Spam Ads

Most of us hate spam emails and pop-up advertisements that tell you to click or complete a survey and win a free gift...usually an Ipod, Xbox, trip to Mexico, whatever it may be. It is said that 83% of our emails are spam. The FTC has finally begun to crack down on these spam ads and has fined an advertiser, for a free Ipod, $650,000! The advertiser was in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, which punishes people for sending out non-solicited emails and ads.

These ads are never just "free", there is always a hunch. It also can create bad PR for the company's product that is being advertised as free. For instance, if someone completed the survey and were expecting their free Ipod, they could be disappointed with Apple for not receiving it, rather than the fraud advertiser.