'warning against using earn free sparkscash

[Orashi]

Ok, I just recently used one to earn a little SC. Well it was the only website that I had viewed since the last time I used Firefox and cleaned my cache (aside to Outspark.com) I completed the forms, and waited nearly 2 hours before I was suddenly d/c'd from the game. Never recieved the sc b tw... then when I tried to log in, it wouldn't open the server list. Kept saying failed to connect to world server. So I'm like, maybe something is up with the server, I'll just try my alt account. I use that and it works fine... Try again with my main, still can't connect. So I go ahead and run my privacy sweep and clear my cache and guess what I found: A keylogger and a data miner. So I immediately go onto the main page, change my password and clear my cache again. Try to log into my main, and viola it works ... however ... I found that all of my +9s and my money had been moved to my storage ... hmm ... Now I'm not gonna assume anything here ... I'm just gonna let your minds and imaginations run wild ...

[Asheer]

Ok, I just recently used one to earn a little SC. Well it was the only website that I had viewed since the last time I used Firefox and cleaned my cache (aside to Outspark.com) I completed the forms, and waited nearly 2 hours before I was suddenly d/c'd from the game. Never recieved the sc b tw... then when I tried to log in, it wouldn't open the server list. Kept saying failed to connect to world server. So I'm like, maybe something is up with the server, I'll just try my alt account. I use that and it works fine... Try again with my main, still can't connect. So I go ahead and run my privacy sweep and clear my cache and guess what I found: A keylogger and a data miner. So I immediately go onto the main page, change my password and clear my cache again. Try to log into my main, and viola it works ... however ... I found that all of my +9s and my money had been moved to my storage ... hmm ... Now I'm not gonna assume anything here ... I'm just gonna let your minds and imaginations run wild ...

This IS troubling.
I hope you alert staff about this, because this looks like work of phishing site.
You should as well mark that site as dangerous.
Firefox have little great add on called WOT which block access to every site which were at least once marked as dangerous or victim of virus (in any form) attack.
On the side note i still hope this was phising site and not true outspark site whit keyloger attached.
And after reading your post i think you were little faster as hacker witch propably tought that you did not notice any "strangenes" within your account so (however this is only my guessing) he log off and fact that you found everything in storage can led me to only one conclusion.
Hacker prepared your character(s?) to wiping out and replace them by own creations to sell your stuff.

[Baktwerel]

woah that almost had a horrible end O_O you should contact the GMs or someone immediately, since the chanses are pretty high that others might take the offer too.

[Baktwerel]

this thread seriously needs more attention <_<'

[BlackDragonEX]

This IS troubling.
I hope you alert staff about this, because this looks like work of phishing site.
You should as well mark that site as dangerous.
Firefox have little great add on called WOT witch block access to every site witch were at least once marked as dangerous or victim of virus (in any form) attack.
On the side note i still hope this was phising site and not true outspark site whit keyloger attached.
And after reading your post i think you were little faster as hacker witch propably tought that you did not notice any "strangenes" within your account so (however this is only my guessing) he log off and fact that you found everything in storage can led me to only one conclusion.
Hacker prepared your character(s?) to wiping out and replace them by own creations to sell your stuff.

Its Which<---Which one is it?, Not Witch <--The Witch Rides on a broomstick.

Okay now i got that out of the way it was just annoying me ^^,you need to report this to OS and tell them all the details, All i know is i wont be doing anymore free offers.

[Orchids_Mantis]

*waits for GM_Neko to enter*

[princessalid]

Ok, I just recently used one to earn a little SC. Well it was the only website that I had viewed since the last time I used Firefox and cleaned my cache (aside to Outspark.com) I completed the forms, and waited nearly 2 hours before I was suddenly d/c'd from the game. Never recieved the sc b tw... then when I tried to log in, it wouldn't open the server list. Kept saying failed to connect to world server. So I'm like, maybe something is up with the server, I'll just try my alt account. I use that and it works fine... Try again with my main, still can't connect. So I go ahead and run my privacy sweep and clear my cache and guess what I found: A keylogger and a data miner. So I immediately go onto the main page, change my password and clear my cache again. Try to log into my main, and viola it works ... however ... I found that all of my +9s and my money had been moved to my storage ... hmm ... Now I'm not gonna assume anything here ... I'm just gonna let your minds and imaginations run wild ...

Wow, I hope you changed your password after you noticed this

[saiyou8]

Sigh... Free SC never means anything good. I tried it out once, stopped when it asked for my phone number and PIN code.
Why OS can't already remove the whole ''free'' SC option, it fails...

this thread seriously needs more attention <_<'

There's an edit button y'know, no need to double post. ._.; But I agree.

[princessalid]

Sigh... Free SC never means anything good. I tried it out once, stopped when it asked for my phone number and PIN code.
Why OS can't already remove the whole ''free'' SC option, it fails...



There's an edit button y'know, no need to double post. ._.; But I agree.

