Obama's Chrysler 300c is back on eBay. Buy it Now for $1,000,0000

The owner of a 2005 Chrysler 300c became aware that Barack Obama was the previous driver of his vehicle. A website has been created.... http://www.obamas300c.com/ and the car has been placed on eBay.

The opening bid starts at $100,000 with a buy it now price of $1,000,000. The 300 c is loaded with leather, sunroof, navigation, chrome wheels, and a HEMI.

According to the website, in July 2004, Barack Obama took delivery of this 2005 Chrysler 300c from Park Plaza Dodge in Forest Park, Illinois. In 2007, Obama swapped his Chrysler sedan for a Ford Escape Hybrid at Hawk Ford in Oak Lawn, IL. Hawk Ford then transfered the 300C back to Park Plaza Dodge.

Finally in February 08, the current owner purchased the 300C from them.The car was previously listed on eBay in December 2008. There was a bidding war, and with about three days left, the top bid was a little above $125,000.

However, the owner canceled the auction due to short term capital gain tax issues.The owner intends to donate a portion of the proceeds to various charities.(MMD Newswire)

Protect Your Cars Paintwork

Today's car finishes are very delicate and require special care. Avoid washing your car at automated car washes as this is a sure way of damaging your cars paint work. The best method to clean a car is still doing it by hand. You will need two buckets filled with clean hot or cold water and a wash mitt.


Only use the best car wash products on the market. Do not use any household cleaners as it will damage your cars paint. Park your car in the shade, use a hosepipe to remove and soften the dirt on your cars paintwork. Open the tap just a little as you want a slow flow of water, don't use a strong jet of water because the high pressure will blast dirt particles into the clear cote that protects the base coat. Start with the roof and work your way down.

When you have hosed the car down, open the tap for a stronger jet of water and remove the dirt under the wheel arches, reduce the flow and hose the tires and rims. Follow the directions of the car wash liquid and mix the required quantity into one of the buckets with water. Place both buckets next to the car; dunk the wash mitt into the bucket with the car wash liquid and start washing the roof working your way down. Rinse the mitt frequently in the bucket with clean water. When you have finished washing the car, take the hosepipe and rinse the car to remove the soap suds from the cars paint. Most people don't dry the car, but for the best results dry the car preferably with a microfiber towel or a chamois leather. Use a separate towel or chamois leather for the mags. For the best protection of your cars paintwork polish your car at least once every three months. Always follow the instructions on the polish container. If your car has mags use a good brand of mag cleaner and polish to put the shine back on them. Clean the windows with window cleaner and use tire polish to polish your cars tires. Never use dirty water, cloths or abrasive polishes. When you are finished you can step back and admire your bright and shiny car, knowing that the paintwork on your car will stay in a superb condition for years to come.

Tank Presidency

Later on 20 January, the president elect Barack Obama will formally appointed as president of the United States. All preparations have been made, including making a "tank" a new presidency.



Tank? Yes, the car is more feasible presidency called tank. Not only because it is designed bulletproof, antimissile, but also because of, according to the designer of the car, there is no "elegant" at all.

"Oh my god ... why Obama is not all just wearing Abrams," so that their comments had to see photos of the car. Abrams tank is a series of powerful United States used in the war in Iraq.

Cars presidency is a Cadillac limousine. Designed for comfort food at a time, because the door is only as thick as 8 inch (20 cm). "With such strength, shooting just will not enjoy break through," said a news agency.

The General Motors, the manufacturer of the Cadillac, ensuring that the model Limo Obama is the original model, not a development model that has been there before. "Cars are made with special specifications, the test has been through various extreme conditions, but in accordance with the principle beauty Cadillac cars," said Joanne Krell K, spokesperson for General Motors.

Of course not opened to the public what is distinctive car, for the security aspects. "What is certain, if the president is in, all the commotion of the world will vanish. He will be in total isolation in the box is a very protected," said Joe Funk, a retired Secret Agency experienced oversee President Bill Clinton.

Said Joe again, although "isolated in the box," but Obama will still be connected with the outside world because all the communication equipment available. How the Internet? There ..! Phone? Do not also asked ... surely available. "Only in a flash, he was able to contact any of the world," said Joe.


Although the car was quite large and heavy, but the engines are made so that the form of energy. The goal clearly is not simply a car that is environmentally friendly. Made energy efficient, because the Secret Department considers the situation worst. For example, should the president was far from the threat, the car still has enough fuel. Not funny, is not it, when the time to secure the president, the car must first drop in gasoline to pom, or Mr. Obama should come out of the car broke down a taxi ago?

