Go Green Web Listings Inc.!

I received a letter in the mail yesterday that looked eerily similar to my Nebraska Furniture Mart bill for the TV I bought and never watch. This letter from Web Listings, Inc. said they would do me a HUGE favor and submit me to ALL of the major search engines for the low price of $65.

Wow! Really? Are you sure you have to go to all of the trouble of submitting my site? I thought people just flipped
the SEO switch and Boom! More traffic!?!

Web Listings, Inc. - I was born at night, but not last night.

For all those that think you need to "submit" your site to search engines, please, DON'T.
For all those that think you need to screw people over by convincing them they need to "submit" their site to search engines, please, quit wasting paper and people's time...

Go Green Web Listings, Inc.!
:) MJK

***UPDATE***
Since I updated my site, I could not bring all of the wonderful comments along with me, so I copied and pasted them below.

20 comments:

Jeremy said...
My wife just received the exact same bill. I smell scam all over it.
December 8, 2007 5:42 PM

Matthew said...
I just got one of those letters and searched for it anf found you. Thnks for the help.
January 2, 2008 11:01 AM

Michelle said...
I just got that letter too.. LMAO!! if we are in the internet most likely we know how to smell a scam. How are you a company that deals with web listings and there is not one .com mentioned in the letter or a phone number. These people need to get a life!!!
January 2, 2008 12:40 PM

Empty said...
If anyone receives a letter from Web Listings Inc would you please scan and email the envelope to scooptips at yahoo.com? I received one also, and there is no postmark on the envelope. I'm just looking into a few things.... thanks.
January 2, 2008 12:45 PM

Patrick M. Tracy said...
I recieved that mailing, as well. I'm sure that people are falling for it, but any reputable hosting/domain name service should provide this service out of the box. The real tip-off is that there's no website listed, no email...yep, it's a scam. I mean, they may actually do what they say, but that's hardly a $65 service.

I did a search just to see what others were saying. Thus far, your blog is the only one who mentions this one. Perhaps it's just coming online...
January 3, 2008 6:04 PM

Jolly Minstrel said...
Here's a site with public information on Web Listings Inc. Looks shady even close up.
http://startitup.bekajoth.com
January 4, 2008 9:24 PM

Wandering in a Fog said...
I was foolish enough to pay the $65 last year. Not only did I not get any new business from my website, I never received any of their "quarterly reports". However, they do have contact info on the bill, so I sent them a critical email from their contact me info. www.web-listings.net
Check it out.
January 6, 2008 12:23 AM

Colin said...
I got the same letter for both of my domains...God I wish I had a whois blocker ;-)
January 7, 2008 9:52 AM

Joel said...
I just got the bill. I closed this website at Window Live, so I guess my whois is available through Melbourne IT. Obviously a scam.
January 8, 2008 1:54 PM

Anonymous said...
For a small fee, you can make your WHOIS information private through your Registrant or host. It's worth it!
January 9, 2008 4:52 PM

MJK said...
Glad to hear I helped some people not purchase this 'service!' Sorry to those of you that have... A Whois blocker is a great idea, but there are always hacks for the good spammers to get past them... Even with the the internet evolving and security getting better, there will always be spam. Hiding your information on the internet can be tough, but as long as people are informed, these mistakes can be minimized.
Good luck to all of you on your new (and existing) web sites!
January 16, 2008 12:09 AM

Anonymous said...
I got this letter today (Feb 15) there web site is a joke. Sure looks like a scam. Thanks for posting!
February 12, 2008 9:18 PM

madisoncasey said...
I just received this letter in the mail today 2/13/08. I knew it was bogus! I went to their website & couldn't even find a phone number. I also looked at the envelop and theres no post mark. Please do not waste your hard earned dollars on a scam like this.
February 13, 2008 12:34 PM

Anonymous said...
I just received the same letter and the domain name they have, I canceled two months ago. What a bunch of crooks.
February 13, 2008 1:46 PM

kelly white said...
Thanks so much for this blog Matt. You saved me. It sounded suspicious (but I am oblivious to how the web works and need to get hits to my sight) so I googled for info on them. I received letter today (2-13-08), no postmark on mine either. Is what they are doing illegal?
Kelly
www.AwesomeIDAHO.com
February 13, 2008 9:51 PM

Anonymous said...
I recently received a similar "bill" which is an extremely well disguised solicitation letter to the unwary. I emailed the company at info at web-listings.net to cease and desist. But realistically, I don't know how much good it will do. I will be submitting a case to the Better Business Bureau against them.
February 14, 2008 11:48 AM

Anonymous said...
Did you know that if you place a 1 cent stamp on an envelope and it has no return address the Post Office will deliver that letter postage due? That's exactly what I did when I sent Web Listings a letter informing them that I forwarded their scam to the Indiana Attorney Generals Office. Have a great day.
February 14, 2008 5:30 PM

julz said...
I received a letter from them 02/20/08 With No Post Mark! I always google whatever is sent to me. I love seeing what others think about them. Arkansas has enough scams we don't need anymore!
February 20, 2008 12:10 PM

Anonymous said...
I just got one of their letters too. I went to their website and it says "This Account Has Been Suspended" "Contact their billing department as soon as possible" I guess they want us to call them so we can be scammed that way too. I only got their letter 'cause my credit card info was stolen and used to set up a domain called ipsocks.com through Web Listings, Inc., now I am getting their junk mail... For anybody's information their email addy is info at web-listings.net...
February 21, 2008 10:59 PM

Bobby Barnhart said...
I received one also, but do not believe it rises to the level of "scam." At the end of the letter, in all caps and bold print it states: "THIS IS NOT A BILL. THIS IS A SOLICITATION. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PAY THE AMOUNT STATED ABOVE UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER." The ad is initially deceptive, but no one with an IQ above 12 would believe it was a bill unless they just failed to read the entire letter. Naturally I rejected the offer, but it is not any more dishonest than 99% of the newspaper ads I see (especially furniture and used cars ads).
February 22, 2008 10:21 AM