Tagged.com has been around for a few years now, but it’s spread across the Internet with a vengeance in the last few weeks. The service promotes itself by getting inside the address book or e-mail contacts of people who sign up and e-mailing everyone they know. It’s disingenuous, since the e-mail looks like an invitation from your friend or family member…but they didn’t initiate it at all.

Let this serve as a warning: don’t sign up with tagged.com, and warn anyone in your life who you think may be susceptible to this kind of scam.

The text of the message looks like this:

[Name redacted] has added you as a friend
Is [Name] your friend?

Click Yes if [Name] is your friend, otherwise click No.
But you have to click!

Please respond or [Name] may think you said no 😦

Guilt-tripping me with a frowny face? That’s low. Now, the e-mail claims that either your friend wants to share pictures with you or has added you as a friend, but neither is true. The site has simply harvested your entire address book.

This behavior is item F under their Terms of Service:

E) Notice Regarding Commercial Email

MEMBERS CONSENT TO RECEIVE COMMERCIAL E-MAIL MESSAGES FROM TAGGED, AND ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THEIR EMAIL ADDRESSES AND OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED BY TAGGED FOR THE PURPOSE OF INITIATING COMMERCIAL E-MAIL MESSAGES.

It’s the only item in all caps, so you know it’s important. Caps lock: cruise control for importance.

The e-mails asking you to sign up for Tagged include a URL to block all future e-mails from the service. That address is http://www.tagged.com/no_more_conf.html?blckd=youremail@here.net.

Tagged.com [McAfee Site Advisor] (The company considers the site “safe,” but look at the user complaints)
Tagged [Snopes.com]

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