So Called Free Used Flutes Classifieds Websites
Did you ever wonder where some of your unwanted spam comes from? Ever wonder how a flute company that you may have never had any contact with, emails you over and over? Well it’s time to put that little mystery, and bad practice in it’s place. You may even question why you have been using those other so called “Free” used flute classifieds sites after reading this.
For one of the most popular used flutes websites, it is their use of very old clear text technology that is costing you your privacy and causing agrivation when, after all, the selling process is supposed to be Free. Here are their dirty little secrets.
- They say Free, or at least imply it. While the ad may be Free to post, the removal of that ad may come with a price.
- The other sad fact is the technology they use on the site, has a major flaw. It reveals your email address as clear-text*. Their web pages are open to the public. There is no account to create, no sign in… nothing. Any stranger or automated email address harvester can grab your email address just by visiting and indexing the site.
Keep in mind with FREE Flute Classifieds your email address is never revealed to anyone not even a potential buyer, unless you direct the site, or your account to do so. If you receive, what you believe is, a fraudulent email from a potential buyer then all they have done is clicked on the “Contact” tab to the right of your ad and filled out the form and clicked on the “Send Reply” button. The email was sent via our server and the email has not come directly from the fraudulent buyer so as long as you don’t respond to the fraudulent buyer’s email and ignore their bogus request they will go away.
And remember, they will not know your email address unless you direct the site, or your account to do so. And you do not email them back.
Please proceed cautiously with “too good to be true” offers.
*Clear-text: A term used to describe any data that is not encrypted. For example, a website that does not subject clear-text email addresses to encryption means the email address can be “sniffed” or harvested for use by spammers.
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