and "prevent any future breaches". According to the FTC, the "anti-spyware" software is vapourware which failed to "remove all or substantially all spyware", contrary to the defendants' claims."

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