Have you been the victim of a VPN scam?
With the growing interest in online privacy and security, there are new VPN services popping up every week, promising 100% online anonymity and a “secure and private” browsing experience. And of course, you’ll find plenty of fake reviews on various “best VPN” websites to tell you they’re legit.
Unfortunately, I’ve found that many VPNs are misleading people with false marketing claims, sales gimmicks, and various scams. And because VPNs are often located in overseas jurisdictions, they will probably never be held accountable for dishonest marketing and/or outright fraud.
Since most people don’t know what to watch out for, many fall victim to these common VPN scams.
But you’re smarter than that.
Here are seven issues to avoid:
1. Lifetime VPN subscriptions
Running a fast, safe, secure network of worldwide VPN servers with good apps and support is expensive with fixed recurring costs.
Given these high costs, how can so many VPNs be offering cheap “lifetime subscriptions”?
There are a few different explanations:
- The “free” or cheap VPN is collecting user data and selling it to third parties and advertisers. This is a popular and lucrative business – and it’s most likely the business model behind most free VPNs.
- The VPN blasts you with ads or redirects your browser to third party websites – and then earns commissions on sales.
- The “lifetime” claim is a lie and they will simply cancel your “lifetime” subscription after a year or two (see VPNLand example below).
- The VPN is similar to a Ponzi-scheme, requiring an ever-increasing number of new subscribers to remain financially solvent, until the house of cards collapses.
Bottom line: The “lifetime” is actually referring to the lifetime of the VPN company – not the customer. After selling a large amount of lifetime subscriptions, the owners could simply pay themselves out and then close the business. Buyer beware.
Some VPNs are simply cancelling all “lifetime subscriptions” and converting these accounts to recurring paid subscriptions. Here is one example I found with VPNLand:
According to one user, he was given the following reply after he complained:
Just fyi. A “lifetime” account does not mean it will be valid till someone dies. It could be anyones lifespan – such as a cat, or lifespan of a hardware.
Don’t fall for the lifetime VPN scam.
2. Free VPNs
Why are there so many free VPNs?
Answer: Free VPN services are being used as a tool to collect your data and resell it to third parties. Most people focus on the word “free” and ignore the dangers.
Just like with Gmail, Facebook, and other free products/services, free VPNs are are just another way for companies to profit off your private data. Data collection is the basic business model.
Example: This free VPN app is called “VPN Master – Free VPN Proxy” and is officially listed in the Google Play store. Notice that it has a high rating (4.5) and approximately 100,000 downloads.
However, the “VPN Master – Free VPN Proxy” app also had eight positive hits for malware.
Below are the test results from VirusTotal:
Extra Note: This is why you should never trust ratings in the Google Play and Apple stores.
Free VPN apps make money by:
- Stealing your data (via malware, spyware, tracking, logging etc.) and reselling it to third parties
- Redirecting your browser to “partner” websites, such as e-commerce or financial sites
- Stealing your bandwidth and reselling it to third parties (see Hola on the VPN Warning List)
As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Or better yet, when something is free, you are the product.
On a positive note, a VPN subscription also does not have to break the bank. There are a number of cheap and low-cost VPNs to choose from. But choose carefully.
There are also free trial VPN services to consider as well (try before you buy).
3. Shady VPN apps
In general, VPN apps have proven to be a problematic in terms of privacy and security. There are a few exceptions, but the vast majority of VPN apps you find in the Google Play or Apple stores are dangerous and insecure. One team of researchers published a study on Android VPN apps that found:
- 84% will leak your real IP address
- 82% attempt to access your sensitive data (user accounts, text messages)
- 75% utilize third-party tracking
- 38% contain malware (malware, trojans, malvertising, riskware, spyware) to steal or damage your information
- 18% don’t even encrypt your data
- 16% steal user bandwidth
When you look closely at the growing VPN app scam, the scariest thing is that many of the most malware-infested apps are highly rated. This means there are literally millions of people using VPNs that contain malware and tracking. This is especially the case for free VPN apps – see the review for Betternet or VPN Master.
4. Fake VPNs
With the growing interest in VPNs, fake VPNs are also coming onto the market. In other words, there is no VPN service at all – the scammers sell “VPN subscriptions”, and then take your money and run. One recent example of this was MySafeVPN – but there are other examples as well.
In general, it’s smart to avoid the new VPNs flooding onto the market, promising to make you “anonymous” with their software.
If the VPN service does not have a history and track record of good performance and support, it should probably be avoided.
