A scad is a scam disguised as an advertisement, usually in reference to internet spam. The term (which is a portmanteau of the words scam + ad) has been used by the Alliance Against Bait and Click to describe scam ads that lure consumers to click on their site using a brand name or an outrageous deal while in turn providing suspect products and deals. At worst, scads can send users to unsecured or malicious sites - exposing them to fraud, scams, viruses, exploits, trojans, malware, and spyware. Sponsored search results contain over twice as many risky sites as organic listings for the same search terms, according to a study by online security company McAfee. Scads exist in sponsored links and several have delivered Internet users to sites that charge for Firefox, a popular free web browser. One research study found that the display of a company's ads in response to searches for a competitor's brand name was not a widespread phenomenon.
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