Google Search Gamer Arrested for Fraud and Other Crimes
Google Search Gamer Arrested for Fraud and Other Crimes
Posted 12/08/2010 at 7:31am
| by Paul Lilly
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Vitaly Borker, a 34-year-old living in Brooklyn, New York, tried to make a living out of gaming Google's search results, and he may have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for those meddling boasts. Now he faces jail time -- up to 20 years -- for fraud, cyberstalking, and harassment, Network World reports.
Let's back up a moment. As the complaint against him goes, Borker ran an online business selling counterfeit and defective products. When customers complained, he would threaten them bodily harm, including sexual violence in at least one case.
"When those customers tried to return or exchange the merchandise, Borker subjected them to a campaign of aggressive, obscene, and intimidating conduct," the Department of Justice said.
That wasn't his only crime. Authorities say it was all just a ploy to get people complaining about (and linking to) his store online, and thus increase his search results standing.
"The more replies you people post the more business and more hits and sales I get," Borker allegedly wrote back in June 2008. "My goal is NEGATIVE advertisement... I never had the amount of traffic I have now since my 1st complaint. I am in heaven. Thanks so very much for your continued effort. I really appreciate it."
Borker relied on Google's practice of giving higher search result placement to sites that are frequently linked to, whether positive or negative, though Google eventually changed its algorithm once The New York Times exposed Borker. Having now been arrested, he could end up with up to two decades behind bars to come up with a new scheme.
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Nimrod
December 08, 2010 at 9:12pm
How did he not just get the sht beaten out of him? Whats he guna do if some one goes in there and ruffs him up, call the cops to counterfeit operation?
lawl
Zachary K.
December 08, 2010 at 3:38pm
smart. evil and sleazy, but smart. have fun in prison, hope it was worth it.
COMMANDER_COOK
December 08, 2010 at 2:48pm
I'm guessing that might be what the spammers are (or were) doing at maxpc and other sites.
Trooper_One
December 08, 2010 at 1:33pm
Haha, you dumb shit, rot in prison for the rest of you sleazy life. Now you get to be someone's bitch and hope you eat shit that's cooked and spit by your fellow inmates!
violian
December 08, 2010 at 12:05pm
This guy certainly doesn't have his head straight. Yeah, he's getting traffic unto his online store. But are they going to purchase anything from him with all the NEGATIVE's they know about his business? If he was hoping to get money from ad-sponsors, he couldn't have counted on it as other companies don't want to be affiliated with a company with such bad publicity and risk their own credibility. This guy is definately a psycho and definately deserves some time before bar. 20 years is a little excessive though IMO as they were merely threats.
LatiosXT
December 08, 2010 at 7:59am
Glad to see the justice system still works. To the degree that gets this guy put out.
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