Watch out for the PSP Blender scam
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Nov 23rd 2006 at 11:10PM }
A member of the Gamespot forums was unfortunately scammed by PSP Blender, a suspicious looking website I've stumbled upon more than once. The site offers a very ambitious promise: "With your PSP Blender Membership you receive instant access to millions of files ready to be transferred to your PSP. This includes but is not limited to movies, television shows, video games, music, and PSP software." All of this, for only $37. Sounds too good to be true, right? Of course.As the Gamespot member learned the hard way, this service simply offers you access to BitTorrent sites, where you download illegal content that's freely available on the shadier parts of the web. However, PSP Blender uses really shady tactics to get a sense of legitimacy. Look at this website, which can be seen frequently on Google AdSense (which PSP Fanboy uses). There are tons of review sites that have PSP Blender as their "top choice." Strange? Well, not when the sites are owned by the same people. A WHOIS record for both sites display the same registrar in nearly the same time. Every "review" on the site promotes PSP Blender. Sounds credible, right?
McAfee's SiteAdvisor shows that PSP Blender received numerous complaints, and the site is now listed as a "Phishing or other scams" website. It appears there are tons of similar sites out there, and all of them seem to be as shady as this one. Next time you're surfing the web, be mindful of scam sites.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
schattenz @ Nov 23rd 2006 11:54PM
Sux dude, I think this is some part of the "dark side of the web", people keep eyes open about "too much for to less" ..
Claudius @ Nov 24th 2006 12:36AM
It is fairly obvious that such sites are, pretty much, a scam. Too bad people still fall for them though.
Qtrain2Bklyn @ Nov 24th 2006 4:35PM
Wow.. and to think that i was this close to registering with that site!
patrick @ Nov 27th 2006 6:18PM
well then we all know that Michail here is one of the people trolling the forums posting as teenagers to make it seem that psp blender is cool. haha what an idiot.
Spider @ Dec 1st 2006 4:02AM
It's funny how on this page there is an advertisement for PSP blender, and a link that puts it as the #1 PSP download site...i'm confused?
Andrew Yoon @ Dec 1st 2006 8:22AM
We don't control the ads that appear on this site. Like we mentioned, our site uses Google AdSense, which can display ads for this awful, awful PSP Blender scam.
Steven @ Dec 2nd 2006 5:45PM
PSP Blender Rules! Long live free PSP downloads
Kim @ Dec 5th 2006 10:17AM
I joined PSP Blender and it is a waste of money. I have submitted 6 tickets on how to get a refund and have gotten no response. Also they have no other way to get ahold of them. If you have firmware 2.8+ you can only get DEMO games not full version. If you want full version they want you to put a mod chip in the PSP or downgrade the firmware. Also I download a episode of a television show and it took 6 hours to download and then it was not in english. DO NOT JOIN PSP BLENDER. If you do you will regret it.
yaseen @ Dec 8th 2006 6:19PM
OMG...and to think i was 1 click away from registering!
Fez @ Dec 9th 2006 3:58PM
wow i almost fell for it too
ben @ Dec 10th 2006 3:36AM
about psp blender
i joined for my 10 year old thinking it would be a one click easy site for her,opps,if your ok with downloading bit torrants maybe its worth it?,if not stay away
freeman @ Dec 10th 2006 5:24PM
I received access to some torrents and direct downloads as well. There seems to be a lot of trolling going on in this forum.
Bryan @ Dec 14th 2006 8:29PM
I joined it, total rip off, i even emailed G4TV and they told me it was a scam. Im just going to reverse the charge from my credit card. I am just going to tell the credit card company this story and they will suck the money out from PSP Buttface and drop it back off in my hands, isnt technology wonderful???
Rosea @ Dec 15th 2006 2:49PM
I paid the fee to PSP Blender. I can't figure out how to download. I don'y want to judge just yet, but I'm hoping it works or I will also try to reverse payment..
