A brief post tonight, not highly relevant to ISV’s.
For those people searching – 200 of you over the last three days – for information on NowDownload this post is for you.
Yes. NowDownload is a scam. That is why it’s disappeared off the Internet. The registrar for the domain name is GoDaddy. The owner is a Pablo Soto. The address listed for him – if real – is:
Ave Mediterraneo 24
Madrid 28007
Spain
If you’ve paid for this service I’m afraid you’ve been had. I doubt you’ll be getting your money back, though I do wish you well.
People – please keep in mind. If something in life seems to good to be true it invariably is a scam. A service like NowDownload offered low cost “legal” access to virtually unlimited music, movies and software for a low, low price.
NOBODY is able to offer such a service. NOBODY offers such a service legally in reality.
On the Internet, it is usually safest to buy from the original creator of software, or a well known recognized service, when it comes to music and videos such as iTunes. Attempting to buy “unlimited access” results in you being scammed, the creator of the software, music or video being scammed – and organized crime, along with disorganized crime – profiting from your silly mistake.
Sad, but true.
UPDATED 5 th Sept 2009. It’s been brought to my attention that some people may be confusing “NowDownload” with a perfectly legitimate site “Download.com” in this article. This is unfortunate as the trademark of the genuine “Download.com” owned and operated by “CNET” have no connection with “NowDownload”. Clearly the owner of “NowDownload” intended the confusion when he chose the domain name.
Updated 18th August 2010. A variation on NowDownload.com called NowDownloadAll.com has appeared. This is also a scam. Please refer to the article above on why it is impossible for any service to offer unlimited downloads legally. Don’t be conned.
Scott, it’s not clear – did you discovered those 200 searches in referrer strings in your web site access logs, in internal search statistics of your blog, or else?
Hi Dennis,
Incoming to this blog from Google. A variety of TLD’s looking.
Scott,
Your title “Now Download . Com – Yes folks searching for this. It is a SCAM!” can easily be misread to be stating that Download.com is a scam. That was my first thought when I read it. I thought you were saying something like “Now Download.com is a scam if it wasn’t before”. Download.com is one of the download sites that I would hope you don’t have a beef with.
Dan
Hi Dan,
Yes, I can see how that would confuse some. I added something to the text to draw attention to this. Thank you for the heads up.
Hey I just wanted to let you know, I actually like the composition on your website. But I am using Firefox on a machine running version 8.x of Crashbang Ubuntu and the design aren’t quite satisfying. Not a serious deal, I can still essentially read the articles and look for for info, but just wanted to inform you about that. The navigation bar is kind of difficult to use with the config I’m running. Keep up the good work!
Thank you. This article saved me from being ripped off by these scumbags!!!!
Dude…..that post takes the cake !!!CHeers mate !!
Thank you I was about to pay subscribe till I read your post
Thanks for saving my money
keep the good work
Thanks for this. I was about to pull my wallet out, did a search and found this article. You saved me my money. Kudos.
I hate these sites like NowDownload. They are criminals.
Why do people get scammed? Ignorance and greed.
They should put them in jail!!!
Wonderful, that’s exactly what I was seeking for! You just spared me alot of money, I would have been scammed too!!
Heya. Thanks. Saved me being ripped off.
Your site is the first site when I searched on nowdownload. It I hadn’t come here I would have paid these scammers my hard earned $$$. Thank you for writing it.
Why is it a scam? Proof?
Given some of the comments here from folks who signed up for the service, how much more “proof” do you need?
I fell for this scam. Paid them and all they had were links to torrents and torrent tools. All pirate stuff, cracks you can get for free all over the internet if you are stupid enough to use them in the first place. The OP is right. This is a scam. Buyer beware! Caveat emptor!
The assholes behind NowDownload should be locked up!!
So we know NowDownload is a scam but what about NowDownloadAll?
Hi James
It’s a variation on the same theme. Apparently a different person, located in Russia. They hide their contact information for their domain registration, which few serious businesses do.
Sincerely – *nobody* can offer unlimited downloads of “any file”. It’s impossible as it would require the approval of every person who produces software, music, videos, books etc. It simply can’t – and hasn’t – happened. It’s also a scam.
Took me awhile to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be very useful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also engaged! I’m sure you had fun writing this article.
The comments and your article are not proof. I say give proof or STFU!!
@レジストリクリーナー
For your – and others – edification:
http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=123586
And this one has more people explaining how they were scammed and what happened.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/wwwunrestrictedownloadscom-c242820.html
Proof enough?
STFU then! You ruin good businesses with your lies! This is not proof.
Thanks for this. Thought it looked too good to be true so searched and got on to your website. Thanks for saving me money
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for visiting – and you are most welcome.
OMG-oodness! They almost got me too. NowDownloadAll must be scamming everybody. Assholes!!
I wish I’d found this article before I paid. They kept billing my account after I paid every couple of days and my bank had to cancel my credit card stop them. Inside there website there is nothing but stuff on pirate sites you can get for free off the internet. The point for paying was I was trying to do the right thing and not be a pirate. DO NOT USE THESE SITES LIKE NOWDOWNLOAD OR NOWDOWNLOADALL THEY ARE A SCAM!!
Very useful I am really happy to have found this first and not get burned. Many thanks with regard to providing all of us the reasons why its a scam. I truly appreciate this kind of write-up.
This is lies!! Don’t listen. All lies!!!
Is anybody know of a site like NowDownload that is not a scam? Plz I need such a site.
I do not understand. If it really is a scam why can they keep doing it? Why are they allowed to keep advertising and running a website?
Liam,
They host their websites in countries that are more tolerant of scamming. At the end of the day there are no international web police. It is up to individuals to use logic and reason to avoid being scammed. If it looks to good to be true on the Internet it invariably is.
I cant believe so many people for this stuff in 2010. If you are stupid enough and greedy enough though I guess youll fall for anything! Anybody want to buy a nice bridge I have in Brooklyn?
I signed up and all I got were links to cracks and torrent sites. NOWDOWNLOAD AND NOWDOWNLOADALL are scams. I had to contact my bank to stop them billing me over and over again. $30 dollars ended up bing $350 and they kept billing it daily. Do not sign up for these sites.
I PAID FOR THIS. IT IS A SCAM!!! NOWDOWNLOADALL IS A SCAM!!! HOW DO I GET MY MONEY BACK??? I PAID BY DEBIT CARD NOT CREDIT CARD. HELP!! THEY ARE WIPING ME OUT. NO SOFTWARE,NO MUSIC NO MOVIES JUST A BIG HOLE IN MY BANK ACCOUNT AND THEY KEEP BILLING IT. PLEAZE??? HOW TO MAKE THEM STOP?
@Maximo,
Contact your bank. They should be able to help you.
I am easily thankful to you for providing us with this. My spouse and I are absolutely grateful, really we were about to sign up with nowdownloadall. You saved us money.
Hi Zara,
You are most welcome.
I really think people are over reacting like they dont know they were going to get scammed with they signed up or there was the strongest chance they were. To bad next time you know better!
Good to see somebody exposing these scumbugs. My 16 year old son signed with NowDownloadNow and is now much poorer, but wiser.