Deceiving add- "view private message"

[Ray,IN]

A banner add stating " view private message" is at the top of all the pages. When clicked it prompts you to download an unknown program, which I will not do,as none should. Please investigate this as it may be a source of information mining.

[Route 66]

It's a random Google ad.

[NLOVNIT]

Yep. I'll usually start seeing it (on browsers I don't have Adblock'd) within a few page turns of recently reading a PM from a member here.

Ignore it.

Lori-

[Wizard]

I commented on it previously and have decided that the opinion is that "its a google ad so its OK. They can do whatever they want.

[SeeTheUSA]

Originally Posted by Wizard

I commented on it previously and have decided that the opinion is that "its a google ad so its OK. They can do whatever they want.

"OK" probably isn't the sentiment . . . more like "no recourse."

Just a guess.

[palehorse89]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

A banner add stating " view private message" is at the top of all the pages. When clicked it prompts you to download an unknown program, which I will not do,as none should. Please investigate this as it may be a source of information mining.

Be careful Ray, after you "clicked" on that add, micro camera's were installed on you monitor, and they can watch and see you now.........be careful how you dress around the house

[wa8yxm]

That one has been around a long long time... If there is a private message for you it will show up in the frame that has your USER ID preceeded by the word WELCOME at the top right of the page.

That is the ONLY place the forum lists private messages.. There should be a line there now that says something like: Private Messages: Unread: 0 Total:5

Or whatever your count is.
There is no pop up alert less you have the phone app, in which case a PM will cause a PUSH notification to hapen, if enabled.

[NLOVNIT]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

...
There is no pop up alert less you have the phone app, .

Actually, members CAN have a PM alert pop up on any device. It's a matter of checkmarking the "Show New Private Message Notification Pop-up" in the Private Messaging section under Edit Options.

Lori-

[wa8yxm]

Oh, almost forgot.. The private message the ad has for you:
Depending on who posted the ad it is either:

Send us money for our stupid unwanted spam-a-lot service or...

Conflagrations sucker, YOU HAVE JUST BEEN INFECTED.

Of course neither of them will actually say that.. But that's what they are.

[Wayne M]

Please be very careful. New technology has evolved that uses the monitor display that you are look at as a camera. It will show you in the monitor of the person watching and also display yourself in the monitor.

Here is how it works and what you would see.

[huntnski]

Wayne needs a new toothbrush!

[homeless]

[eddieelk]

I taped a small piece of paper over my camera lens so Obama can't see my finger messages. I keep forgetting that the peace sign uses two fingers. Eddie Elk.

[plasma800]

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Please be very careful. New technology has evolved that uses the monitor display that you are look at as a camera. It will show you in the monitor of the person watching and also display yourself in the monitor.

Here is how it works and what you would see.

NOW THAT's funny!!

Also, something to think about, when you click an ad through to a website, that website can deploy something called "retargeting", where basically they place a small cookie in your browser, and now they can target ads to you on any website.

Have you ever visited, say a hotel's website, and then for 30 days after, you saw that hotel's ads everywhere you went?

THAT's retargeting. When used for good, it's really great, but when used for bad, it can be annoying. Flushing your cache will dump them all.

Also, within googles network, you can permanently OPT OUT

https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en