WebProNews

Tag: Black Market

  • Rick Ross Indicted On Charges Stemming From Last June’s Alleged Pistol Whipping Incident

    Rick Ross was indicted Wednesday charges stemming from last June’s alleged pistol whipping incident involving his groundskeeper.

    According to Vibe magazine, the rap artists’s lawyer says he isn’t too concerned about the charges because he believes his client was acting in self-defense.

    According to TMZ, attorney Steve Sadow told the court the 40-year-old Black Market artist should be immune from prosecution because the groundskeeper, Jonathan Zamudio, was allegedly committing felonies while staying at Ross’ guest house at his Georgia estate.

    Ross alleges that Zamudio engaged in parties involving cocaine and drug paraphernalia, which Ross claims gave him reason to defend his home.

    Sadow said he will make the case that Ross was “acting in self-defense and in defense of his property when he encountered trespassers.”

    A grand jury handed down several charges including aggravated assault, kidnapping, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm while committing a crime.

  • Cyber Criminals Are Selling Web Traffic

    Have you ever wanted to buy traffic to your Web site? Well, now you can through the help of Russian cyber criminals.

    SC Magazine is reporting that cyber criminals have opened an online store selling Web traffic by hijacking other Web site’s traffic. The shop injects hidden integrated frames into pages of legitimate Web sites to redirect visitors to the buyer’s URL.

    Integrated frames split pages into parts that are used to embed windows from another Web site. When an iframe’s height and width is set to zero, it becomes invisible.

    Customers can purchase 1000 visitors through the online store for an average of $4.

    Regional traffic prices do vary with 1000 Dutch visitors costing $18 while 1000 visitors from Australia is only $8. One thousand visitors from the U.S. is only $12.

    The shop will also purchase redirected traffic from others. Sellers can inject their own iframes and sell the resulting traffic to the shop.

    The operator said that the service does not record any IPs, no one will ban your account and they don’t care what you’re promoting.

    The shop can adjust prices automatically based on supply and demand.

    The site was originally created for personal use but was opened for public use after the realisation that money could be had.

    There are “legal” options to buy Web traffic, but what this shop offers is definitely illegal. If you want to increase your Web traffic, use the old fashioned method of promoting via social media like Facebook and Twitter.

  • iPad 2 Worth a Kidney to Chinese Teen

    iPad 2 Worth a Kidney to Chinese Teen

    Don’t get me wrong, I love gadgets. Also, don’t misunderstand me – I would gladly part with a kidney in the right circumstance. Say my mother or someone else I loved needed one, I would give it up in a second. You only need one, right? Or maybe even for the right price on the black market…

    But for three grand? I don’t think so.

    That’s exactly what one Chinese high-school freshman did. Seventeen-year-old Zheng from Huaishan, Anhui Province sold one of his kidneys for 22,000 yuan, a little over $3300.

    According to the Shanghai Daily, the teen went to Chenzhou no. 198 hospital under the supervision of three men to have the kidney removed. His poor mother, who knew nothing about the exchange, called the authorities as soon as she saw what had happened. The police had no luck in reaching the “broker” via the cell phone number given by Zheng. The kid’s health is currently deteriorating.

    As would be expected, the hospital has denied any connection with the operation. They said that “[their] urology department is contracted to a businessman in Fujian.”

    Zheng said he did all of this for the latest Apple tablet:

    “I wanted to buy an iPad 2 but could not afford it. A broker contacted me on the Internet and said he could help me sell one kidney for 20,000 yuan.”

    I guess this is one way Apple could advertise their popular product – “The iPad 2: so awesome, you’ll sell your organs on the black market for one!”

    Here’s an alleged photo of Zheng showing his post-surgery scar, courtesy of China’s Global Times:

    In April, we reported on a study that found young people with a high level of dependence on social media, bordering on addiction. Kids all over the world reported feelings of distress and despair when separated from things like Twitter and Facebook for just 24 hours. I guess the addiction to social media applies to the devices used to access said social media.

    The Chinese have made news recently over fights regarding Apple products. When the iPad 2 was first launched in the States, Chinese scalpers set up camp near the NYC Apple store to buy up the devices and scalp them for ridiculously inflated prices. Apple stores in China were sites of disputes over the iPad 2, one reportedly resulting in the front glass windows being destroyed by the fighters.

    It’s no wonder that Apple just surpassed Google as the world’s most valuable brand. When people are selling their kidneys for your latest and greatest, you have quite the hold on the global consumer.