1. Windows Gadget
2. iGoogle Gadget

Windows Gadget for Vista and 7: Scam Detector v.0.9b

Scam Detector is a small Windows Gadget you can place on your desktop. It is powered by a Google Custom Search that searches through only the sites that deal with scams and customer complaints.

Until now, the most common method for people to check the validity of a business was to search using the keywords: “example.com scam”. The problem with this approach is that the results are not the most reliable and you have to skim through many pages of unrelated results.

In this gadget, I have gathered good websites that cover the topics of scams and frauds. Although you can search any term you like, I recommend that you only enter “example.com” part of the URL in the search field for best results.

You’ll be able to read other people’s experiences and complaints about the service/product you are searching for.

Also, Scam Detector has a special feature, called, “Confirmed Scam”. By default, your searches will mostly return pages where people complain, but complaints don’t mean that something is a scam.

If you use this refined search, it filters the result so that it only searches through the scam list on our site. Sites listed there are confirmed scams, so there is no need for you to investigate any further.

In the future, it would be ideal for this search engine to search through only the confirmed scams by default. But at the moment, our list is not extensive enough. You can help, though.

If you come across a website that should be listed but isn’t, let me know, and it will be looked at and included if appropriate. If you see a site that should NOT be listed, also let me know. You can share your feedback in the forum. Thank you.

Installation

Download and double-click to install.

Click here to download

How to Use

Simply search for URL of the site in question in the search box and press the search button or hit enter.

For example, if you want to know whether http://www.example.com is a scam, simply enter, “example.com” in the search box and hit enter. A result page will slide open like this.

Confirmed Scam

See the refinement option called, “Confirmed Scam” in the screenshot? Click on this to see if the site you are investigating is one of the confirmed scams on our scam list.

This project is at its infancy and could use a lot of improvement. If you see the potential and would like to contribute with design ideas, features, good websites to include, or anything, please do let me know. You can contact me via contact form or in the forum.

Thanks.

iGoogle Gadget

Guess what? I made another gadget. This time, it’s an iGoogle gadget.

After making the Windows Sidebar gadget, I wanted to try making one for Google. There’s the picture. That’s what it looks like: a simple search engine.

It’s based on the same Google custom search, so the same instructions apply.

I hope you enjoy this one as well as the Windows one.

You can test it out by pressing:

Please send feedbacks my way via Contact form or the forum.

Have a wonderful day!