Dorothy @ Dec 21st 2006 11:14PM
Contact Clickbank instead. That is the company that PSP Blender use to collect money online. I've signed up with PSP blender and found out that their site is misleading. I've also tried asking PSP Blender for a refund, all they told me to do is to wait for newer technology / buy a mod chip. So I sent a message to clickbank with the Clickbank invoice # that is related to my PSP blender purchase instead. Clickbank refunded my money within a few business day. Just make sure you ask clickbank for a refund within 8 weeks, and with evidence of what made you believe that it is a rip-off.
NEYVA HERNANDEZ @ Dec 27th 2006 11:41AM
I GUESS I'M ANOTHER ONE THAT FELL FOR PSP BLENDER SCAM UNFORTUNATELY. I JOINED YESTERDAY, DEC. 26 FOR 10YRS OLD SONS NEW PSP. AFTER JOINING I RECEIVED CONFIRMATION E-MAILS FROM CLICKBANK AND FROM PSP BLENDER. I'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO LOG IN AT ALL. I'VE SENT E-MAIL TO ADMIN PSP BLENDER ADDRESS AND SUBMITED A TICKET. NO RESPONSES AT ALL AND THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO CONTACT THEM. I CALLED MY CREDIT CARD AND THEY SAID I HAVE TO DISPUTE THE CHARGE. SOMEONE HERE, DOROTHY, SAID TO CONTACT CLICKBANK DIRECTLY. CAN SOMEONE SHARE CLICKBANK'S E-MAIL ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER?
Peter @ Dec 27th 2006 9:03PM
How does that prove its a scam if you cant log in to your account or if you cant load ISO games on your 2.8 PSP? You can load ISO games on PSPs up to 2.71, and other content will work on your PSP regardless of the version correct? It really seems like alot of the people are complaining because of their own inexperience or because of their impatience.
Peter Hodges @ Dec 27th 2006 9:27PM
It seems from everything i am hearing it's a scam and it makes no sense to waste your money on something that is not 100% garantee to work. And from what i got from the whole blog it doesn't work it's a scam. ANd i was going to sign up for it to even though i got madden nfl 07 coming tomorrow i was going to try it anyway. Well Looks like i am not going to and forget all that hacking stuff i updated mines to 3.02 today and it's great alot more features. So to the avereage people out their i just say no to PSP Blender and just buy the game. And to the computer scientist stick to the bit torrents.
Jim Habegger @ Dec 30th 2006 12:41AM
I have some ideas for resource pages for responding to PSP download frauds, like PSP Blender. I'm posting here because this site has been one of the top responses to my searches for information on PSP Blender and other frauds. I'll working now on examples of the resources I'd like to see, which I'll post later.
----
Contents of this post:
A. Resources
1. For getting a refund, and for reporting frauds.
2. For responding to posts in Internet discussions, that promote frauds.
B. Locations
----
A. Resources
1. Resources for getting a refund, and for reporting frauds.
- Links and email addresses for writing to Credit Card companies, PayPal, ClickBank and other services involved in processing payments, to request a refund.
- Links and email addresses for sending complaints to the Federal Trade Commission, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center and other agencies that might respond to complaints about Internet fraud.
- Links and email addresses for sending complaints to Google and other Internet services that serve ads for frauds.
- Sample letters
2. For responding to posts that promote frauds, in Internet discussions.
- Examples of how to respond (or not respond) to reports of fast downloads, remarks about favorable reviews, insults and accusations against people who complain about frauds, and other comments in posts that promote frauds.
B. Locations
I would like to see resources like the ones I've described, on Web sites that appear on the first page of Yahoo and Google searches for:
- psp
- psp downloads
- psp downloads reviews
- psp scams
- psp hoaxes
- psp frauds
- pspblender, and the names of other PSP download frauds
Dorothy @ Dec 31st 2006 6:34PM
Just go to http://www.clickbank.com
Then click on the CUSTOMER SERVICE tab.
there should be a link for PURCHASE QUESTIONS on the service page. Click on that link, and then after the page has loaded fill out the form accordingly.
neurosis @ Jan 2nd 2007 12:55PM
Listen, It is a scam. The reason for this is twofold.