5. Bogus VPN claims and features
The VPN market is full of false claims. Here are a few common examples:
- No Logs – There are a lot of VPN providers claiming to be a “no logs” or “logless” VPN services, but then carefully disclosing the information that is “collected” in their terms. Examples of this include Betternet and PureVPN. Always read the fine print (privacy policy). See the VPN logs guide for a crash course on this topic.
- “Fastest” VPN – Many VPN services claim to be the “world’s fastest VPN.” Of course this is just marketing, with many VPNs having very mediocre speeds (usually because their servers are overloaded with users).
- Be “Anonymous” Online – The reality is that you can never be 100% anonymous online. A VPN service could still see what you are doing if they wanted to, because you’re using their server network. Furthermore, it’s very difficult to be “100% anonymous” with anything, simply due to all the developments in tracking. But if you want to get as close to anonymous as possible, use a multi-hop VPN chain (with Linux virtual machines), along with other privacy practices.
- IP address “leak protection” features – Lots of VPNs promote various leak protection features that don’t actually work. The only way to verify the features is to run the VPN through a variety of VPN tests and checks.
Here is one example from my review of PureVPN. Notice all of the leak protection settings are enabled with the VPN application (right), yet there are extensive data leaks in the test results (left).
Have your scam radar on high alert when reading the claims and features on various VPN websites.
6. Reviews, testimonials and comments
Every week there are new VPN services being offered and dozens of fake reviews to tell you they are amazing.
Although I can’t prove it, I suspect many of the VPN “review” websites are owned and operated by a few of the large VPN providers. They have the money to pay for good reviews, comments, testimonials, and all sorts of other shill activity.
There also appears to be armies of paid commenters advocating how great certain VPNs are, especially whenever someone posts something negative. It’s good to be cautious of everything you read online when it comes to VPNs, including:
- Reviews
- Testimonials
- Comments
Keep in mind, many VPN “reviews” aren’t based on actual testing. These reviews aren’t reviews at all, but instead just paid marketing services.
There have also been VPN review sites caught promoting VPNs they own.
7. Third party sales websites
There seems to be a huge market right now for third parties selling lifetime VPN subscriptions. These middle men should generally be avoided.
This trend raises a few questions:
- Why trust your private information and banking details to third party sales websites?
- Why is the VPN service even partnering with third party websites to offer “sales” or “lifetime subscriptions”?
It’s best to avoid middle men and third party websites. Buy your subscription directly from the VPN company itself.
I have also seen examples of VPNs cancelling all lifetime subscriptions that were purchased through third parties. When the user complains, neither the VPN company nor the third party sales website take any responsibility.
My recommendation: only deal with your VPN directly, no third parties.
Watch out for VPN scams
At the end of the day, a high-quality VPN service will not be free and will not resort to various gimmicks to boost their sales numbers. They will also be transparent and should have a strong track record of providing people with a good service.
There is additional information about known issues and problematic VPN services in the VPN Warning List.
If you are done reading about scams and want to see some high-quality VPNs that have passed all the privacy and security tests (and are located in good privacy jurisdictions), see my overview of the best VPN services.
And if you are new to VPNs, my overview explaining what is a VPN may be useful.
Last updated and revised on August 13, 2019.
Hi there
I am using sentinel vpn. It’s a dvpn. Is it good ?
I have the same question too. But as I’ve read somewhere that this vpn is using a different techniques than traditional vpns. They are using something like p2p similar to torrents. But I’m not sure how secure is it although they claim as open sourced.
privateVPN is a scam. after payment they said my transaction id is wrong and they blocked my ip. i even tried to login using another ip address but couldnt. they are totally ripping people off
Hey i just wanted to know if you can figure out if hexatech vpn is a scam or not I need to know
Looking to up my internet security, downloaded the “VPN Sentinel” app for iOS weekly subscription of $12.
What’s your take on it? Should I do more research? How do I know that this app is doing its job/worth the money?
Cheers!
Will VPNs work with subscription based services like Adobe, Sketchup, Office365?
Yes.
Any info on UNITY VPN?
They offer FREE INTERNET with Globe and TM SIM cards.
My wife and daughter live it, I am suspicious as hell. Free Internet? They actually do get online free.
Generally speaking, when something is free, they are figuring out how to monetize the user in some nefarious way. And today, that is by collecting your private data, which is valuable to advertisers.
Agree 100%.
How do I find out exactly what the hustle is?
I need to find the fine print, so I can explain this to my Filipino wife.
Hello Sven
Would like a simple straight forward answer.
After all of the information you have provided, are you suggesting that a VPN is useless, and provides no protection? Even the top 2 – Express and NordV?