Raptor this new plan will be launched in 2010.

The company's legendary motorcycle United States of America, Harley-Davidson, the agrersif. After the ownership be acquired MV Agusta (which also have the brand Cagiva) Claudio Castiglioni's hands early this year, Harley-Davidson want to restore the glory of motor sport Cagiva.



Newspaper circulating, they are now preparing for the new motor under the Cagiva brand. In fact, the motor is not really "new", because they will develop the Raptor has been previously sold by Cagiva.

Raptor this new plan will be launched in 2010. Blade Anyar they will be equipped with a machine equipped with a 140 dk with a 1125 cc V-Twin. The same engine used in the Buell 1125R and 1125CR.

Raptor In addition, they also prepare the other big motor. version of the 650 cc and 850 cc.

However, the two manufacturers that collaboration does not use the machine itself. They are wanted to join the Piaggio and BMW. Not only a great motor they intend outsourcing, 125 cc version will also be issued from one of the manufacturer.

The plan this big, in the end you want to make a Cagiva foremost manufacturer of motor sport. In three to four years, they will also make a motor with a 1200 cc engine plant Rotax v-twin which can give off energy to 180hp.

How to Drive on Snow to Avoid Having a Car Accident

When it is snowing, more care than usual is required to avoid having an accident. Driving in winter should be avoided when the weather conditions are bad. However, if there is something that cannot be postponed and you have to make the trip, you should be prepared for what might confront you on the road.



You should take all the preliminary steps and make your car fit for the winter. You should not get on the road until the snow ploughs have had a chance to clear the snow from the road. When you do get out, you should have the necessary tools like scraper, shovel, flashlight, rope, etc with you so that you can deal with any emergency situations if they arise.Be sure to use fog lights or headlights while driving so that your own visibility can improve a little, and the other drivers are able to see you. Both the brakes and the accelerator should be pressed gently. The distance of your car from that ahead of you should be considerable and almost double than what it should be in normal conditions.When you're driving and you are not able to see the edge of the road or the snow pole, then you should preferably stop because this indicates that the visibility is not favourable enough for you to be driving.
It is not wise to overtake vehicles while it is snowing. It should not be done especially when you are on a hill or at an intersection. In poor snow conditions, you should use snow chains in order to improve the grip of the tyres on the road. This would increase your control over the car. It is always good to practice how to fix the chains yourself. This can help you a lot as you can fix the chains when needed and don't have to wait for someone to arrive and do it for you. It is always wise to carry the snow chains with you in the winter season. You can either hire snow chains or buy your own, but you should make sure that the chains are in accordance to the diameter of the tyres. You should put on the chains when you feel it is really important. However, they should be removed as soon as the conditions improve and you can drive without them.
While parking the car, the handbrake should not be applied; instead the wheels should be chocked. In addition, you should not use rocks when you park the car as this may damage the snow clearing machines. If you feel that the snow is getting worse and you are losing focus on the road, you should give yourself a break and pull the car over and wait for the weather conditions to get a little better. When you are calm again you can get back on the road.
If you get into some kind of trouble and are not capable of resolving it on your own, then you should call for help and stay where you are until help arrives.

How to Drive When it Starts to Snow

Driving in the winter season is relatively more difficult than normal, and requires skill and practice. In the absence of these important factors, accidents can occur. It might be best to stay at home in bad weather but it cannot always be done as some tasks cannot be postponed.



For people who are not accustomed to driving in snow, the task can be challenging. In order to avoid any kind of unpleasant experiences during the winter season, you should have your car thoroughly checked before the season so that you car is well maintained. You should keep yourself up to date with the weather forecasts so that you know what to expect on the road.
Before leaving home, make sure that your car's battery, cooling system, electric connections, tyres, windscreen and all other things are in the right order. For emergencies keep materials like a rope, flashlight, first aid kit, blanket and wheel chocks in the car. You should keep in mind that the first fall of snow can be very dangerous if the roads are not gritted, as the tyres don't have a grip on the road and this can cause the car to slip.
Your windshield should be clean so that when it starts to snow, it doesn't affect your already reduced visibility. In the snow season you should try to get snow tyres so that it is easier to control the vehicle when it snows. When you see the first signs of snow, you should make sure you cut the speed to half and not try to drive fast as this can have serious consequences.
You should keep calm the whole time and try not to get stressed or nervous as this is likely to affect your judgment, which is very important while driving in bad weather. In case of a spin out, you should let go of the accelerator and you should steer only when the tyres have gained a grip on the road again. Otherwise the car is likely to spin even more. However, during the whole time you have to be really quick and alert because the wheels take only several seconds to get a grip, and in that moment you have to take action.
You should make it a point to check that the headlights and taillights don't have snow on them. You should keep the headlights so that others are able to see you. During snow, the car should be accelerated slowly and gently. When you stop the car somewhere, instead of pulling the handbrake, chock the wheels and leave the car in gear with the wheels steered away from the slope.
In order to avoid accidents during snow, you should use snow chains, which would make the tyre's grip on the road better. Make sure that the chains you get suit the diameter of your car's tyre. It is always better to get some practice in fixing the snow chains so that you can do it in bad conditions and not have to depend on someone to do it for you.