1)- they claim it works with all "CURRENT FIRMWARE"
YOU CANNOT DOWNGRADE 3.03!! YOU CANT! Its the most current and it doesnt work. Thats Strike 1.
2)- They dont actually have anything. They are piggybacking torrent sites which are free. And seeing as I have ample Public And Private Torrent Memberships as well as plenty of invites for anyone who wants one.. They are not offering me a service I cannot get elsewhere in a more straightforward manner.
3)- They claim it is legal. It is not. Pure And Simple.
They suck. You cant dispute these facts. Its like the chump who tries to sell you newsgroup access thru a nifty client when you could just as easily get the same files with a REAL usenet client. (fuck you usenext).
Btw... I have never used these fake ass services.. but I can spot em a mile away.
Neurosis
Amanda @ Jan 2nd 2007 8:58AM
Freeman??
Hey you seem to sound like you have this stuff figured out, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions, I have blender and I like it so far. I just need a bit of help with my version, so if you can email me please, or anyone else who really knows what they are doing, amandacaplinger30@yahoo
Thanks!!
MG @ Jan 2nd 2007 2:31PM
I signed up for PSP Blender last night. It appeared from first glance to be legit. Once I paid (via credit card), the screen that popped up was nothing like what I was seeing when I checked them out (before you click join). I found the website confusing and I work on computers daily and consider myself to be knowledgeable. I find the website to be illegal since it has a disclaimer about how the software is legal but any downloading of copyrighted material is against the law. I contacted Clikcbank this morning at 208-345-4245 and have already received a confirmation of reimbursement request and it will take 5 days to show up on my credit card. Will do my homework better next time!
Jesse C @ Jan 2nd 2007 9:52PM
I was just about to sign up...then I researched it right before signing up, and I found it was scam. Dang.
Joe @ Jan 5th 2007 4:39PM
I TOO HAVE FELL FOR THIS SCAM!! I REGRET GETTIN PSPBLENDER ITS A COMPLETE SCAM DOES ANYONE HAVE CLICKBANKS PHONE NuMBER!!!
smalltalk @ Jan 7th 2007 11:15AM
everybody you need to spread the word on your web sites, such as: yahoo, myspace, google, and the many more. please hurry to stop this site for making money off of us, gamers. thankyou!
Tony @ Jan 6th 2007 5:40PM
Its Funny how the topic manager says how bad it is and how sony has people go to these chats and promote it when all he is doing is having his little followers dismember the site onee comment at a time?????!!! HAHa
Jim @ Jan 7th 2007 6:21AM
Why are you all shouting about this site!!
YOUR THE ONES THAT ARE ILLEGALLY DOWNLOADING AND YOUR THE ONES THAT ARE RIPPING SONY OFF!!
in my eyes you should all goto jail.
Jim @ Jan 8th 2007 12:02AM
Most PSP-related Yahoo and Google ads and top search results are promoting frauds.
Contents of this post:
1. How the frauds are promoted.
2. Targets of the frauds.
3. How to distinguish the frauds from legitimate services.
----
1. How the frauds are promoted.
a. A Web site with a database of links to publicly accessible multimedia file-sharing networks is disguised as an authorized download repository of currently popular movies, music, or games.
b. The Web site is promoted by an affiliate marketing network which includes numerous fake reviews and articles.
c. The Web site, and the fake reviews and articles, are registered with search engines, and advertised on Adsense.
d. Somehow the ads and pages are engineered to come to the top of Adsense and search engine results, even when words like "scam" and "fraud" are included in the search. Even skeptical people who search for independent reviews and articles using popular search engines, are led to fake reviews and articles.
----
2. Targets of the Frauds.
Some of the targets are people who are inexperienced in the world of multimedia downloads, or whose only experience is with authorized download repositories like Yahoo Music Unlimited. They are fooled into thinking that a fraud site is an authorized download repository, with a one time membership fee instead of monthly and/or pay-as-you-go charges.
Even after people join, in the confusion created by the member pages, some of them don't realize it's a fraud, or that they are illegally downloading and re-distributing copyrighted files. They attribute the confusion, and the uselessness or poor performance of the Web site, to their own inexperience. Some of those who do realize it's a fraud, don't think there's any hope of getting a refund, or don't know how to go about it. In some cases, if not all, refund requests addressed to the Web site are systematically disregarded.
----
3. How to distinguish the frauds from legitimate services.
- A legitimate service enables its members to legally download all of the files which are discussed and displayed in describing the service on promotional pages.
- A fraudulent site advertises access to millions of downloads, including your favorite music, movies or games, and offers a lifetime membership for a one-time fee. A careful search reveals that membership does not include a license to upload or download copyrighted material, and that "access" to millions of files means links to publicly accessible file sharing networks full of copyrighted material. That information is hard to see, hard to find, mislabeled and/or hard to read and understand.
Ryan @ Jan 10th 2007 10:52PM
Signed my 10 year old up for psp blender....total scam. Sent numerous emails requesting a cancellation and refund, was sent a bunch of B.S. from some administrator. Finally found a company who processes their payments and was able to recieve a refund that way. Their phone number is 800-390-6035..you'll need it if you fell for this scam like myself!
loOz @ Jan 19th 2007 8:11PM
thnx god for the internet information highway ... 2 days i was gona register w/ a friend in it .. but not i seen this .. they can suck a penny in there bumbum .. .. u know that feeling inside ur gut that says "hMMMm i dont know budy ... u should check for forums about that site and check the feedbacks !!!" well i did ... and i saw this site .. Hmmmm thnx yall .. but i still want a site that gives movies in a good quality ... ehhehe
Urbanite @ Jan 22nd 2007 7:22PM
AT LAST, someone who says what we need to hear. Of course it's a scam. There's not much left on the internet that isn't these days, promises of free stuff. No such thing as a free meal.
They say 100% legal. Downgrading firmware is that legal? chipping your PSP is that legal? sharing software without a liscense, no i don't think so.
It bugs the hell out of me that they are still opperational when they are obviously decieving people.
We should be able to get them shut down, although they will just start another one. Luckily for us there is someone who will tell us what the score is.
Good job you lot.
detroitrob @ Jan 27th 2007 10:18AM
I'm one of those idiots that fell for it, hook and sinker. I did what anyone would do, researched it quickly and saw good things being said. Little did I know they are scam artists. I should have known. It's AWFUL! Avoid at all cost!
Santiago @ Jan 29th 2007 8:09PM
This is a RIP-OFF, Scam, and all the people that paid for this big scam should report it to clickbank to get their money back. They are laughing as we are getting p.o so get yourselfs in contact with clickbank, and also contact your closest police station about this scam. This should be done now in order to decrease their profits!
Trellis @ Feb 15th 2007 8:33PM
Thanks for the info
I was just about to buy this!
Nicholas Erickson @ Feb 18th 2007 11:52AM
mmm... a mag that makes big bucks from sony that in turn makes money from games says it's a scam that you get what they sell for free. oh and hears a shock don't let a ten year old unresricted access to a half-legal site. try Hardcore Gamer for unbiased reviews and coverage of ALL great games half-legal or not. from doc
z2b123 @ Dec 4th 2007 8:25PM
i also was a clik or two away from buying psp blender. i researched, and pondered , and researched sum more and then i found this site...is there noyhing sacred anymore,;.. by that i mean ...is there a legal site out there where i can join and download music and games legal...anyone prevy to this information can feelfree to e/mail me @ CMVAMP@YAHOO.COM...
thanxxx