Netflix Ripoff / Scam Site?

Richard told me about Flix-Online.com, an obvious ripoff of Netflix and probably a scam. They charge a one-time fee of $23.40 for unlimed downloads of 35,000 movies, and say they have 1.6 million members.

How does it work? That's the easy part. You will simply download and install a single program. Once installed and connected, you can search for movies, television shows, even entire television series or browse a huge selection of movies from a website. Pick all the movies you want and with a single click they will start downloading automatically. Best of all, you can download over 40 movies simultaneously.

After a movie has finished downloading, you can watch it right on your computer. You can also burn it to a DVD* or Video-CD** and watch it on your television using a standard DVD player.

I'm wondering if the program is BitTorrent, a free program that can be used to download movies illegally (but also has excellent legal uses).

Here's the Netflix home page:

Here's the Flix-Online home page:

From what I can tell, they've even "borrowed" the Web page code from the Netflix site. I'm wondering how long before Netflix or the MPAA gets them shut down.

Comments

The second image is pretty suggestive.

VERY VERY suspicious.

I did a WHOIS on that site, this is what i got. DomainsByProxy is Godaddys service that blocks all personal info about the register.

WHOIS Search Results for: FLIX-ONLINE.COM

The data contained in Go Daddy Software, Inc.'s WHOIS database,
while believed by the company to be reliable, is provided "as is"
with no guarantee or warranties regarding its accuracy. This
information is provided for the sole purpose of assisting you
in obtaining information about domain name registration records.
Any use of this data for any other purpose is expressly forbidden without the prior written
permission of Go Daddy Software, Inc. By submitting an inquiry,
you agree to these terms of usage and limitations of warranty. In particular,
you agree not to use this data to allow, enable, or otherwise make possible,
dissemination or collection of this data, in part or in its entirety, for any
purpose, such as the transmission of unsolicited advertising and
solicitations of any kind, including spam. You further agree
not to use this data to enable high volume, automated or robotic electronic
processes designed to collect or compile this data for any purpose,
including mining this data for your own personal or commercial purposes.

Please note: the registrant of the domain name is specified
in the "registrant" field. In most cases, Go Daddy Software, Inc.
is not the registrant of domain names listed in this database.

Registrant:
Domains by Proxy, Inc.

15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160
PMB353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: FLIX-ONLINE.COM
Created on: 16-Oct-04
Expires on: 16-Oct-06
Last Updated on: 18-Oct-04

Administrative Contact:
Private, Registration FLIX-ONLINE.COM@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160
PMB353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599
Technical Contact:
Private, Registration FLIX-ONLINE.COM@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160
PMB353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599

Domain servers in listed order:
NS3.WEBCONTROLCENTER.COM
NS4.WEBCONTROLCENTER.COM

Registry Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK

THIS IS NETFLIX.COM WHOIS

WHOIS Search Results for: NETFLIX.COM

This domain is NOT Available.
However, you can backorder this domain for just $18.95

NOTICE AND TERMS OF USE: You are not authorized to access or query our WHOIS
database through the use of high-volume, automated, electronic processes. The
Data in Network Solutions' WHOIS database is provided by Network Solutions for information
purposes only, and to assist persons in obtaining information about or related
to a domain name registration record. Network Solutions does not guarantee its accuracy.
By submitting a WHOIS query, you agree to abide by the following terms of use:
You agree that you may use this Data only for lawful purposes and that under no
circumstances will you use this Data to: (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support
the transmission of mass unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations
via e-mail, telephone, or facsimile; or (2) enable high volume, automated,
electronic processes that apply to Network Solutions (or its computer systems). The
compilation, repackaging, dissemination or other use of this Data is expressly
prohibited without the prior written consent of Network Solutions. You agree not to use
high-volume, automated, electronic processes to access or query the WHOIS
database. Network Solutions reserves the right to terminate your access to the WHOIS
database in its sole discretion, including without limitation, for excessive
querying of the WHOIS database or for failure to otherwise abide by this policy.
Network Solutions reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.

Registrant:
Netflix, Inc. (NETFLIX2-DOM)
750 University Avenue
Los Gatos, CA 95032
US

Domain Name: NETFLIX.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
netflix, inc (39207819O) nicadmin@NETFLIX.COM
750 UNIVERSITY AVE
LOS GATOS, CA 95032-7695
US
408-399-3700 fax: 408-399-3737

Record expires on 10-Nov-2009.
Record created on 11-Nov-1997.
Database last updated on 20-Mar-2005 21:17:03 EST.

Domain servers in listed order:

DNS.NETFLIX.COM 216.35.131.154
DNS02.EXODUS.NET 209.1.222.245
DNS03.EXODUS.NET 209.1.222.246
DNS01.EXODUS.NET 209.1.222.244

Registry Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK

LOL, i just click on the "JOIN" link.

http://flix-online.com/join.aspx

The site ISNT secure, but they have a thumbs up icon that says "Secure Site". Hopefully theirs not to many gullable people going to that site...

[Bill]

Well if you actually type some info in and click 'continue' it actually takes you to a secure site, if you sign up using paypal it says the company's name is "General Media, LLC". No I didn't not actually sign up, just wanted to see how far I could get with a bogus email address. This site is an complete rip off of netflix code.

