Download the Latest Films,
But Make Sure It's Legal First

We have taken the following excerpt from a thread in the forum entitled "Guide to Choosing a Music Download Shop and Avoiding Scams and Con's" at CD Freaks.com.

This thread addresses music downloads but the same applies should your desire be to download the latest films.

This article was written by Sean Byrne who is the News Coordinator, Reviewer & Senior Moderator for CD Freaks.com .

Guide to Avoiding Scams and Other Con Websites

Even though there is a wide selection of music download shops to choose from, most novice users and even those familiar with online shops would not know how to determine which sites are genuine and which ones are not. Some scam and con websites claim that their services are legal since they effectively sell their ‘service’ and are not responsible for the music that is transferred through the ‘service’ they offer. For example, many scammers trick consumers into paying for freely available software such as Limewire, Winmx, iMesh, Kazaa and so on.

The following tips mention techniques that are generally only used by scammers and sites that falsely trick consumers into paying to access file sharing networks that are freely available. Use these before you enter your E-mail address, register or join a service or website, not to mention pulling out your credit card :

1. See if you can browse their music library. A few legitimate services such as iTunes require the user to download software first in order to do so, however there should be no need to subscribe first. A simple test is to try browsing their music service. If you keep getting presented with a page asking to join or register without being able to browse anything, then this is a clear sign of a scam.


2. Check if you can download their software. Pretty much all legitimate sites I'm aware of allow the consumer to download the software without having to sign up first. A few examples include Real, Napster, iTunes and so on. The main purpose here is to get users to see if they can find their favorite music in their library. Any website asking to join or register just to download their software has been a scam in every case I have seen so far. Note that while Real appears to charge for their software to download it, they do have a limited free version available.


3. Have a look for preview tracks. Pretty much all legal music services offer samples of their music in an aim to lure in customers. Most scam websites don’t offer any previews, let alone show a list of artists and titles they have.


4. Find out the track pricing. Very few music services just offer an unlimited subscription service without selling songs individually. For example Napster offers an unlimited download service for a flat fee, but also charges one for individual songs in order to record them to CD or keep them permanently.


5. Check the site for screen shots of their software, such as in the help section. Most legitimate sites show screen shots of how to use their software. Of course if you can download their software, then this step is not necessary.


6. Finally, hover your mouse over the various tabs and links on the main page. If you keep seeing the same URL over and over for most links such as something ending with “/join.php”, then this is another clear sign of the site being a scam or con.

A very quick check that gives most scams away is to go to their homepage and compare the URL’s that show in the status bar when the mouse is hovered over the following links: “Download Now”, “Music”, “Movies” and “Get Access”. If these four (or which ever are present) all point to the same URL, then go elsewhere! If the status bar is hidden, then click on each of these links to see where they bring you to. If they all land you on a registration page, then avoid!

All of the sites we cover here to download the latest films and music fit the criteria as outlined above. Read for yourself.

The other dead giveaway on these sites to download the latest films and music is the legal disclaimer that almost everyone of them display somewhere on their site. Usually on the first page, however, usually at the bottom of the page in small and/or faded print.