Victor S.

Recently I purchased books online, and suddenly an online survey appeared, offering $25 for taking the survey. Initially I thought the site belonged to the reputable book company, but realized later that it was BIZRATE, ROGUES I HAVE AVOIDED SINCE SEVERAL YEARS. I started to get suspicious after I noticed that the survey was combining what seemed like 'legitimate' questions, with a lot of unnecessary personal details that BIZRATE UNDOUBTEDLY IS SELLING CUSTOMERS' PERSONAL INFORMATION TO OTHER SCAMSTERS/MARKETERS FOR LARGE SUMS OF MONEY-TO FILL OUR SPAM FILTERS. There have been too many reviews like this on this site, and it is time government authorities penalize BIZRATE and take them off the market. I will not be surprised if they come back with a different name in that case--with the same or similar mode of operation!

Siliconspectraining.com (siliconspec cyber solutions, Hyderabad, India), is among several scam agencies mushrooming with a base in India, and a possible front office address in the USA. They take advantage of unwary IT graduates and job seekers who aspire to come to the USA on a H1B visa for employment ("Jay" demanded $3,000 for this service, which in reality is paid directly by the hiring US employer to US Immigration!). We contacted Siliconspec based on their "American" website (siliconspec.com) which has fake testimonials (note the bad English), and a disclaimer for their enticing website that states:""SiliconSpec Ltd further do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these materials." The agency claims to be based in New Jersey, but either no one picks up the phone, or there is an answering machine message by "Jay"--apparently a westernized pseudonym. We were persuaded to give a "deposit" of $50 (as an advance against $700) with a promise of SAP training and "guarantee" of a H1B visa (usually issued by the US Immigration)--but the training never materialized. "Jay" rarely came on the phone when we requested a refund, and when he did respond on the Indian phone number, he falsely "promised" to refund the $50, but never did so. Later, he denied all his false claims completely, and threatened that he would put a legal case on me for making a false claim and exposing his fraud! If we went ahead with the "SAP Training" for a US "H1B Visa", we could have lost over $4,000! Let H1B visa seekers beware of such scamsters as Siliconspec Cyber Solutions (siliconspectraining.com / siliconspec.com)!