Another thing...On that ad..it says "Cancel Anytime". Why would you want to cancel if the 23 bucks if a one time fee?

Shady site.

[REN]

I was wondering why anyone would want to download 40 movies at a time.

[Justin]

To:
Posted by: | March 20, 2005 10:13 PM

"No I didn't not actually sign up"

So, that means you did, yes? "Didn't not"

[Becky]

It appears to be a front for peer-to-peer file sharing networks. From their terms of service: "All software recommendations refer to software that is available without charge to individuals at large for specific purposes. The service makes no download speed performance guarantees or the availability of specific files for download on the peer to peer network."

[Luke]

Good catch, Becky. Definitely a scam, then.

[SpongeBob]

When you say 'they've even "borrowed" the Web page code
from the Netflix' I hope that you do not mean the image
too!

...or does Netflix sell movies with photos suggesting
a dude about to get a knobber?!?!

Idiot

[Day Late]

Awww the younger sluttier version of netflix.

Side topic-- anyone else tired of the happy couple on netflix's home page. I'm ready for a little change of scenery.

[Chris]

I say they borrow an image from blockbuster's commercial and have a picture of a bunch of people dancing in the streets.

[roger]

DNS Report for flix-online.com

NS records at the parent servers are:
ns3.webcontrolcenter.com. [216.119.106.4]
ns4.webcontrolcenter.com. [216.119.102.5]

Reverse DNS for 216.119.106.50

Location: United States [City: Troy, Alabama]
216.119.106.50 PTR record: mail.udoitdinners.com.
216.119.106.50 PTR record: mail26.webcontrolcenter.com.

MX record for flix-online.com

Host Preference IP(s) [Country]
mail26.webcontrolcenter.com. 0 216.119.106.50 [US]

[REN]

Doing some sleuthing are we?

flix-online.com resolves to 216.119.66.179

Doing the reverse lookup on 216.119.66.179 gives us divensail.net.

[mnxmfan]

Yup, its definitely a Scam -- Your paying for access to P2P networks per this on the website:

http://www.flix-online.com/legal.html

How long before Netflix sues these hacks?

And what about the MPAA?

[Dave]

To All,

I signed up yesterday as a test. I wanted to review this site's service because so many people were asking about it on the net. Here's my results:

http://www.pacificdave.com/Site_Home/flixonline_fraud.htm

I hope this helps all of you with revealing how much of a fraud these guys are.

I did login under your info and you're right, it is emule & edonkey and links to other free utilities. I see their help folks are there "around the clock 27/7". Wow, that's a lot of hours.

[REN]

So, you took the hit for $23.40? It would be interesting to know if you actually get your money back. It might be one of those sites that hopes it is more trouble for the user to get it back than it is worth.

Btw your login is wrong, pacifidave@hotmail.com
It is pacifiC.

[REN]

There really isn't anything at all on that site. Someone should at least contact Netflix give them a link to the front page. The search engine provided links to another site.

I mentioned earlier that the IP address of flix-online.com resolves to divensail.net. Maybe he is hosting the site and should be contacted.

[Dave]

I just submitted to Netflix (the real Netflix) a little note telling them they should take a look at these guys because they could possibly ruin their good name. I'm still waiting for a reply (if I get one at all). But for now, I'm glad this helps out a lot of people who at least do some kind of research before signing up for these frauds.

I also just contacted divensail.net to let them know of the ip address conflict also. Thanks a lot Ren. And I will post something as soon as something new comes up.

Dave

[Dave]

And even another way we can hook these guys up.... Go to Google.com and search for "download movies". Their advertisement for their Google Adwords will show up on the right side of the page. Go there and click on it. Hey, they just lost at least 5 cents. If a couple of hundred people do this a day then they should be hooked up with a fat charge to their advertising account really quick.

I'm really not evil... I promise... It's just when Evil people do Evil things is when I strike back....

Dave

[REN]

I think there is enough going on there to get them shut them down. Their terms of service might cover them technically, but they are very misleading and I think 100% of people who signed up to the site would agree. Oh, and you have false advertising. They don't have 35,000 movies or 1.6 million members.

I really don't know who to contact to complain about a fraudulent website. Just doing a quick search I came up with http://www.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp.

"The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

IFCC's mission is to address fraud committed over the Internet. For victims of Internet fraud, IFCC provides a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of a suspected criminal or civil violation."

You may want to file a report.

[Dave]

I went ahead and filed it with the IFCC. We'll see what happens. I checked out the ip conflict that you mentioned earlier. Both are served by go-daddy with area ip's of 216.119.66 but flix-online is 179 and divensail.net is 136. Soon as I have something different I'll post it.

[REN]

Ah, I don't really get how it is set up. At the time I posted flix-online had the same IP as that divensail place, heh, I wrongfully implicated him. I see today that doing a reverse lookup for the flix-online IP resolves to a different host than it did before (weird).

The IFCC thing should be interesting.

Boycott Netflix - They Send Spam
manatee.mojam.com/~skip/netflix.html