Truck Value - Don't Get Taken For a Ride

You've seen the ads with huge miles per gallon numbers in great big type. You've seen plenty of others with little tiny monthly payment figures also in big bold type. Switch on the TV and there are plenty of ads there too that feature little trucks pulling huge semis full of half-naked women up impossibly steep hills.
How do you sort through all the hype and hoopla about price, performance, fuel economy and style to find a real truck value? One way is to make sure you don't set foot in a dealer's showroom until you know exactly what truck value means to you. To figure that out all you need is a piece of paper and a pencil.Truck value can mean many things. One person may measure it by payload and off-road driving limits while another measures it by current price and resale price averages. Understanding what you need your truck to do for you now and at the end of its life can mean the difference between getting a good deal or getting taken for a ride.
If an immediate answer doesn't come to mind, here are a few questions to ask yourself to help figure out what you need.

Where will the truck be driven most -- on the highway, in the city, off road?
What will you normally haul in the truck - tools in a more or less permanent case, heavy items occasionally, bulky but lighter weight items, etc?
Who will be driving it usually and are there any special accommodations you need to make for multiple drivers (cab height, tilt wheel etc.)?How important are fuel economy and/or environmental concerns?Do you have a preference for fuel type (gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, etc.)?How long do you plan to own the vehicle - will you resell it or drive it until it dies?Do you use/need additional engine or braking performance beyond standards?



Some of these questions may seem redundant. Others may seem unnecessarily picky, but this is just the first step in doing your research. Once you've gotten all your answers written down, you'll want to go over your list and put a star by those areas that are more important than the others. You should quickly see a pattern emerge that will help you determine your major and minor value points.
For example, let's say you starred where the truck will be driven, have a preference for one fuel type and that environmental concerns are important to you. Fuel economy is clearly an important value for you but you'll need to research your different fuel options further. If you decide that you might want the option to make your own biodiesel in the future if prices of regular diesel rise, you clearly won't find a sale on gasoline powered trucks a good value.
Any new truck you buy represents a huge investment. You owe it to yourself to take the time and go through every decision making step you can to make sure that you get the very best truck value for you before you make that investment.

Selling a Used Car Versus Trading It In - Which is Best?

You've decided to buy a new car. The natural question is what to do with your current car. You've got a couple options, so you need to understand the relative value of selling a used car versus trading it in when you buy.
The good news is that understanding the trade-in math can help put a nice chunk of change in your pocket. The bad news is that the math is not quite as straightforward as you might think.


Let's say you have a car that you can sell for privately for $5,000. And let's say you're in the market for a $25,000 new car. Should you sell your car yourself, or should you trade it in when you buy the new one?
You might put more cash in your pocket by selling it yourself, but your net gain on the sale might be lower than if you traded it in. That might sound strange, but it's really not. The missing piece of the puzzle is the impact of sales tax.
When you buy a new car, you have to pay sales tax only on the difference between the purchase price of the car and the trade-in amount.
So if you can find a dealer who will give you $10,000 for your trade-in (and he very well might in order to move a car off of his lot), you'll owe tax on $15,000. If the tax rate is six percent, that's $900. Consider that savings when you're deciding whether to sell your used car on your own.
If you sold your car on your own, you'd have to sell it for $10,000 plus $900 (your tax savings) to equal what your dealer was going to give you. That's a pretty high hurdle.but that's really only one consideration.
The other big thing to consider is the hassle of selling on your own, or to look at the other side of the coin, the convenience of letting your dealer handle the entire transaction.
If you sell on your own, you have to advertise the vehicle and try to market it in your area. Do you know the right price to charge? What sells where you are, and what does not? You'll also have to show it to interested parties, wait while people let their mechanic look at it, and so on. You'll have to handle all of the paperwork yourself, transfer the title appropriately and meet any requirements your state has for people who sell vehicles.
If you trade in your car, you're pretty much selling your car to the dealer. He does all the paperwork, and he's very likely to offer you more for the car than you'd get from a private buyer. You could have the entire transaction done the day you buy your new car, and never have to deal with another headache.
Selling your own used car and trading it in are both good strategies, and you can make out pretty well with either. But before jump into the seller pool, consider very carefully whether it's worth the bother, or whether trading will net you more money.