Thank you
Ron
Answer: No a VPN is not useless. A VPN is a necessity for privacy, security, and unblocking content around the world. Perhaps the biggest reason to use a VPN is that your internet provider (ISP) is most likely logging every website you visit and handing this information over to third parties. In the UK and Australia, this is mandatory for all telecom providers. In the US, internet providers have been able to collect and sell all your data to advertisers since March, 2017. Now, new laws allow government agencies to demand access to your online activities from your ISP, without a warrant.
A VPN is basic digital self defense because it encrypts and anonymizes your internet traffic, so your ISP and other third parties cannot see what you are up to. But it’s important to choose a good VPN service and avoid the bad apples.
From us seniors, please just once when beginning the article, write out what VPN means? Yes I looked it up! but now can’t remember.
I’d steer clear of SpiderVPN too, as they are based in the UK and the parent company, SoftWorxUK, has recently been declared insolvent and the company has been dissolved. Nevertheless, the website still appears to be trading but I won’t link to them here for obvious reasons.
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/zenmate-vpn-best-cyber-se/fdcgdnkidjaadafnichfpabhfomcebme]
From the reviews I found online people seem to like them.
Any input is appreciated.
Reviews on the Google Play store mean nothing. Many malicious VPNs there have great reviews. Zenmate is owned by a company that makes malware.
I believe I am a victim of cybercrime. A criminal representing Iniscope and another company exploited my ignorance about computers as I am just a 62 year old gramma that plays games and shops on line. I was sold a lifetime VPN that was never delivered and a fraudulent firewall from Webroot was installed on my desktop. I have contacted the owner of the VPN company and she said my money would be refunded, but I think I’m being manipulated still and I’m probably going to have to report them to the authorities. Do you have any suggestions for me. I am so ashamed that I got into this trouble as an ignorant fool who trusts too much.
Hi Toni, many people fall for these marketing scams, not a big deal. After uninstalling the software, you could perhaps try disputing the payment with your bank, credit card, or whatever you used to pay.
I have a windscribe lifetime subscription since 2016 offered by Engadget.com and I only paid $35. I don’t have any problem with it since 2016 and I still check my account and my windscribe lifetime subscription is still there. No problem on my ends…
However I agree with this post, most people gotta be careful with what VPN they choose and purchased. I heard NordVPN is #1 and they are throwing in the 68% off now for 3 years if you purchased 1 or 2 or 3 years with them.
How do you know they don’t collect all your information? No company can ever in good faith promise to deliver a lifetime service for $35. Think about it. Running a service will keep incurring cost they have to pay for. If the don’t close the company, the will have to make the money another way.
Regarding the NordVPN is #1, I think alot of the review pages are bogus with fake reviews. NordVPN for me was a bad relationship. It kept dropping out, slow connection etc. Lastly if a company keeps having an “offer” for 68% off, its no longer an offer, but the normal prize, and it is a pretty sheady marketing trick
I was just looking at that 68% offer. I queried it and the chat was dropped, giving me a good indication of what kind of service i can expect. I am now looking for a decent VPN. Any comment on ExpressVPN?
Here’s the ExpressVPN review.
I also use Wind Scribe and have since 2017. That lifetime offer was a promotion and limited to only a certain number of subscriptions. It was then closed and not offered again. This was when they were still fairly new to the scene.
I also ran all the leak tests recommended and have absolutely no leaks: Did that a few minutes ago. The only thing that popped up was one of the testing sites not liking that I am not using IPV6 protocol, but this machine doesn’t have that capability so I am not worried about that. Yes it is expensive to run one of these services and that is why that offer from Wind Scribe was so limited. Have tried dozens of VPNs and this one I am very pleased to use.
If you want to try the service a free account gives you 10 Gig a month. If you want to know more and get help from the community with questions or usage I would suggest joining the discord server. You can find a link to it on the website.
LadyLei
I also signed up when windscribe was offering lifetime subscriptions. I am happy with my “lifetime” windscribe account.
It seems like VPN operators offer lifetime accounts when they are new to attract users. If the reviews are positive it will attract more users by reccomended review.
just because one shady vpn folded and cancelled lifetime accounts doesnt mean none are to be trusted.
Hi Sven, if you download the app, and quickly delete it, will they still charge you. It was the SECNET VPN, which pop up while I was using Safari, it said my phone had been hacked and I had two minutes or my info would be hacked, it directs you to the App Store to download. It offers a 3 day trial and then you would be charged a $89 fee, but I didn’t press anything I just deleted the app. Worried
PrivateVPN will not honor their 30 day money back guarantee. They give you the complete run around and will not accept any valid reason. Others have encountered this as well such as saying you’ve used too much data. There is no phone number. They are complete scam artists. Avoid!!!
