SCAM ALERT
- FREE CODE GENERATORS -
Estimated time to read: 2 Minutes
Free Code Generators – if you have tried searching for something beginning with “free” and ending with “code” or “gift card” you will have noticed that they are almost all everywhere. They spam the Google ranks and make barely place for real alternatives.
One Scam - Two Versions
At the moment there are two general versions of this scam:
- Website based generators – mostly “harmless”
- Downloadable generators – highly dangerous
Both types want you to think that they have the ability to give away free codes- for example for the PSN, Xbox Live or even send you free PayPal Money.
Both types use a simple script to generate a random number that will look like a legit code.
Both types will send you to a “survey” that in most cases will cost you real money.
Only one can do real damage to you- if you download one of these “generators” they may place viruses and adware on your PC.
Let's use one Generator
You will find this type of scam everywhere where you search for “free […] codes/gift cards” Almost every result will be using this scam.
Let’s just make a search, for example: free PSN Codes
First result
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The site gives me the illusion of choice and lets me pick one of the 4 gift cards.
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Now they want that I share the site. Two reasons why they want me to do that.
- If I share it, if is possible that other people use the generator too.
- If you share a website, Google sees it, thinks the users like the site – and gives the website a higher Google rank.
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At some point they always want you to do fake surveys or that you sign up somewhere. In 9/10 cases the “surveys” will cost you real money and even if you do it, you will not get a psn code. For every offer that you make, the website owner earns between 0.20$ to 3$.
Note: See how they already had to write that they are “not like other websites” and that “you will absolutely get your code“.
In short- how to spot a free code generator scam?
- It says it is a generator(that should already be enough)
- It says it has hacked servers or something like that and they give all codes away
- You will have to share the site one or more times
- The generator will only display some parts of the code or nothing at all
- You will be asked to verify that you are human
- The verification will be a “survey”
- The survey will most likely cost you something ro will ask you more than just your e-mail.