Truck Wheel

When it comes to selecting wheels for your vehicles, then you need to go by some specifications, otherwise you will end up with tires that are incompatible to your type of vehicle. Trucks especially come in many types, for example, SUVs, vans and pick ups. More often than not, they are used for ferrying heavy weights although this culture is slowly but surely changing.


For this reason, you need to ensure that your truck wheels are the appropriate ones. These days, there are those customized tires that will fit without a problem.The custom tires will serve many purposes at a go because, besides bearing the heavy weight of the vehicle, they also give better performance and enhance the appearance of the vehicle. Think of the vehicles you have seen with over sized tires, raised to over 8 inches and fitted with fog lights for no specific functional reason but for glamour.Truck wheels should be reliable, otherwise you will need to replace them every so often and this will cost you a fortune. For the best results, it is good if you are sure if you need them for light or heavy vehicles. Light vehicles consist of pickups, mini vans, full-size vans and sports utility vehicles. All the other big vehicles fall in the heavy weight category.
For long-lasting tires, you may want to consider going for the alloy ones because for one thing, they are non-corrosive and they are also lighter than the ones made from single metals. Others available one are those made of stainless steel, aluminum brushed and chrome. Their diameters range from 15 inches upwards. The choice is yours.

Used Car Warranties - 5 Key Questions to Ask Before Buying a Used Car

If you are in the market for a used car, you need to be in another market at the same time-the market for a used car warranty. You need to shop for both. And if you're not careful, you can end up costing yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars on a bad extended warranty.


When you are shopping, remember what an extended warranty is. It is essentially a service contract that covers things after the new car warranty (the factory warranty) ends. You will not get all of the new car coverage, even in a great extended warranty, so don't let that bother you. But be smart about what you do get. Here are some questions to ask.
Do you really need an extended warranty? You might not if there is a big portion of the original warranty left. If the warranty transfers to a new buyer, you might be covered as much as you need or want. Saving the money you would have spent on an extended warranty might be a smart option.
What is covered by an extended warranty you're considering? This is an extremely important question to answer. Many people shop for an extended warranty like they shop for gas-they buy the cheapest they can find. That is often a big mistake. In the world of extended warranties, you often get what you pay for.
What you want is a warranty that covers mechanical breakdown and "wear and tear." Wear and tear refers to items that tend to wear out and degrade the performance of your car. That means things like worn rings, shot pistons, overheating damage, leaks, etc. Stuff in your car tends to wear out, not fail, so do not settle for a warranty that does not cover wear and tear.Is the warranty company reputable? If you can not get information about the company from the Better Business Bureau or Web Assured, avoid them like the plague.You will find that many companies offering cheap extended warranties with low teaser rates reject most (or even all) claims. That's the way they make money on such a cheap product. They might not answer their phones. They might not send you a contract to review before you agree to the warranty. These are all bad signs.
Will the warranty pay the repair shop directly? If they make you pay first, they can quibble about reimbursing you. This is one of the biggest scam tactics out there. You should pick a warranty that will pay the repair shop directly and not force you to shell out your own money and hope for reimbursement.
Can you get repairs at any ASE certified shop? You don't want a warranty that forces you get service where you bought the warranty, or that restricts you to a few repair shops in the greater Newark area (although that might be convenient if you live in New Jersey). You want a warranty that will let you get your service at any shop certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). That gives you the flexibility to have 400,000 professionals to choose from.Used car warranties can be a great way to protect your purchase, if you know what to look for. If you answer these five key questions, you will be able to protect yourself as much as you are trying to protect your car.

How to Pass the Driving Test - Learn All the Secrets For Passing!

If you want to officially have your driver's license, you'll first have to learn how to pass the driving test. Even if you think you know how to drive, you still may not have what it takes to pass the test. The written test may have hard questions that you don't know the answers to. The road test may be much harder than what you might expect.

