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Making millions by capturing and holding consumers at sites. Sued again by the FTC.
FTC Sues Pa. Man in Web Site Scam
By D. IAN HOPPER, AP Technology Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A man who has been sued 63 times before on allegations of designing and making millions from Web sites that trap users has been sued again by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC said Monday it hopes to stop John Zuccarini of Andalusia, Pa., from creating Web sites with names close to popular companies or celebrities, then using Web tricks to keep the unsuspecting user from leaving the site. One copycat Web site, named after tennis star Anna Kournikova (news - web sites), springs up 29 new Internet browser windows. When the user tries to close the windows, the buttons are either disabled or spawn new windows. This method is sometimes called ``mousetrapping.'' ``Scams that capture consumers and hold them at sites against their will while exposing Internet users, including children, to solicitations for gambling, psychics, lotteries and pornography must be stopped,'' FTC chairman Timothy J. Muris said. Zuccarini did not reply to an e-mail sent to an address on one of his Web site registrations. FTC investigators said Zuccarini makes from $800,000 to $1 million per year by charging advertisers whose ads appear on the browser windows. Many of the Web sites target kids, including 15 variations on the Cartoon Network's Web site, and 41 variations on the name of pop singer Britney Spears. Even when the browser windows seem to be gone, the trap may not be over. FTC investigators said Zuccarini's sites sometimes use a ``stealth'' Web page that's hidden from view and acting as a timer. Periodically, that page launches new pages. The FTC said Zuccarini has lost 53 state and federal lawsuits and has had almost 200 Web addresses taken from him and transferred to copyright holders. It said Zuccarini does business under many company names, including 22 names using the word ``Cupcake.'' Victims of the scam should contact the commission at 1-877-382-4357 and use the FTC's case name, ``Cupcake Party.'' - |
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