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P2P file sharing programs are free. Period. But there are P2P scam sites out there \rthat want you to pay them instead. P2P scam sites are rogue companies that have \rset up shop to fleece unsuspecting music downloaders looking for file sharing \rprograms by charging a fee for an otherwise free service.\r\rNo P2P file sharing software costs money. Exceptions would be a site asking \rmembers to make a monetary donation to help pay for bandwidth, hosting costs, \rand other administrative costs.\r\rSome P2P file sharing programs offer "pro" versions of their free software. But again, \rtheir basic service is free to the public. I want you to fully understand this, because \rpaying a P2P scam site money can not only make your wallet a bit lighter, it can also \rmake your computer vulnerable to dangerous spyware.\r\rThat's right. These scam sites are only interested in making money off you. As well \ras actually taking your money by fooling you into paying them, they'll make money \roff you by installing spyware on your PC, so that they can get paid by sharing your \ronline habits and personal information with others.\r\rFor music download beginners, all of this can be very confusing. Why? Because \rthese scam sites advertise all over the Internet. Search engines return results \rchockful of these scams alongside the real P2P file sharing programs; their banner \rads riddle the Internet landscape; sites are promoting these scams to get their piece \rof your money.\r\rMost real P2P programs don't advertise much on the Internet. The reason is that \rthey're not money makers. It takes money to advertise, and who has more money--\rthe free P2P file sharing programs or the scam artists? You guessed it. P2P relies on \rword of mouth. The scam sites rely primarily on advertising.\r\r How Can I Tell a P2P Scam Site?\rThis is the easy part, if you know what you're looking for. P2P scam sites often use \rphrases like 100% Legal, which is absolutely untrue. This is a trick they use \rto prey on people interested in P2P file sharing programs, but who are worried \r(rightly) about Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lawsuits. Keep in \rmind that sharing and downloading of copyrighted files is, at this moment, an \rillegal activity.\r\rAnother tactic is to use fake endorsements and recommendations from legitimate \rcompanies. Other cons are to use phrases like Direct Downloads!, Get Access \rNow!, Download Unlimited Free Music!, and other phrases that are promising \ryou things they absolutely CANNOT deliver.\r\rHow Does It Work & How are They Doing It?\rTo be honest, I do not know the ins and outs of P2P scam sites. But I know this: all \rP2P file sharing programs are free. Think about it a moment. It is because music \rfiles are being shared free of charge (without artists receiving royalties) that \rorganizations like the RIAA are mad and suing.\r\rThese P2P scam sites are merely taking your money, downloading a little spyware to \ryour PC, then connecting you to one of the real P2P file sharing programs.\r \rThis is all convoluted by the nature of P2P, which is a series of servers networking \rfiles to one another. Unless you're buying your music MP3 downloads from a \rlegitimate company, either per song/album or through a monthly subscription, you \rcannot be sure where your music is coming from.\r\rThe legal status of P2P file sharing programs is confusing. We know that MP3 files \rthemselves are not illegal. For example, it's legal to possess MP3s, to rip your CDs \rto your hard drive, and to burn CDs for your personal use. But, by sharing and/or \rdownloading these files, you are breaking copyright laws. To my knowledge, P2P \rscam sites are not actually breaking any laws. But why pay for something you don't \rhave to?\r\rOne of the most common techniques these scam artists use is to set up sites that \rare misspellings or derivations of popular P2P file sharing programs. KaZaA is \rprobably the most hijacked name being used these days.\r\rOther sites may not actually charge you anything at all, but they'll "give you the \rsoftware for free" if you give them your email address. This too is a scam. \rBecause once again, they're just sending you along to a proper P2P program, but \rafter collecting your email address, they're selling it to third parties. Don't give \rthese scammers any of your personal information!\r\rIf you're on a website you trust, even this website, you may see ads by these scam \rartists, preaching their lies about 100% blah, blah, blah. For your own security, don't \rclick on the links. They're still scams. (Many independent websites rely on ads to \rpay the bills. We don't always have full control over what advertisements appear on \rour sites. Keep in mind that most online advertisements are arranged and \rdistributed by third-party companies who pair up advertisements with appropriate \rkeywords. So a page that discusses "music downloads" is likely to have an ad from a \rscam site singing their own false praises.)\r\rOn this note, there are sites all over the Internet that actually promote P2P \rscam sites. Why? I have my opinions. First, these scam sites are paying large sums \rof money to affiliates who promote their sites. For example, a scam site may be \rcharging you $29.95 for their non-service. Well, they're paying affiliates over half \r(I've seen the pay-out as high as 75%) of that just for getting you, the visitor, to \rtheir scam sites.\r\rI Think I've Used One of these Scam Sites. What Do I Do Now?\rStop! Right now, stop using that service. If you've got some type of monthly \rpayment with them, stop paying them. Cancel your "membership," contact your \rbank or credit card company, and stop paying them immediately! Secondly, your \rcomputer has probably have been infected by spyware, and you need to remove it \rright away. I recommend purchasing spyware-removal software like Pest Patrol \rbecause they do the best job at clearing out spyware parasites.\r\rIf you've been pulled into a scam site, just rack it up to experience. Their ad copy is \rvery convincing, and you just wanted to "be legal" while downloading. Take heart in \rknowing that you're not alone. But you're better off now, with this information at \ryour disposal.\r\rIn my opinion, this is another reason to consider not using P2P file sharing \rprograms as a means to get your online music. I think that these P2P scam sites will \rincrease in number, and will use more clever tactics to get your money and your \rinformation. Until the peer-to-peer communities are regulated in some way, I fear \rthat these types of activities will get worse before they improve.A former financial advisor and NYC book editor, Bill Paulk blends these two \rexperiences by helping people make sound buying decisions. His passion, building \rdigital music collections through MP3 downloads, is the subject of his first website. \rhttp://www.mp3-music-downloads-scout.com reviews and recommends the best in \rlegal MP3 downloads.
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