Let's face it, the DMV handbook doesn't provide nearly enough information on how you can pass the driving test. You can read it every day for a month and you still may end up failing your test. It's all too common. It's so common, in fact, that over half of the American population fail their very first driving test.

If state handbooks are really all that great, then why do half the people who "read" them end up failing? It's simple: they weren't prepared enough. Those failing their first driving test didn't show up to the DMV with all the knowledge and skills they needed for passing.

It could also be that they were nervous. However, if they walked into the DMV knowing that they were well prepared, their anxiety could have been lessened. Mistakes are bound to happen, and that's fine, but those who prepare themselves well enough ahead of time are less likely to make them.

Thankfully, there is hope. There are wonderful resource guides on the Internet that will give you all the knowledge you'll need to succeed. If you want to know how to pass the driving test, you will need to read a good guide that help you understand the rules of the road better. You don't have to read your boring DMV handbook over and over again. You don't have to spend a fortune on driving lessons. You can find all the information you need for passing the driving test online!

How to Get the Best Deal on a Used Mercedes Benz Car

So you want to buy a used Mercedes Benz car. There is nothing wrong with that, and you can save a bundle. But be smart when you buy. You are going to have to make some important decisions as you consider your purchase.

The most important decision you will make is where to buy.

You can obviously buy a Mercedes car from an individual owner. You might get a great deal that way, and if there has only been one previous owner, you will have a better chance of getting a car that was taken good care of.

But there are serious advantages to buying a certified, pre-owned Mercedes Benz car from a dealer.

Mercedes Benz prides itself on the quality of its certified, pre-owned cars. They intentionally make the certification process rigorous. The put each vehicle through nine different inspections, with a total of 162 different checks. That includes a complete check of the engine components and compartment (28 points), a road test (14 points) and a check of the electrical system (33 points).

Mercedes wants a certified, pre-owned car to be as close to new quality as it can be, and the results prove it. The reliability of these vehicles is superb. But they don't ask you to trust them on that.

Every certified, pre-owned Mercedes car comes with a comprehensive limited warranty. Any remaining part of the four-year/50,000 mile new vehicle warranty still applies, of course. Beyond that, the certified pre-owned warranty extends the coverage another 12 months, or up to 100,000 total miles. That warranty takes effect at the time of vehicle delivery for any car no longer covered by the new car warranty.

They also offer a Mercedes Extended Warranty that covers just about everything imaginable, including the steering, brakes, engine and powertrain, transmission, and so on. The warranty guarantees the work at over 300 authorized dealers nationwide in the U.S., and you will get all genuine Mercedes-Benz parts. There is no deductible for the extended warranty, and you can transfer it to a new owner if you sell your Mercedes car.

So the cars are exhaustively evaluated, and Mercedes stands behind their reliability with one of the best warranty programs in the business (right up there with BMW-maybe it's a German thing). But Mercedes goes above and beyond with their certified, pre-owned vehicles.

You will get 24-hour roadside assistance, just like new Mercedes owners do. You'll also get what they call Sign and Drive services, which gives you a free jump-start, flat tire change, or gas if your tank is empty and you are stranded.

And when you buy a certified, pre-owned Mercedes Benz car, you will get the seven-day/500 mile exchange privilege. That means you can return the car within that time and swap it for another pre-owned Mercedes of equal value (or greater value, if you want to pay the difference).

If you are considering buying a used Mercedes Benz car, it is certainly worth your time to investigate buying a certified, pre-owned vehicle from an authorized Mercedes dealer. You might get a steal if you buy from some other source, but you might be surprised to find that Mercedes itself is the best deal around.

Free Classified Auto Ads

Are you ready to sell your car? When selling anything, it's very important to get the best possible price. Forget the trade in money that dealerships are offering towards your next car. You'll be paying for that trade in value through higher monthly payments or a lower discount on the car you're buying.

The best way to sell your car is through free classified auto ads.

By selling online, you have way more people who can see your car listing and make an offer. Traditional ads limit your exposure because they target local buyers only, but with free online auto listings, anyone with internet access is a potential car buyer. The more people who see your ad, the more potential buyers you have. There may be thousands of persons searching for a car like your one but not living in your area, or not reading that specific newspaper where you purchased a classified ad, they'll never see your listing; this won't happen with classified ads as they offer the same visibility to your car ad for your neighbor as for someone in a different state.

Not only can free classified auto ads blast your ad in front of more potential car buyers, but they are completely free. What does this mean? Unlike traditional newspaper classified ads, free automotive classified ads stay up until your car is sold.

