Predators Watch

Predators Watch is a website created at the end of 2012 that allows submissions of anonymous reports so that individuals are included in its directory-style database as sexual predators with an “active” status. An anonymous reporter can submit an individual’s name, age, picture, location, phone number, and/or e-mail address. Reported individuals are immediately included in the directory, in which anyone can browse individuals through a search engine—by location, name, e-mail address, or phone number. They then send the person who was reported an email telling them they will be removed from the site for a fee of $99.95.
Features
Predators Watch does not limit the location from which an individual can make an anonymous report or the location of reported individuals. The website also does not provide a physical address for the organization or the website creators’ contact information. It does, however, have a Frequently Asked Questions page. On this page the creators inform visitors that they cannot be sued for libel due to the Communications Decency Act (which implies that the creators are from the United States, but it is not explicitly stated in the website). It is also stated in the Frequently Asked Questions page that in order to offset the costs associated with changing the database's contents on an individual basis, individuals can delete anyone from the directory if they pay a one-time fee of $99.95 online.
History
Many who claim to be innocent victims of Predators Watch have filed complaints on consumer report and anti-fraud websites, such as Ripoff Report and Scam Book. These individuals claim that Predators Watch is an extortion and blackmailing website that scours the internet -targeting contact information-laden websites like Craigslist-- for anyone who has publicly shared their picture, name, phone number, and/or e-mail address. These individuals also report that Predators Watch harvests their information from such websites; their information is included in its directory before they are given an e-mail notification that they must pay the online fee, should they want their information permanently removed from the directory that appears on internet search engines. Many have considered taking legal action and vehemently advocate the termination of the website. The creators of Predators Watch previously had a similar website, Potential Predators. They also have an affiliate website for the anonymous reporting of alleged prostitutes, Potential Prostitutes.
The administrative contact is one Gottfrid Swartholm of PRQ Inet KB, a Stockholm based company. The hosting is supplied by CyberBunker, a Netherlands based datacenter.
Scam Methodology
People who fall victim to this scam receive the following correspondence via email. This information is described in detail via a video posted on Renos' Blog.
Dear victim,
Your details have been added to our online predator watch list. Please click the following URL to review the details.
(a link to the victims predatorswatch.com profile placed here)
If you believe this profile was posted in error, you can delete the profile from our directory, Google, and other search engines by clicking the Delete Profile link on your profile. If you choose not to delete your profile it will stay active on our website making it visible to friends, family, employers, law enforcement and online dating websites.
Thank You,
Support
Predators Watch Support
Please do not reply to this email, as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.
Reno's Blog goes on to point out that "With a name like Predators Watch you would think the website would be a legitimate organization that catches sexual predators. But what type of legitimate organization would troll online personals ads by posting personals themselves and then posting those who respond to them on a website which labels those people as potential sexual predators? It doesn’t make any sense to call yourself a legitimate organization when your website allows ANYONE to post information about other people indiscriminately and without any proof what-so-ever and then charge them a fee to have it removed"

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