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Bird flu website scams
Bozeman man defends bird flu site
By The Associated Press
http://www.billingsgazette.net/artic...-bird-site.txt
BOZEMAN -- A Bozeman man's Web site about bird flu has prompted a warning from the Better Business Bureau about potential scams.
Kelly Murphy is upset by the alert. He says his site, www.birdfluready.com, was informational only and never sold any bird flu-protection kits. He's since shut most of it down, referring visitors to other sites for information about the virus.
"I was never prepared to have a business and take credit cards and all that," Murphy said.
Bird flu primarily infects birds and is rarely passed on to people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site. Just 190 human cases have been confirmed since 1997 in countries like China and Egypt. BBB officials became concerned after someone in the group's Boise, Idaho, office saw a television ad for a Web site containing information about bird flu, according to Zan Deery of the regional BBB office.
The ad directed viewers to Murphy's Web site, which was promoting bird flu-protection kits containing items like masks and gloves.
The BBB pointed out the site had little information about how to contact the company and carried a disclaimer that its operators were not medically trained. The site also displayed emblems for the CDC and the World Health Organization, which isn't allowed without those groups' permission, Deery said.
He stressed the BBB wasn't calling Murphy's site a fraud, but said the organization recommends that consumers be wary of purchasing his or any other bird flu kits.
"I can't say it's a scam," Deery said.
Murphy, 42, owns a computer consulting company in Bozeman. He said he and some friends concerned about bird flu launched the Web site a few weeks ago as a source of information. They ran the TV ad briefly to let people know about it, choosing the Boise market because it offered cheap air time, he said.
The group considered selling protection kits online, but never did because they didn't want the hassle of running a business, Murphy said.
Deery said scams preying on people's fears are common when health officials are warning about potential pandemics.
While Murphy said that's true, he compared his site with companies that sold Y2K kits.
"On reflection, they made money on false fears," he said. "If those things had come to pass ... they would have appeared almost prophetic."
By The Associated Press
http://www.billingsgazette.net/artic...-bird-site.txt
BOZEMAN -- A Bozeman man's Web site about bird flu has prompted a warning from the Better Business Bureau about potential scams.
Kelly Murphy is upset by the alert. He says his site, www.birdfluready.com, was informational only and never sold any bird flu-protection kits. He's since shut most of it down, referring visitors to other sites for information about the virus.
"I was never prepared to have a business and take credit cards and all that," Murphy said.
Bird flu primarily infects birds and is rarely passed on to people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site. Just 190 human cases have been confirmed since 1997 in countries like China and Egypt. BBB officials became concerned after someone in the group's Boise, Idaho, office saw a television ad for a Web site containing information about bird flu, according to Zan Deery of the regional BBB office.
The ad directed viewers to Murphy's Web site, which was promoting bird flu-protection kits containing items like masks and gloves.
The BBB pointed out the site had little information about how to contact the company and carried a disclaimer that its operators were not medically trained. The site also displayed emblems for the CDC and the World Health Organization, which isn't allowed without those groups' permission, Deery said.
He stressed the BBB wasn't calling Murphy's site a fraud, but said the organization recommends that consumers be wary of purchasing his or any other bird flu kits.
"I can't say it's a scam," Deery said.
Murphy, 42, owns a computer consulting company in Bozeman. He said he and some friends concerned about bird flu launched the Web site a few weeks ago as a source of information. They ran the TV ad briefly to let people know about it, choosing the Boise market because it offered cheap air time, he said.
The group considered selling protection kits online, but never did because they didn't want the hassle of running a business, Murphy said.
Deery said scams preying on people's fears are common when health officials are warning about potential pandemics.
While Murphy said that's true, he compared his site with companies that sold Y2K kits.
"On reflection, they made money on false fears," he said. "If those things had come to pass ... they would have appeared almost prophetic."