There are no extra fees to keep the ad active and each and every day potential buyers see your listing. You don't have to settle for a lower offer just because your newspaper ad ran out.

It's very easy and quick to put up free classified auto ads. All you need to have is the information about the car you are selling, but you can also put up pictures of your car. Adding photos of the car is strongly recommended, both inside and outside of the vehicle should be well visible in the images.

The more information you put in your ad, the better chance you will have of finding a buyer quickly.

Your car is one of your biggest personal investments so it pays to make it easy by more and more people. Free auto listings help you do just this. If you are serious about selling your car and getting the best possible price, then putting up a free classified auto ad is the way to go.

Protecting Brands Against Web Spam

Hello All...

I have some pretty disturbing news, and as unfortunate as it is to address, it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. This post concerns companies of all sizes, but it seems that small business websites are specifically targetted. And this particular predicament can directly effect your business brand name through no fault of your own. If you are concerned even the slightest about protecting your brand names, please pay attention to this article as it concerns everyone with a name to protect.

First, I would like to point out that our commercial website, Syd's Eastside Auto Parts, at http://www.sydsautoparts.com/ is a safe site. In fact, it has recently been scanned by McAfee SiteAdvisor and the results are available at http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/sydsautoparts.com.

The McAfee SiteAdvisor program is a great service because it helps identify and protect against websites that are using malicious software. But it is on this note that I have noticed a disturbing trend recently, and it is essentially spam, but it can also be much more dangerous.

Unfortunately, SiteAdvisor doesn't see everyone's website or page as it is released to the internet. New sites are not usually well enough known so that they can be scanned. And it seems that some malicious hacker is setting up a system where he is spamming reputable brand names and domain names, using mere snippets of text from all sorts of reputable websites in the hopes that someone will search for a known brand name or even a domain name and wind-up at his page.

The spam web pages in question vary between pure spam pages of lists of unrelated yet very recognizeable name brands, as well as the associated domain names, which seem to actually be copied and pasted from tons of original brand name websites. Strangely, it is not just any one brand, but a whole plethora of these brand names from a wide variety of different successful companies. However, some of the spam pages are much worse and are actually redirecting the visitor to malicious software downloads which are disguised as an anti-virus software program or such.

That's right, spam is no longer exclusive to email. Just like email spam, web spam is often illegal, as well. And to top this off, the web spam is often more dangerous than the spam of the email variety. At least email spam has become a little bit manageable since most modern email client software anticipates and tries to detect spam emails. Unfortunately, browsers offer a weak point of attack for most spammers and scanners.

Truly, spam has broken the internet. Just to avoid it requires one kind of investment or another (time or money). But what if I tell you that your brands and domains could easily be attributed to spam? This most likely will happen if we don't take action when it occurs. Fighting spam that is directed against us becomes a necessity. Still, we have to take an active part in order to fend-off spam that could become associated with our brand or domain.

It is unclear why the governments of the world sit on their hands as spam permiates businesses to become a real threat against society. Yet governments have turned their backs on thier people by not making spam a criminal act. Still, even the smartest networking professionals probably require a significant time investment to kill this type of activity and the burden of spam is crushing our communication and business networking capabilities as it grows.

All of the above makes protecting your brands and domain names an important and significant step in conducting business online, or even in maintaining an online presence. So it is important to note how to combat this type of fraudulant activity.

Obviously, when I visit these scam sites, I can easily recognize the pages that are conducting the fraud, as I cannot seem to exit these sites, no matter what. Upon arrival to one of these sites, I am presented with a page faked to look like a "My Computer" window. The dead giveaway for me is that I have lots more devices attached to my computer than are shown. I also get a pop-up. This pop-up window itself is highly unusual since I am usually running at least a couple of pop-up blockers in the first place and it manages to survive them nevertheless. The pop-up message indicates that I have elected to download a file to help me scan my hard drives. Of course, I did not. This is actually quite telling. But, it is also quite dangerous since many of these phishing pop-ups are stealing the window focus. It seems that you cannot quit this window. Usually, I have to press Ctrl+Delete and quit whatever browser application I am using, completely. If you have anything going on in any of your other browser tabs or windows, it's gone when you quit a browser in this fashion. This in particular is actually quite scary since some browsers now offer to allow a person the ability to reload all of the tabs and windows which were active durring the last browser session. If a user were using this option, because of how things work, they might not even be able to get out of such a malicious site without reconfiguring their browser options.

