March 5th, 2009
The IQ Test You Will Fail
Click here to take a simple IQ test!
Your friend has an IQ of 127, can you do better?
You’ve seen the ads. Hopefully you haven’t taken the tests. It’s the IQ test scam, and they hope your ego will force you to take this test while breezing past the small details such as the “terms” on the page. Not a good idea. There are “affiliates” all over the world casting that hook into the ocean, hoping you’ll nibble.
This isn’t as new as some of the other scams out there, but its prevalence and tenacity continue.
Others have discussed the scam, such as here, or on this YouTube video.
So of course the scammers don’t really care what your IQ is, if you haven’t figured it out yet. They want your cell phone number or contact information so they can hit you with charges, as early and as often as they can, or bombard you with spam.
And it’s not just the social networking sites with IQ tests. I’ve seen them advertised on ESPN and Sportingnews.com. Just the other day I saw quiz-you.net advertising on ESPN. One must first wonder why an IQ site like that would even be advertising in the first place. Some people have experienced fees to their cell phones, others have claimed that private information was taken from their computers.
Here are some further opinions on quiz-you.net
Wixawin.com is apparently another one of the big players in this scam, and they are known for promoting scams such as winning an iPhone by completing a survey… which upon completion of the survey you’ll find yourself signed up for something difficult to cancel.
Besides the iPhone “giveaway” and IQ test, Wixawin also has such offers as a love calculator and winning a MacBook Air.
Further Wixawin reading here.
The irony in all of this is that people are lured in by quizzes of intelligence, but they are scammed by a lapse in judgment by not reading the terms.
Be very careful of quizzes, test, or surveys, even if they promise a chance to win something. The best “chance” you’ll have after participating in one of those is the chance of being scammed.
March 6th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Hey Waffles (James)
Nice to see you get some good coverage and quotes on consumeraffairs.com 
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/grant_scam_ads.html
March 6th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Hey Not Kevin – Yes it’s a great article. I was glad to be involved with it.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
So you just realized marketing isn’t based 100% on facts, or why are you so outraged that you got your boring tirade going? Hope I’m not bursting your bubble, but celebrities endorsing Mc Donalds probably don’t eat there too much, and probably don’t really think it’s the greatest restaurant on earth. Oh and I fail to see how using a fake blog is any different than any of the fake endorsements you see going on in advertisement everywhere. Kevin making money online or Erin losing 30lbs with Acai is no different than Paul getting a free credit report that’s not so free, Michelle losing 30lbs using Weightwatchers or Mike getting rid off is IRS debt thanks to random commercial #4.
I don’t see anyone crying fool about any of the other fake testimonials or claims, it’s the same shit. People need to stop being sheep and start using their brain when going offline. As it is, most are just too eager to find an opportunity to enter their credit card information somewhere. What append to personal responsibility?
March 25th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Nicky you do make some good points about personal responsibility, so I agree with you on those things. And, of course the core of advertising is presenting a product in its best light.
But…
How would you feel if your grandmother, new to the internet, fell for a fake wrinkle blog – thought it was a real story and bought into it? Then her card was charged $80 a month for a club she didn’t want and couldn’t figure out how to cancel? I don’t think McDonalds does that. Fake blogs are full of blatant lies, and the affiliates who set them up typically have no idea of the value of what they selling. That seems ok to you?
Advertising is a lot different than it used to be. There used to be lines advertisers couldn’t cross. You seem happy to blur them in the name of making a fast buck, and to hell with whoever gets trampled along the way.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Bravo, waffles…I get hammered with that ‘get over yourself’ POV on Shaping Youth consistently, when elder fraud, (and in my case the converse, with youth) are VERY real scenarios for data mining and mega-charges for headaches. In fact, I think this IQ ad is also on Facebook masquerading as an app right now, (or one like it anyway) which prompts people to label you ‘an idiot’ and ’see which one of your friends’ called you the name, in ego-baiting style. sigh. Kids LOVE the quiz genre too, so if this is the same scam, I’ll be peeved. In fact one commenter on my wall today said they ‘tried to make it go away’ when prompting for a cellphone number and they entered a false one, only to have the dang thing recognize it as false! That’s e-havioral profiling at the ‘Beacon’ level of incredulity if you ask me. Bleh.
