Scientology Seeks Captive Converts Via Google Maps, Drug Rehab Centers
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/06/scientology-seeks-captive-converts-via-google-maps-drug-rehab-centers/
"Experts say fake online reviews are most prevalent in
labor-intensive services that do not require the customer to
come into the company's offices but instead come to the
consumer. These services include but are not limited to
locksmiths, windshield replacement services, garage door
repair and replacement technicians, carpet cleaning and other
services that consumers very often call for immediate service.
As it happens, the problem is widespread in the drug
rehabilitation industry as well. That became apparent after I
spent just a few hours with Bryan Seely, the guy who literally
wrote the definitive book on fake Internet reviews. Perhaps
best known for a stunt in which he used fake Google Maps
listings to intercept calls destined for the FBI and U.S.
Secret Service, Seely knows a thing or two about this
industry: Until 2011, he worked for an SEO firm that helped
to develop and spread some of the same fake online reviews
that he is now helping to clean up. More recently, Seely has
been tracking a network of hundreds of phony listings and
reviews that lead inquiring customers to fewer than a half
dozen drug rehab centers, including Narconon International --
an organization that promotes the theories of Scientology
founder L. Ron Hubbard regarding substance abuse treatment and
addiction."
- - -
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
I have consulted to Google, but I am not currently
doing so -- my opinions expressed here are mine alone.
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