3 Years Untouchable Scam: 000webhost

000webhost started their operation about since 2006. I have joined there since October 2007 while their registration verification through mobile phone (SMS). 2 weeks after i joined there, i was apply their affiliate programs that offer $5 for every member i referred.

My method to gain referral is offering my visitor to build their website / blog for free. So they will register through my referral and i will build them for free. Thats why i have gain my first $100 000webhost referral in 3 month by promote them on my 700k alexa (at that time) and PR4 blog.
But month after month, until now, almost 2 years and my referral income is about $280 (i stopped my services after 6 month not paid) they did’nt pay me!! I often send my complain through their ticket, but no answer, and closed without notice!!

Useless Reported To Softlayer

I lost my patience at February 2009, and start to reported them to Softlayer Inc as their data center ( i trace for their IP Address and also trace Hosting24 as their company). I believe in Softlayer legal agreement is contains about scam reported. But again.. i got nothing from that way… Its look like Softlayer under control by 000webhost.

For information, I have friend that developed non profit Organization site and hosted in Softlayer network, in a while, their site has vulnerability issue and get on injected by others people malicious code that looks like phising form to National Bank in Europe.

Just in 12 hours after being injected (log time) their site has reported by Scam Watch organization and their site is shutting down, here are some quote of the letter:

Hello,

Telefonica Spain is managing the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS against ABBEY BANK and all related with PHISHING SCAMS against this finantial entity.

We have detected that SOFTLAYER TECHNOLOGIES INC IS HOSTING A FRAUDULENT WEBSITE that offers a PHISHING SCAM against ABBEY BANK from the next URL:

http://www.[censor]/modules/membershiplogon.htm

with this IP: 208.xxx.xxx.xxx, HOSTED ON YOUR NETWORK.

This FRAUDULENT WEBSITE represents a MISUSE OF THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY of ABBEY BANK, as well as to obtain personal information of their customers in order to get fraudulent access into their bank accounts, use their credit cards, etc.

We need your colaboration for stopping this fraud, getting offline the fraudulent website.

We keep waiting for your feedback against this incident.

If you need further information please contact our SOC 24/7 at +34 91 754 8987 / 8928.

Best regards.

————————————————————
ANTI-FRAUD Command Center

Antiphishing Services
SOC – Telefonica Empresas

Tlf: +34 91 754 8987 /8928
Fax: +34 91 181 7465
Email: pxxxxg@telefonica.es

Their site has injected because some security issues on Joomla Component (com_expose), and for these case, Softlayer is work fast !! not like 000webhost case that ignored until now (its almost 3 years of scam process !!!)

They Have Attacked By Large DDOS and Still Exist.

In middle of 2008, i heard an issue about huge DDOS attack directed to 000webhost, i guess that is small affiliate who get angry with them.
I got this information from comment at my blog post (that offered 000webhost affiliate). I dont know thats true or not, but i feel many of site that hosted in 00webhost has error connection at that time. If this news is true so they have attacked for almost 2 week.

000webhost now

I interested to joined 000webhost 2 years ago because they offered free hosting with cpanel and domain attachable. In that time, no free hosting company offering like 000webhost. Although their error 404 page redirected is annoying (they have lot of traffic from that, see picture below)

7.3% 000webhost traffic is from their error pages

So, back to topic, why 000webhost is surviving from charge to being scammer? I think because need some USA citizen to complaint, so Softlayer will processed since both of them is USA company. The most of 000webhost user is came to Indonesia. Scam report from them will ignored.