Ubiquitous ‘tiny belly’ online ad part of scheme, government says

[XemaSab]

It might be the ad that ate the Internet.

“1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” reads the headline, rendered in what appears to be hand-lettered type and positioned above a crudely animated drawing of a woman’s bare midriff. Try as you might to concentrate on something else, the midriff distracts your eye by shrinking and reinflating — flabby to svelte, svelte to flabby.

“Cut down a bit of your belly everyday by following this 1 weird old tip,” it reads. The “weird old tip” is revealed only after you abandon what you were reading and click on the ad.

For months, versions of the ad have been just about everywhere. They have run as pop-ups and display ads on some of the most popular Web sites around, including Facebook, Weather.com and About.com. They have also shown up on the home pages of news organizations such as the Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, The Washington Post and the Guardian newspaper in Britain.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ubiquitous-tiny-belly-online-ad-part-of-scheme-government-says/2011/06/27/gIQAbI6Q1H_story.html

[senseandsensibility]

1. So what's the weird old tip?

I don't want to click on it.

[MADem]

2. The tip is "Don't click on that ad, the goal is to separate you from your money!"

The “1 Tip” ads are the work of armies of “affiliates,” independent promoters who place them on behalf of small diet-product sellers with names such as HCG Ultra Lean Plus. The promoters profit each time someone clicks through to the product seller’s site and orders a free sample. The sample, however, isn’t always so free.

A 3-step scheme, FTC says

In lawsuits filed over the past year, the Federal Trade Commission has alleged that the ads are the leading edge of what amounts to a three-step scheme that has conned millions of people.

Much like a barker outside a carnival tent, “1 Tip” is merely a come-on, a lure to start the process. People who click on the ad are directed to a second site, which looks like a diet or health-news page. The sites go by names such as Consumeronlinetips.com and Weeklyhealthnews.com.

The sites typically feature an article in which an attractive young TV reporter “investigates” the benefits of a diet involving a series of products. Sometimes the products are made from mangoes or acai berries, a fruit grown in South and Central America. In other cases, the products come from human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced by developing embryos and the pituitary gland.

[saras]

3. Who still lets their browser stuff this crap down their throats?

Jeebus. I'm on vacation and spend WAY too much time on the Internet, and I've never seen this ad.

Went to the site linked and didn't see the ad.

I love NoScript for Firefox. Going on the Internet without it is like going to Mardi Gras without condoms.

[7wo7rees]

4. I got 2 Tips for ya

Pop-Up Stopper from Panicware
AdBlocker Plus add-on for Firefox

You can zip up those old browsers like when you were skinny! Instead of this unsightly mess!