Actually i thought they were done with it..didnt know they were gonna bring it back up, since others had so many problem with it before.


(but going offtopic for a sec...DGO ROCKZ!!!! and Fafafa isnt my fav. song...Not Thinking Straight is :D)

[CSR_Circe]

Hello,

Please submit a Support Ticket and include the Offer # so we can look into it.

Clearing your cache will not remove viruses, keyloggers or other malware, so please be sure you run a complete scan using a reliable program. While there is no one program that can be sure of catching every single nasty thing out there. I recommend AVG FREE (do a Search for that, you will find it). Install it, run it (the first time will take at least 90 minutes). When it has completed it will tell you what it has found and make recommendations; follow the recommendations.

But please do submit the ticket and tell us what Offer you completed, as well as the date you realized your items were taken so we can check your account history.

Thanks

[rissa23]

wow my comp is f'd up.... serious malware... I have been doing free offers lately since my local bestbuy (only one in the state... and no target either...) ran out of sc cards over 2 weeks ago and i dont know if they are ever going to restock. I will submit a ticket now.

crap.... now how will i get sc.... (no credit card either :p)


__________________________________________________ _
Rissa23 7x archer HAPPILY married to Rinko_chan and all his alts

[monkeyman-ownsyou]

ive done the offers and my computer is clean .-. use firewalls people xD

[GM_Nekopon]

Circe jumped in before I could. Sorry about that.

[Tommy2k7_uk]

most of the free things dont work and some of the ones where you have to download things and install them have spyware and adware in best to stay away from them :D. off topic but i had a update from my antivirus and it said fiestas uninstaller had a trojan in it so i deleted it. the installer logs your ip address and what time you installed the game and updates and takes other information. (uses a good firewall) and blocks it :P

[Mindspank]

C'mon people, use common sense. If a dude walked up to you and asked if you wanted a free rolex, you would blow him off and go about your business. But throw the words free on a website on the internet and you people line up like lemmings attracted to a shiny coin that you will never reach because of the 500 foot gap between your side of the cliff and the coins.

With that being said...

you CAN manipulate your way around the free offer stuff without getting bombed out. The only problem with this is that Outspark has no clue these websites use these means to make more money. Outspark pays these companies for their participation in the free offer program. Then these companies get the bright idea to install adware on your system, which will in turn make them a little more money on top of what outspark pays them. So its really a clear cut case of these companies defrauding outspark. Problem is that not all of them do it.

Some of them legitimately participate, and you will never get anything from them aside from the occasional junk mail that will more than likely end up in your junk mail box anyways. You have to be extremely skeptical about free offers. All that aside, I have a few recommendations for protection:

1.) Get a firewall. You dont have to be a rocket scientist to use them and there are alot of good free firewalls out there.

2.) Get an anti virus scanner WITH spyware detection built in. It wont get everything, but its a start.

3.) Get a good spyware removal program. I like to keep three of four of these on hand, because they all detect things that the other does not, yet they dont interfere with each other like multiple anti virus scanners do.

The first three options can be researched using CNet, a free program download service. Make sure to read the product reviews before you try it out.

And the last, great but not so user friendly option. This is more of a last resort, or sheer laziness option.

4.) Run your browser sandboxed. Sandboxie is a program that can create a semi virtual environment to run applications in. This is great for running high risk websites. Run your browser sandboxed and it basicly acts as a sort of shield, protecting all your system processes and the application as well. If a ton of spyware infects the sandboxed browser, it will never touch your unsandboxed browser OR your system. Just close the sand boxed browser, infections all gone. Nothing is ever 100%, but its by far safer than just using a naked browser on an untrusted site.

[CSR_Circe]

most of the free things dont work and some of the ones where you have to download things and install them have spyware and adware in best to stay away from them :D.

Actually, nearly any site you visit these days that has advertisements (and don't they all?) downloads spyware and adware; its the nature of marketing in an online environment. The Offers for free SC run the gambit from visiting a site to making purchases for goods or services, and just about everything in between. Its up to the consumer (you) to read the full text of the offer, including the "legal stuff" to see what the terms are, and then decide whether or not you/your parents wish to participate. Some of them involve giving out your cell phone number; these MAY include you signing up for a subscription. If you don't read them fully you may get a surprise later.

As with ANY transaction, online or offline, the seller is legally obligated to disclose the full terms and conditions to the consumer prior to the consumer's agreement. Please be sure you read the complete offer .. don't get blinded by Free SC and click haphazardly (or willy-nilly, as my grandmother used to say).

off topic but i had a update from my antivirus and it said fiestas uninstaller had a trojan in it so i deleted it. the installer logs your ip address and what time you installed the game and updates and takes other information. (uses a good firewall) and blocks it :P

The installer includes Xtrap, which CAN be perceived by some antivirus programs as a trojan. Actually it is a perfectly safe bit of software that allows us to install (and uninstall) the game for you safely, and also monitors the traffic for malicious activity. Xtrap is a required file; removing it is a violation of our Terms of Service.