Through Twitter, I contacted Matt Cutts on what my best options are to report these websites. Matt Cutts is the head of Google's Web Spam team that identifies and fights just this type of activity. His reply follows:

"@Domainating, if they're ripping off content from you: google.com/dmca.html . If they are spammers, use this spam report: http://bit.ly/r86F"

Since the text that is copied from our websites, and from all of the other business websites they are copying material from, are not actually large enough sections of text to be considered Copyright infringement, and because reporting of an instance of Copyright infringement and being wrong could actually be extremely expensive, I am reporting these pages as spam through Matt's recomended URL in Google's webmaster tools http://bit.ly/r86F.

Whether the page is merely a mish-mash of brand names, or is actually a phishing page (such as a site trying to get you to run (or download and run) a malicioius software package (disquised as an anti-virus scanning program or such), I am reporting these offending pages as spam in Google. Google obviously has the ability to sort-out these pages.

I am also reporting the phishing sites to McAfee SiteAdvisor.

I have personally been reporting these pages as I come across them for our brand names. It is a terribly involved process and actually requires a significant time investment. This may be the very reason that the criminals involved are targetting the more recognizeable small business brand names as they might not have the resources to detect this brand name spam.

The truth is though, that these spam pages and sites are actually pretty easy to detect. The simplest and most direct route to detecting them is to simply to use a search engine (such as Google) to search for your unique brand name(s) and domain name(s).

However, we don't likely take time out of our busy days to do this on a regular basis. Although not the original reason, by signing-up for Google Alerts, we are effectively monitoring any mention of our unique brand names and domains. Originally, we signed-up for Google Alerts to monitor our web presence through-out the worldwide web. Alerts had originally notified us as our link submissions were approved in the web directories and GoogleBot (Google's Web Crawler) had spidered them. Now-a-days however, this method of watching for our brand names and domains as they are mentioned on the web is assisting us in the fight against spam and phishing sites that are utilizing our names to aqcuire traffic.

In order to get Google Alerts, you will need to sign-up for a Google account if you have not yet done so, already. You will also need a Google account to report the offending pages to Google through its Webmaster Tools program, at the URL (or web address) that Matt Cutts gave us, http://bit.ly/r86F. That URL is actually a shortened URL which redirects us to the actual address of https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreport?hl=en&pli=1 (Matt used a short URL program, provided by bit.ly so that he could send more info within Twitter's 140 character post limit).






Once you have signed-in to your Google account, you can setup your Google Alerts. Obviously, you should enter your unique brand names and domains so that Google will send you an alert everytime it runs across your brand name somewhere on the web. I also go one step further and break our longer brands into parts because we want to be sure to we know what others are doing with similar brands, as well.

However, when you do get notification that your brand is in use on any given page, and if you do not recognize it as a back link to your site, because the spammers and scammers are now using such sophisticated scripts that may rob you control of the browser, I recommend that you use a different browser.

That is, I recommend that you copy the URL of the page in question, and use an alternate browser to check out any and all alert links. This way, you are protecting yourself if the link's destination page does anything funky or even manages to steal away control of your web browser, you can quit the application (by pressing Ctrl+Delete, if it comes down to that).

For instance, if you are currently using Internet Explorer to view web pages, I would load-up an alternate browser. There are many browsers that are actually much better than IE is today (and better than IE ever will be in the future), such as Mozilla FireFox, Apple Safari, or Google Chrome. In the same respect, if you normally use one of those browsers, choose yet another to test out the alert links.

The good news is that the majority of the websites that you will encounter using your brand names and domains will probably be discussing your services, linking to you as a recommended (local) service, or are directories confirming a link that you have submitted. But you will still have to be diligent about following up on all of these alerts, because you don't want someone associating bad things with your brand.

When you have run into a bad guy page on the web that is trolling for traffic using your brand name, also remember that the page you are viewing could very well be a hacked page that has been put up by a malicious hacker without the knowledge of the webmaster. This is one reason why I choose to report the offending page to Google rather than asking the web host to black ball the whole website. Another reason is that many reputable firms are now blocking their contact information in the whois database. This is done to hide email addresses and other contact info away from spammers and scammers.

If you would prefer to contact the web host, as many pefer to do, you can use a whois tool (such as available through Domain Hostmaster). Even if the domain registration information is protected, you should be able to see who the nameservers are for that domain. Then you will lookup who the nameservers belong to, contact that web host with an email informing them of the situation on their server and identify the offending page. Usually web hosts are very cooperative and will take down a whole website until the webmaster fixes the offending page. However, although the above method works well for phishing and other malicious websites, it will likely not work well for simple web spam, no matter that it doesn't make any sense at all and trespasses everyone's brand names. That's why I address the offending pages by using the Google Webmaster Tools Spam Report.

