Jump to content

Shutting Down Fraudulent eBay Sellers

mbelsky
 Share

Recommended Posts

mbelsky

mbelsky

Posted
Posted

I have been looking to purchase a lifetime mbam key for 1 PC. The only places that seem to still sell the ones that are sealed in a retail box (so in my opinion are relatively trustworthy) are on Amazon and ebay. Amazon is currently selling for $60, so I have been looking on eBay and am finding some VERY disturbing things. There are a few listings of either:

A) lifetime mbam premium keys. Most around $11. I am under the impression that there was never a lifetime license sold under the name premium. Is that correct?

You can easily find these listings in ebay by searching malwarebytes lifetime and sorting price from lowest to highest. Try this link: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?isRefine=true&_pgn=1&_nkw=malwarebytes+lifetime&_sop=15

Some specific listings:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Premium-Lifetime-1-PC-/111803293372

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Premium-for-1PC-Lifetime-/141807757032

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Premium-Lifetime-1-PC-/262105442699

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Premium-Lifetime-for-1-PC-Download-Version-/321896410641

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Premium-Digital-Delivery-1PC-Lifetime-identifier-/272023727378

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-premium-Lifetime-Offer-Limited-/281827149666

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-premium-Lifetime-Offer-Limited-Do-not-miss-Lifetime-/281827144519

As you can see, there are more than a few listings, which are clearly fraudulent, and are from sellers who have all positive history, but only short term history. My guess is that they are somehow selling keys that work for long enough to get good feedback and then once they start getting complaints, they open a new seller account. Maybe they are reselling keys from aa small business account that has a 1 year license. Wouldn't it be in mbam's interest to either get these listings shut down (use my top link once a day and get ebay to remove them, or even better, purchase 1 from each seller so you can find the source of the keys and shut them down (either blacklist a corporate key or fox the anti-keygen mechanism). I will gladly update this thread with new listings, if MBAM is willing to do something about it.

B) Some mbam lifetime keys that are not in retail box, but the descriptions state they are sealed cd sleeve with a license sticker on it. Could these be OEM lifetime keys? These are selling for $45 and $55, so I would hope they are real. Can you clarify whether OEM lifetime mbam pro were ever available in this format?

2 examples :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Pro-Lifetime-License-For-1-PC-Sealed-CD-Sleeve-/161622496725

At least this guy hopefully it's yelling the truth about what he is selling. He does not claim they are retail, but also does not specify OEM.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malware-bytes-Anti-Malware-Pro-Lifetime-License-1-PC-/121794162698

This seller shows the retail box in his pics, but never said the word retail and the description indicates it is a cd sleeve. Maybe also OEM.

C) Malwarebytes ANTI-EXPLOIT PREMIUM - Lifetime. I am also under the impression that anti-exploit was never sold as a lifetime product.

2 examples:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-ANTI-EXPLOIT-PREMIUM-Lifetime-for-1-PC-Download-Version-/321896923816

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Exploit-Premium-License-Key-1-Computer-Lifetime-Subscription-/181896145554

There are only a few listings that appear to be legit, based on the promise of sealed retail box and nearly perfect feedback :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252087291136$47

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Pro-Lifetime-for-1PC-for-Windows-Sealed-Box-CD-DVD-/262105425516

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Lifetime-License-1User-Retail-Box-Brand-NEW-/252136867527$56

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Pro-Lifetime-2014-Disc-For-1-PC-Sealed-Box-/161390648641$60

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Malwarebytes-2013-AntiMalware-Pro-Lifetime-License-New-Factory-Sealed-Retail-Box-/130932770609$135 (Is this guy nuts?)

Please let me know what will be done to sit these down (at least A and C). Please leave this thread open so I can continue to report these.

Also, requesting that ebay claw back the money from the fraudulent sellers and automatically refund all of the buyers would hurt the sellers' motivation to keep trying.

Lastly, the idea of buying a few from category A to help find the source of these, wouldn't be a bad idea.

Thank you in advance,

Mbelsky

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Administrators
celee

celee

Posted
  • Administrators
Posted (edited)

Hi mbelsky,

 

Thanks for letting us know. I've forward your links over to our legal team. If you find any additional listings that you would like to submit, please feel free to email them to legal@malwarebytes.com and our legal team can assist.

 

These MBAM lifetime listings for under $20 are most likely pirated keys which will either not work or will be shut down a week or two down the road.

 

And you are correct regarding Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Premium, there has never been a lifetime type license for this product. Add to the fact that both the listings are priced at under $10 should set off red flags.

 

Thanks again for informing us.

 

Best regards,

Cecile

Edited by msherwood
Link to post
Share on other sites
liquidsmoke

liquidsmoke

Posted
Posted

This reminds me when I was selling Malwarebytes pro 2yrs back on ebay, and my listings were taken down because I guess competition didn't like the fact I was selling it for $15 and they thought I was selling fraudulent licenses. I bought the licenses in bulk from a reseller on amazon. You can't just assume that their fraudulent licences because it's cheap, Malwarebytes released millions of lifetime pro keys that they can't even keep track of. Malwarebytes is growing and it does seem that their more "organized" now in terms of licensing.  

