[GateKeeper]

I spotted this article on an eBusiness Strategies website and thought it would be worth posting here. It offers some interesting insight as to what the Crimeshare Website management is all about.
http://www.ebusiness-strategies.co.u...hurtabrand.htm

Can Web Spam hurt a brand?

Most definitely, the internet has become a great soap box where anybody can say anything about anybody. Of course the normal rules of slander, deformation, loss of earnings and copyright apply. However all these elements only apply when you can pin down the culprit. A recent example of this is in the timeshare industry.

Companies such as Club la Costa and Sunterra have suffered at the hands of a web site called Crimeshare. Crimeshare has managed to confuse the branding messages by publishing comments about these organisations. Regardless of whether the comments are accurate or not - it doesn't really matter, the point is that the branding has been compromised by someone that knows sufficient about search engines to do so.
Interestingly, in defense of the Timeshare industry an article published at tripod.com Crimeshare Warning clarifies some points including the identity of the site owner.

CRIMESHARE.NET WARNING In response to requests from diverse Credit Card Companies and Banking Institutions, a thorough investigation is underway on the bogus web site CRIMESHARE.NET.
Please be advised that this is an ongoing investigation; therefore, the findings are preliminary and bound to be included with other materials in a final public report to be published by the TRUST.
- CRIMESHARE.NET << a fraud; a cheat; a scam; a method of extracting money under false pretences: timeshare'-r person who has been defrauded. [Eng.; to trick, to betray confidence]>> This is deceitfully advertised in CRIMESHARE.NET initial page as being a dictionary definition of "Timeshare". Through falsifications, CRIMESHARE.NET openly slanders the Timeshare industry in full.
- According to the security firm InternetWatch, CRIMESHARE.NET is run by an Arab individual: Mohamed Ahmed Kdadouri (a.k.a. Kdadourian). Mohamed Ahmed Kdadouri is both the Registrant and the Administrative Contact of CRIMESHARE.NET. His main address is a Post Office Box (PO Box Apartado de Correos 191, Fuengirola, Malaga, Spain).
- Mohamed Ahmed has a "profitable" relationship with Holiday Resale Homes SL Timeshare Resales (HRH/Auctionwise/Goldflash) a bogus company providing the infrastructure for CRIMESHARE.NET. HRH SL is run by a group of Arabs and a British national (Hutchinson). Mohamed Ahmed and his partners employ deceit, lies, and insults to slander and disrupt the Timeshare industry, disrupt the Tourist industry, and disrupt related economic activities in Costa del Sol (Spain).
- HRH SL has been set up as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public as to the true name of the company and there is no official listing for HRH SL in Spain. CRIMESHARE.NET, HRH SL, Goldflash, Auctionwise and the Timeshare Council are hosted in the same ISP (Internet Service Provider) and employ the same Domain Servers NS1.HRH.ES (217.11.124.52). HRH SL, Goldflash, and Auctionwise are structured around www.hrh.cc. These web sites are all hosted by Ibernet Hosting SL at Tucides 24, Malaga, Spain.
In addition to the above, the following findings regarding CRIMESHARE.NET as of September 2004 still apply:
- CRIMESHARE.NET is run in coordination with OTE and TCA scams.
- CRIMESHARE.NET attempts to create confusion, reluctance, and guilt among existing and potential timeshare owners (disruption).
- HRH SL / Auctionwise (CRIMESHARE.NET) runs a series of scams which include: the "Land Registry Number" scam, the VAT and IVA scam, the Auction scam, the Money Back scam (see details in this web site).
- CRIMESHARE.NET mostly publishes lies, anonymous personal attacks, and scurrilous comments against certain individuals.Here is a sample of the "mild" messages published by CRIMESHARE.NET:<< Oct 15, 2003 - Well I heard today that Mr. David Stronach was found dead with multiple stab wounds in Marbella area ...
Oct 17, 2003 - the report of dave stronach being dead is rubbish just goes to show that not all this info is true as of today he still looks healthy - in the know
Timeshare Sh*t of the Year - Award 2004. Nomination: Resort Properties (Bob Trotta) Grand larceny. Reason: Being a total bastard ...
Aug 14, 2005 - Some true facts about Paul Rhind and Wife! Those of you who defend him do not know the true extent of his lies and family life, for a start Paul is a drug user, a lier a fraudster and has been for a long time now way above his station. Him and his gay son strutted around Brockwood Hall like they were kings, noone at Brockwood like them if there name is spoken in a local pub you will hear a few tales! For those of us who knew Paul Rhinds wife back before she was sleeping with Captain Hook, know what a real slut she was and is, she banged everything with anything between there legs, aint much better now so I hear. Sitting there in there ivory tower, which i might add is paid for by stolen money and about to topple over and squash them, in the way of a prison sentence (we hope) wonder how long she will stay faithful..... oooo about as long as it takes them to say GUILTY! - REALTRUTH
May 2, 2006 - Are those gypsies the Stephensons (or is that Stevenson) still in the game? There was a whole clan of them, Brian, Evelyn, Andy, Joy, Pete, Carol, and others (numerous illegitimate grandchildren for example). I think they were from Blackpool. they must of made a real killing over the years. As far as OPC legends go, they are high on the list, but not for their talent, rather their peculiarity. - PK.>>
[note: all spellings as in the original text. Similar kind of messages found throughout 2000-2006 as "news" and "winghes" in CRIMESHARE.NET ]

- Besides all the personal insults and slanders, CRIMESHARE.NET fails to give any warnings as to what types of timeshare frauds are most common at present. CRIMESHARE.NET does not provide any protection to timeshare owners.