I dont agree. I tried PrivateVPN last year. I did get my money back after using them for 21 days. They are not “scam artists” I guess we should believe you just because you post it?
I got sucked into opening an app from the apple App Store
VPNVAST
Immediacy
It said I had malware on phone
I then realized it was most likely a problem app
I deleted the app from my phone
Do you think it could do damage in those few minutes of opening the app?
Thank you for your time
It all depends on what data it got access to on your phone.
How do I get the VPN vast off my phone.
I made the same mistake
As the guy above
Is there a way to find out what the app accessed?
Do I need to change all my passwords?
You should be able to uninstall any app, but it’s hard to say what it accessed (no idea).
yup
Isn’t the VPNs charging a lot less for long subscription times a scam? I just want something that isn’t so expensive but can be paid monthly.
No, Dan, I don’t think charging less for something is a scam. You’ll find the exact same pricing model in many other industries, i.e. discounts for longer subscription commitments – see web hosting for example.
This article misses scam #8, which is VPNS selling crypto. A handful of players are starting to offer this, although I have yet to find one w an actual coin that is created and on an actual market.
Most just offer a ‘voucher’ for coins down the road, but the plans to justify, support and develop such a coin is lacking. As an examle, check out yin.bi.com – brought to you by Lantern VPN, which used to be my go to service, but I’ve noticed a real drop in service latey. Maybe it’s the reprioritization of coins over sevice…who knows, but if you ask me, its a scam.
Hi Sven,
Vy informative article. I have some questions about FastestVPN. FastestVPN doesn’t seem to be leaking per ipleak.net; they claim to be based in the Caymans (thus not 14 eyes); their website indicates a no-log policy. However, cpu usage is running about 25-30% and the internet kill switch requires manual reconnect . My questions: Is this CPU usage normal? Is the manual reconnect after internet kill switch operation normal? Do you have any info regarding the veracity of their logging policy?
Thx
Hi Jerry, I haven’t tested FastestVPN yet, it is a relatively new provider, but I may have time to review it in the coming months.
I received a message on my Apple phone, XR, that said my phone was compromised with 6 virus’s and to go to the iOSVPN code.com website to remove the viruses. I did not as I thought this was a scam?
Of course… a website doesn’t have a way to scan your phone for viruses when you just have accessed it.
Beware of ProtonVPN , they are opening ports and then denying it yet it’s easily detected on Shodan, ShieldsUp and many other test sites. UDP connections are opening port 443, 8080 and recently they started opening port 21 (FTP). Port 443 is acceptable but 8080 on UDP is not. The connection is not a true VPN tunnel it’s just a cached proxy. As for port 21, there is no acceptable reason to have them opening a file sharing port unless they are up to no good. Check it out for yourself and save your money while protecting the integrity of your data.
So is proton vpn a scam? I’m worried bcs I’m using it currently.
Hi Sven,
What do you know about Strong VPN? Is this a good one?
Hi Jill, I’ve been meaning to review it. I’ve heard it is a decent VPN, but it’s based in the US (Five Eyes).
I have been trying to reach their support to dispute an unauthorised charge, and they aren’t responding to website or phone. My experience has been horrible, and I recommend not using them.
Hello I was on my browser one day and I saw a new tab opened called r-vpn.info I was just wondering if this was a scam. Thank you
If you didn’t pay for it, you probably don’t want it on your computer collecting data.
Is Luna a good VPN?
Is LUNA safe to use?
Oh, Sven, I used a VeePN, I need it for a work, and I never have a problem with it, does that means it’s a good VPN?
If it is a free VPN, I would say no.
Is innetvpn a safe choice?
How do you get rid of a VPN ?
Well, normally you just uninstall the app.
what do you think about nord vpn?
i set up an account,they were running 75% for cyber month. download link from web did not download, it just sat there and showed unkown time and 0 bytes. they had live chat. i told live chat and he sent me a link it was mirror site downloaded quickly. it is now 8 hours later and the initial link from their website downloaded at 6:13am eastern time. i have not installed yet. i am just leary of having my ip transmit through a vpn. please advise with your opinion.thank you
NordVPN is definitely a solid option when I tested it for the NordVPN review.
Hi @SVEN Taylor
sir, is VyprVPN also a good and reliable VPN? I have purchased a 1 year subscription already,
Yes, it did well in testing for the VyprVPN review.
