Simon Latouche
October 1, 2001, 06:38 PM
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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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.''
-