One of the drawbacks of using Google's Spam Report is that it is requesting some very specific details. When you get your Google Alert and find that a site is simply using your brand as link bait to a doorway page, or for redirection to a malicious software download, you will still have to use Google to do some more research.

The first thing you will do is search for that exact same phrase that Google has alerted you to, using your alternate browser. This will be listed directly with the alert. Copy that search phrase into Google and then start searching for the offending URL in the search results. It most likely will not be at the top, if you have any kind of brand recognition program or if you do any search optimization, so keep looking until you find the link to the nasty page from within Google's search results.

Utilizing your alternate browser, once you find the page listing the offending URL in Google's search results after searching for that very specific brand name indicated by your Google Alert, you need to copy the URL Google is showing you, it is found in your web browser's address bar. Usually, by clicking in the address bar once, the whole address is selected. Once the whole URL is highlighted, hold down the "Ctrl" key (or the "Cmnd" key on a Mac) and press the "C" key to Copy that URL to the clipboard. Then switch to your main browser where you have the Google Spam Report page up and put your cursor in the third field where Google is asking you to copy the Google URL listing the offending page. Hold down the "Ctrl" key (or the "Cmnd" key on a Mac) and press the "V" key to paste the Google search URL into that third field.

Although Google is making you jump through a few hoops on this, I do hope that one day they will allow this practise to be easier and more streamlined by possibly allowing you to add an ID code that came with your Google Alert. But at least they are allowing you all the tools required to enable you to get the job done.

Note that when you arrive at pages to check out your brand name or domain name text and wind-up redirected to other pages instead (where you may be trapped or dircted to download malicious software), then your brand is used as bait and the final page you see is not what Googlebot will see when it visits the page. So you could check "Page does not match Google's description", but the baited page is the original webpage with your brand and is not the page that humans see, so you can also check "Cloaked page".

Remember also to report the fraud and malicious software pages to McAfee SiteAdvisor, as well. This will also require a registration. There are other places similar to McAfee SiteAdvisor that will do the same job, I am sure.

Getting those offending spam and phishing pages blocked and out of the search results is actually the responsibility of all of us. Check your brands in Google. Sign-up for Google Alerts. Report spammers and scammers.

Keep your brands and domains protected!

-Douglas Peters
Webmaster & Online Marketing Director
Syd's Eastside Auto Salvage, Inc.

References:

• Matt Cutts is a software engineer at Google and is presently in charge of the Web Spam team. His team tries to filter out spam from the search. He also maintains a blog which can be extremely helpful to webmasters and businesses looking to promote their websites, which is available at http://www.mattcutts.com/
  Also of note, Matt Cutts also has a few interviews and videos online that can be of great help, as well. You can search YouTube for Matt Cutts and get a nice selection. I have also grouped most of these together along with some other helpful web design videos at http://webdesign.vodpod.com/


• McAfee SiteAdvisor is a program offered by McAfee which allows registered users the ability to suggest websites to be checked for malicious software and phishing scams, as well as checking sites for good linking neighborhoods. This facility allows users to report problem websites as they encounter them.


• Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic. You can set these email updates to notify you of any occurance of a particular keyword, search phrase or textual string throughout the web, in blogs, within groups & videos, etc... By utilizing this service to comprehensively alert you of any occurances of your brand names & domains, you can monitor what is said regarding them, and where they are mentioned. Signing-up for Google Alerts will require that you have (or register) an active account with Google.


• Twitter is a friendship and/or community centric micro-blogging social network system.


• Mozilla FireFox currently is the most advanced web browser on the market.


• Apple Safari is a great web browser which is the default browser on the Macintosh platform, and the Windows version is actually quite popular on PC systems, as well.


• Google Chrome is an up-and-coming web browser which is currently in Beta, but offers some very advanced features.

Note from the Author, Douglas Peters:

I am the webmaster and online marketing director for Syd's Eastside Auto Salvage, Inc., and its online properties. My personal profile on Twitter is Domainating (as it is also on other social networks), which reflects my efforts as a domain name registrar through my own Domain Hostmaster registration & web services website, as well as my efforts as a domainer, a brand expert and a professional logo designer. It is in fact my experience as an identity architect for small businesses through my expertise as the graphic designer for Symbiotic Design, a well recognized freelance design studio and its other online properties, which makes me uniquely qualified to write on brand names and domain name matters.