Anyway, thrilled to find your blog (via CSPI’s latest issue in Michael J’s mention!) and I’ve got you in my reader now…Best, Amy
March 27th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
It’s not even a scam! It says right there that you’ll be charged 9.99. The website that is “aiding the scam” is irrelevant because the advertisement was purchased through Google AdWords and then Google automatically selects advertisements for websites, the espn.com etc. etc. that has these ads has no control over that ad showing up, except they can block the url if they want but why do that if it is earning them a lot of revenue based on the clicks. It’s no different than freecreditreport.com, just read the text on the page and you’ll be fine.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
We at Mobile Messenger would like to assist you with your concern or complaint. If you need assistance in regards to being unsubscribed or other related issues, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please call 1-800-416-6129 Monday to Friday 0600 – 1800 US Pacific Time or email escalationsus@sms-helpdesk.com
Sandra
Mobile Messenger
April 14th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
T, sure you could just read the test on the page, but that’s like signing a form for a new credit card and finding out you just signed away the deed to your house. It is the DECEPTION that is the issue. Not to mention the fact that the IQ score that you do receive (IF you do) is certainly not even REMOTELY accurate.
When you see a basketball superstar eating McDonalds on TV, and you decided to give McDonalds your money, you know exactly what you’re going to get.
These websites do indeed say at the bottom of the screen in small print that they will charge you if you enter your mobile number. But do you think that ANYBODY in their right mind would still enter their number after reading that? Obviously not, so it’s equally obvious that the website is feeding off of deception and ignorance, which is definitely NOT ethical. Any real company that conducts unethical business can be held accountable for any losses or damage caused as a result of their deception. How should that be any different on the internet?
May 8th, 2009 at 8:59 am
I am constantly amazed by people who defend sleazy scammers with the argument that “everyone is doing it so if you get taken, it’s your own fault.” This is similar to the argument all the “personal responsibility”-types make about subprime mortgages. They seem to feel that those perpetrating a scam bear no responsibility for the outcome. The logic is similar to saying that one side in a war is not responsible for casualties inflicted on the other side, because the enemy soldiers knew it was dangerous and besides they should have ducked at the right time.
“It’s not even a scam! It says right there that you’ll be charged 9.99.” Not accurate, “T”. Ironically, all you need do to see this is click on the scam IQ test link on the upper left hand corner of this webpage. The website it takes you to (BrainQuizzer.com) says at the top says, “Amazing Facts subscription sent to your cell $9.99 per month”. This sentence does not indicate that by taking the test and supplying the information requested, you will be agreeing to a subscription at $9.99 per month. This is just a straight up dishonest business practice that, IHMO, BrainQuzzer.com bears responsibility for, not the web surfer.
June 12th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I found this dang thing on my Facebook site and was stupid enough to take the dang test,BUT didn’t accept their term and conditions. they said they were sending a special pin to my cell number I don’t even know how to texting,so didn’t even know how to find a text message on it . I don’t think it was ever sent. They did say that I would be charged $ 9.99 a month for the Oppurnity get a whole bunch of other services that I didn’t even want.They also gave me long list of Mobile phone carriers (I have Verizon and it wasn’t even in the list) and that I needed to text a STOP to one of the companies to Unsubscribe . Since I don’t know how to do texting and didn’t find Verizon in their list I don’t know what to do !!! Have you got any suggestions ?? Daffnee
June 12th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Amy , above has hit the target square on ….
In fact, I think this IQ ad is also on Facebook masquerading as an app right now, (or one like it anyway) which prompts people to label you ‘an idiot’ and ’see which one of your friends’ called you the name, in ego-baiting style. THAT IS EXACTLY WHERE I GOT IT FROM and also had comments of Challenge from people I don’t even know calling me “an idiot” Daffnee