Link to post
Share on other sites
mbelsky

mbelsky

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Liquid smoke, I see why you would see this as similar, but these sellers are claiming to be selling a version that never existed (mbam premium lifetime), and they are all relatively new sellers. I'm assuming the ones you were selling were mbam pro lifetime. Plus the fact that there are many reports of people buying licenses on ebay for 10-15 dollars that eventually stop working (and mbam usually replaces with a legit license when they don't really have to). Also, you can't update ebay reviews once you leave them, so the keys only have to work for so long, unless someone escalates to ebay to sit down a seller for fraud. If you read my original suggestion, it was for mbam to purchase a copy from the sellers in question and check is they are legit. This would either help them sit down a fraudulently used small business /corporate key that paid for a year and they are now selling them as individual licenses, or help mbam fix their activation servers to not allow keys created through a keygen.

Link to post
Share on other sites
mbelsky

mbelsky

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Also why would someone be selling a license at 9.50 or best offer if they are legit. Such a huge price difference stinks of fraud, especially now that you can no longer buy legit keys in bulk from anyone because the supply is drying up.

As a side, when you bought in bulk from an amazon seller, did you just get codes, get them in the OEM cd sleeves with stickers, or retail boxes? If just codes, how do you know you did not resell keygen generated codes?

Link to post
Share on other sites
liquidsmoke

liquidsmoke

Posted
Posted
Yes, I was selling mbam pro and my pro license is now transferred to premium lifetime. I would be skeptical if someone was selling it for very cheap, but without proper testing I can only assume. From the amazon seller it was only codes on a spreadsheet, he had a solid feedback so I took the chance. Till this day which is over 2 years now my code is still working and the codes I gave to my relatives and friends is still working as well, so it would be safe to say they're legit. I also had one friend who actually purchased a lifetime license directly from malwarebytes and it stopped working.

 

Only way for you to find out if it's real or fake is take your own advice and buy a code and test it. Just out of curiosity do you resell on ebay? just seems like  you're more than just a good samaritan.
Link to post
Share on other sites
mbelsky

mbelsky

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I don't sell online. I do IT work and used to sell to my clients from my stock, but it's all gone (besides for a few i'm holding onto for myself). When I tell them to buy on ebay/amazon, they ask why they can't but the cheaper ones. I think it's irresponsible that mbam lets those listings stay up.

And I'm the type of person that if you get on my bad side, I will be as persistent as needed to make you pay. Selling fraudulent items to unsuspecting people gets you on my bad side very quickly.

Link to post
Share on other sites
mbelsky

mbelsky

Posted
  • Author
Posted

And since there are so many people who reverse engineered the old serial/key algorithm, there is a chance that someone sold your friend's key a few times and got it blacklisted. Or maybe he reinstalled one too many times. I know that if he contacted mbam about a key he bought from them that wasn't working, they would issue him a new key with no issue. I hope he did that.

Link to post
Share on other sites
CWEric

CWEric

Posted
Posted

Hi Cecile,

 

Is a little bit hilarious that your "legal team" is waiting for customers to send  links from E-bay; couldn't they browse by themselves E-bay looking for fraudulent licenses??? 

Its very possible that they already know about it. It is not their best interest to discourage outside just in case they did miss those.

Link to post
Share on other sites
KenW

KenW

Posted
Posted

I don't understand all the stuff with this thread. Ebay is known for JUNK. In other words if it sounds to good to be true, it

probably is. If you don't check something before buying it, it is your fault for being stupid. If you get screwed, it is your own fault.

 

There is only one thing I purchase through Ebay, something that is inexpensive and can't be found anywhere else.

The last thing I purchased was a usb to sata disk adapter. $5 because the "good" one I got from NewEgg blew out my usb ports before I realized it.

 

Anyone want o buy the Brooklyn Bridge ?

Link to post
Share on other sites
mbelsky

mbelsky

Posted
  • Author
Posted

So you guys at mbam have not been doing anything about the fraudulent links I have been posting, and not even responding. Please at least respond this time. They are growing like weeds:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121804110289

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121804107524

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121804110904

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121804099543

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111815030327

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181922207930

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181922207551

Link to post
Share on other sites
liquidsmoke

liquidsmoke

Posted
Posted

KenW is spot on, if the consumer happens to purchase a key that doesn't work it's their own fault, we all make mistakes and learn from it. You do realize that Malwaresbytes isn't losing any money in the long term sense, if the consumer so happens to buy a key that doesn't work they'll end up purchasing it directly from Malwarebytes at the end anyway's. This thread is pointless to be honest because I know for a fact that you're doing this for your own personal interest. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
liquidsmoke

liquidsmoke

Posted
Posted

How am providing misleading information? at least specify. Actually, am I not allowed to have an opinion on a public forum? I call it how I see it, if you don't like then that's your personal issue David. Mbelsky, you need to realize that Malwarebytes is a business to make money and not a charity. Where you think Nike would end up if they were giving away free Jordans because a customer purchased fake jordans on ebay and started complaining. Have some common sense.

Link to post
Share on other sites
mbelsky

mbelsky

Posted
  • Author
Posted

@David, anyone is entitled to their opinion. Liquismoke can post on s public florin if he chooses to. But I she that he is incorrect.

@Liquismoke, I have seen many posts online and in this forum of people who bought fraudulent keys and mbam issues them legit keys to help them out. I have more sense than common sense. I do my research and know exactly what I'm talking about.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Administrators
celee

celee

Posted
  • Administrators
Posted

So you guys at mbam have not been doing anything about the fraudulent links I have been posting, and not even responding. Please at least respond this time. They are growing like weeds:

 

Hi again mbelsky,

 

Our legal team normally do not venture here onto the forum, which is why I suggested reaching out to them directly at DMCA@malwarebytes.org.

 

Thanks for your help,

Cecile

Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
Back to top
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This site uses cookies - We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept