NATIONAL SURVEY REVEALS CONSUMERS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY…

August 24, 2007  | Tags: Online Life

NATIONAL SURVEY REVEALS CONSUMERS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY AND SECURITY OF ONLINE SHOPPINGBSA Launches Educational Video to Expose Dangers of Online Auction Shopping and Provide Consumer TipsWashington, D.C., (November 15, 2006) /PRNewswire/ — A new survey conducted by Forrester Research on behalf of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) reveals that consumers are concerned with the safety and security of online auction shopping, particularly as it relates to the purchase of software.In the past 12 months, nearly one-third of online consumers have purchased software from a retailer site. The growing demand for software and the anonymity of online shopping has created a potential environment for fraudulent sellers to peddle pirated software. According to the survey, one in five U.S. consumers who have purchased software over the past 12 months has experienced some kind of problem. Of those who had issues, 53% received software that was not what they ordered, 36% reported the software did not work, 14% immediately realized the software was pirated and 12% never received the product.”The Internet is proliferated with individuals selling pirated software to unsuspecting consumers, and consumers who purchase software or any other product from online auction sites or through email promotions run a high risk of receiving a pirated good,” stated Neil MacBride, BSA\’s Vice President of Legal Affairs. “It\’s pertinent that consumers are aware of the dangers of shopping at unknown websites or auctions sites and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from these risks, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.”To help individuals avoid purchasing fraudulent software online, BSA has developed a 5-minute educational video — including rare interviews with a convicted software pirate sentenced to six years in federal prison; a victim of online auction software fraud; a high-ranking Department of Justice official; a BSA spokesperson; and helpful tips on how to prevent against consumer fraud. The video educates consumers about safe online shopping while alerting potential sellers of the serious legal consequences to software piracy.In addition, there are several risks involved with users purchasing pirated software: they may not receive upgrades, technical support, manuals or documentation if the software purchased is pirated. There is no assurance of quality or reliability of the software, and consumers expose their network to viruses and security breaches. Purchasing on an unofficial website allows your personal information to be sent to an unknown person, inviting a potential criminal into your lives. According to Danny Ferrer, the convicted software pirate featured in the BSA video, “When someone came to our site they would make their purchases online, with either a credit card or a debit card, which means that now, the person you are buying pirated software from has your credit card or debit information.” Ferrer, 36, is the former owner of www.BuysUSA.com, a large for-profit software piracy website which was taken down in October 2005 by law enforcement agents. Ferrer admitted that he defrauded customers out of more than $4.1 million of copyrighted software resulting in losses to the copyright owners of nearly $20 million. He is scheduled to begin his sentence on November 20.

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