If you are concerned about internet safety you should first be sure you are protected when surfing the web: set your firewall to the highest possible security setting, never visit sites you don't know, never share you password or other personal information with ANYone, blah blah. You have all heard these things before, I'm sure. Sadly based on the tickets we see, not enough people are following it. We hate to see Outspark users' accounts get compromised, so please .. set your phasers to KILL when voyaging in cyberspace.

[Orashi]

Hello,

Please submit a Support Ticket and include the Offer # so we can look into it.

Clearing your cache will not remove viruses, keyloggers or other malware, so please be sure you run a complete scan using a reliable program. While there is no one program that can be sure of catching every single nasty thing out there. I recommend AVG FREE (do a Search for that, you will find it). Install it, run it (the first time will take at least 90 minutes). When it has completed it will tell you what it has found and make recommendations; follow the recommendations.

But please do submit the ticket and tell us what Offer you completed, as well as the date you realized your items were taken so we can check your account history.

Thanks

I caught the keylogger and the data miner using Advanced SystemsCare Free. It works pretty fast so I was able to beat whoever was on my account to the punch. Anywho, I've also installed the WOT feature for Firefox to see what the results were ... and, well, it seems that 7 times out of 10 it has something nasty to say about most of the offer sites. So in the mean time I'm going to submit a ticket and hope for the best. Nothing was taken it seems or at least nothing of importance. I don't think I'll be doing anymore of the offers, god only knows what could happen if I did. Thank you for your support everyone and I hope this post serves as a warning to those who are carelessly using the offer sites without properly protecting themselves.

[Tommy2k7_uk]

I caught the keylogger and the data miner using Advanced SystemsCare Free. It works pretty fast so I was able to beat whoever was on my account to the punch. Anywho, I've also installed the WOT feature for Firefox to see what the results were ... and, well, it seems that 7 times out of 10 it has something nasty to say about most of the offer sites. So in the mean time I'm going to submit a ticket and hope for the best. Nothing was taken it seems or at least nothing of importance. I don't think I'll be doing anymore of the offers, god only knows what could happen if I did. Thank you for your support everyone and I hope this post serves as a warning to those who are carelessly using the offer sites without properly protecting themselves.

add ad block plus blocks them dam ads :P

[Tommy2k7_uk]

Actually, nearly any site you visit these days that has advertisements (and don't they all?) downloads spyware and adware; its the nature of marketing in an online environment. The Offers for free SC run the gambit from visiting a site to making purchases for goods or services, and just about everything in between. Its up to the consumer (you) to read the full text of the offer, including the "legal stuff" to see what the terms are, and then decide whether or not you/your parents wish to participate. Some of them involve giving out your cell phone number; these MAY include you signing up for a subscription. If you don't read them fully you may get a surprise later.

As with ANY transaction, online or offline, the seller is legally obligated to disclose the full terms and conditions to the consumer prior to the consumer's agreement. Please be sure you read the complete offer .. don't get blinded by Free SC and click haphazardly (or willy-nilly, as my grandmother used to say).



The installer includes Xtrap, which CAN be perceived by some antivirus programs as a trojan. Actually it is a perfectly safe bit of software that allows us to install (and uninstall) the game for you safely, and also monitors the traffic for malicious activity. Xtrap is a required file; removing it is a violation of our Terms of Service.

If you are concerned about internet safety you should first be sure you are protected when surfing the web: set your firewall to the highest possible security setting, never visit sites you don't know, never share you password or other personal information with ANYone, blah blah. You have all heard these things before, I'm sure. Sadly based on the tickets we see, not enough people are following it. We hate to see Outspark users' accounts get compromised, so please .. set your phasers to KILL when voyaging in cyberspace.

i didnt remove xtrap just the uninstall.exe for fiesta i wont be uninstalling it so dont need it my antivirus deleted put it in Quarantine. so im not in violation of your terms of service. also why should the uninstall.exe have xtrap in it a uninstaller removes things not adds them. maybe its the logging that you lot do and it thinks its something bad oh well lol

[silksilk]

Uhm, what i do not understand is, why has this option not been removed already, I mean comeon everyone should already know, free sparks cash from those offers is to sell your info to another company(tele #, adress, email etc etc) so they can then bug you at home/work. How come Outspark want there customers to get malware/spyware/virus?? the question still remains, will never be answered. Why wont it be answered, because its simple they knew these type of sites could do damage to computer, its a fact not an assumption, yet it is still there, could most of the problems caused in fiesta(lag, bugs etc etc) be somewhat of because people have these viruses from CS offers itself? maybe.

Does OS give a flying Ef about you the community? Maybe. Most likely not.

So just add more BS to your computer like the ****ty free virus protection programs , so your resourses can be taken over by another program, and so you can feel safe? from a game that we play? lol'd

[12markkram34]

AVG Free fails. Scans take upwards of 4 hours.

[CSR_Circe]

Closing thread, OP says question has been answered