Hello i recently brought this vpn on ebay what do you think it was one hell of a deal—IpVanish VPN (3 months, 3 months warranty) (VPN account with warrant) the seller on eabay–altshop (449)
This is because I am a reseller. Some people want to share their subscription costs with someone to pay less money.
IpVanish VPN (3 months, 3 months warranty) (VPN account with warranty)
Do You think this is a scam??????
You should only buy a VPN subscription directly from the VPN service. Who knows, this guy may be selling the same subscription to multiple different people. Most VPNs also prohibit any sharing or reselling of accounts. If you need support, that may be an issue.
Is nordvpn safe? been using it for a while, seems great, very fast and secure.
See the NordVPN review.
This is scam too, right? Must be – because it is too good (respectively too cheap) to be true…
https://www.upcubeocean.com/collections/vpn
(Prices are only shown after (free) registration)
For example: NORDVPN Premium Lifetime for only 10$ ?!
Screenshot 1:
http://img104.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=185527814_uo2_122_339lo.jpg
Screenshot 2:
http://img242.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=185525988_uo1_122_3lo.jpg
You can even get an additionally 10% discount if you subscribe to their newsletter(!):
Screenshot:
http://img178.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=185528862_uobonus_122_505lo.jpg
Old site (which will be allegedly shut down this month of June):
https://www.dailytechcloud.com/?product_cat=vpn
Screenshot:
http://img275.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=185524577_dtc_122_205lo.jpg
Yes.
The invisible third party which collect your data is a big problem. True. But if any VPN service is not free, it is still can collect and sell your data.
Yep, this is true. Choose carefully.
Anybody had any experience with Fastestvpn? Looks odd – offering massive discounts and refers you to Google Play Store to download a free app but then requires payment to use, I foolishly took a three year discounted deal ($49.95) and am trying to get Paypal to refund.
thank you very much for this nice article. it helped me a lot to choose between vpn services
I found out today that PureVPN and IvacyVPN are, for all intents and purposes, the same service. However, PureVPN has the better selection of server locations made available to the end-user, as well as other account services details being modified. IvacyVPN uses your email at account signup as the username. Both PureVPN and IvacyVPN pull from the same list of IP addresses owned by Secure Internet LLC or GZ Systems. The IP addresses pulled from either of these two companies are leased to PureVPN and IvacyVPN. Neither of these companies maintains servers, they’re just a transmitting utility basically, like buying a third-party electrical supplier when it all comes from the same Electric Company.
If you happen to have both IvacyVPN and PureVPN services, you can do some experimenting and find some interesting results.
Hi Dan, thanks for sharing your findings.
is hide.me vpn is it good
Hello, I have not yet tested it.
What is the best vpn and what difference will I see using a vpn on my kodi on my nvidia?
Hi Sam, check out the VPN for Kodi guide – ExpressVPN is one of the best options in this situation with Nvidia. You should not notice much of a performance tradeoff if you’re using a good VPN that gives you plenty of bandwidth. There’s an installation video explaining how to setup ExpressVPN with Nvidia in the Kodi VPN guide too.
Hi Sven,
Thanks for the information. What are your thoughts about Avast’s SecureLine VPN?
Hi, I have not tested it, but will hopefully get to a review in the coming months.
Dear Sven Taylor,
I am using VPNAsia : It is working very well in China with OpenVPN port over 443 UDP. Have you ever heard of it? If not please Check it and let me know :). Currently there are no DNS leak’s so far. Whether it is my Asus RT-AC68U/iOS/Windows OS. with 34 servers, The speed is pretty solid even in China. I have used PureVPN and they use OpenDNS server and they do have alot of DNS leaks, i have subscription but I am not using it. I have used ExpreeVPN for a year and moved to VPNAsia this year. If you could spend some time and write a review for it would be appreciable. Thank you 😀
Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind for a future review.
I purchased Windscribe a month ago, and just recently started utilizing them. So far, the only part of their service I am using is the SOCKS5 setup for uTorrent. My main router uses OpenVPN through one service, and the computer I have setup for Torrenting has an L2TP windows config setup for a different service. Two VPNs and a Socks5 setup through Windscribe.
Windscribe is one of the few VPNs that I’ve seen that expressly allows for torrent use. Others, not so much. So, I’ve got a tunnel within a tunnel, and a SOCKS5 torrent setup. So far, I can say that I’m pleased with the way things are working. Torrent speeds aren’t very fast, but… they don’t need to be.
Windscribe is, what I would consider, strict about what protocols they use. Sure, security is a concern for everyone. PPTP and L2TP aren’t offered because of weaker security. Oh well. The only thing they offer outside of these commonly integrated methods is OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocol (