Oh No, Not Another One!

Remember Tubley?   The crazy social website that suckered me in a few months ago?  Well, here comes another one, only this time I'm not so gullible.

FanIQ.com

This one has a sports bent to it, rather than dating, but it's the same dealio as Tubley. This email showed up in my inbox -
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                FanIQ              

Etta Matau has sent you a private message.

Click to read message

                                                                

Please read it or Etta will think you ignored this :(

This message has been forwarded at the request of ttmatautia@aol.com.To block all emails from FanIQ, please click here.FanIQ is located at 604 mission St, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
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I do know Etta, but I am 100% sure that she did not send me a private message via FanIQ.  She is a real estate agent I have worked with a few times, but we have had no contact the last year or so.  She is a mature woman, I'd guess mid 50's, and I would not peg her as a HUGE sports fan.  I would guess that she is a bit internet naive.   She probably received an email like this from one of her sons, and thought she should go take a look.  Notice the guilt provoking sentence there at the bottom , "Please read it or Etta will think you ignored this :(".  No mother would want her son to feel ignored, and the frowny face just seals the emotional sale.

I didn't take the bait this time.  Tubley taught me a thing or two ...  Instead, I did a little research, so I could pass the warning along to you.  FanIQ.com seems to be structured almost identically to Tubley.  I would not be surprised if they have the same people running the show.  Don't click on anything, except "Delete", and maybe even "shift - delete" would be a good idea.

UPDATE:

FANIQ continues with the emotional ploys.  Today I received this email:

Last Chance! Your private message from Etta expires tonight

Your private message from Etta will expire tonight at midnight.

Read Etta’s Message by Clicking Here Now

Please read it or Etta will think you ignored this :(

 Please ....  I'm not clicking that gold envelope ... ever ...

2/4/2010 UPDATE - I received this email today.  They never quit.

Etta Matau wants to follow your favorite teams with you

Do You Know Etta? Yes or No

About FanIQ:

FanIQ is the social utility that connects fans with their friends and
favorite teams through a personalized sports dashboard and real-time alerts.

This message has been forwarded at the request of ttmatautia@aol.com.To block all emails from FanIQ, please click here.FanIQ is located at 604 mission St, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.

Tubely is the Devil

After working at my computer doing mundane tasks for most of the afternoon, I received an email from a good friend. It was an invitation to be her friend on Tubely. Normally I don't click on those sort of things without doing at least a little research first. I had never heard of Tubely.com, but, I was tired, and my scam radar was down. She is such a good friend, and I would never want her to feel "reject"ed. I did the unspeakable - I clicked "yes"! Shocking, but none the less true!

They got me. The initial form required all sorts of personal data. I did the usual and left those areas blank. When they insisted these fields be completed before proceeding, I gave them fake data. When that didn't work (How do they know my phone number isn't 808-888-8888 and that I don't live on blank St.?? I could be that lucky. I really could!), my radar finally kicked in and I started looking for the chicken switch. I needed out of this line BEFORE the roller coaster took off!

The more I clicked, the deeper I plunged into the Tubely mayhem. I still don't know for sure what they are all about, but they certainly know how to program an infinity loop of chaos! I eventually found the escape hatch and canceled my account. Interestingly, it took at least twice as many steps to cancel as it did to sign up. I wasn't even sure I HAD signed up, since I never completely, or correctly filled out their stupid form.

Still dizzy from all the looping, I went back to my work. My inbox started filing up with Tubely invites - from myself, to myself. Apparently, somewhere along that journey the lovely dears at Tubely had hijacked my contact list. I use gmail, which like an elephant, never forgets a contact. Anyone I have ever emailed, or has emailed me, in the last 6 years got an email this afternoon asking if they wanted to be Wendy Minks friend on Tubely. Even the customer service dudes at Audible got that email.

I sure hope that no one was as blinded as I was and actually clicked "yes". Since I deleted my Tubely account, I am not sure what will happen if someone does, other than Tubely will undoubtedly ask for all of their deeply personal data and immediately start sending emails to all of their contacts.

Needless to say, I was most displeased. How totally embarrassing that every business contact for the last 6 years now thinks I want to be their friend on this stupid site. I wanted to send those jerks an email and let them know just what I thought of their business practices. The "contact us" tab took me to a reset password page. Apparently these geniuses think that the only reason anyone would want to contact them is to reset their password.

I found the email they sent me asking if I was sure that I wanted to delete my account for the umpteenth time, and hit reply. It probably goes into a giant spam folder, never to be seen by human eyes, but I sent it anyway. In that email I promised that I would tell all of my friends what I thought of their site, and encourage them not to sign up.


So .... I wrote this post, and I am telling all the world just what I think of Tubely. I hereby apologize to all of my contacts, everyone I ever emailed, or who ever emailed me, for letting the Devil, I mean Tubely, send you an email this afternoon. I sincerely hope that none of you liked me enough to go against your better judgment and click "yes", that you would be my friend. If you did, bless you for your kindness. If you are now in my shoes, feel free to pass this message on to your contact list. The madness has to stop somewhere!

NOTE: 11/1/2009 - If you are looking for the opt out button on Tubely, you won't find it. I was finally able to delete my account by going to the "help" tab, "FAQ's" and clicking on the "How do I delete my Tubely Account" link. They will then send you an email to confirm that you do indeed wish to cancel your account. Good Luck!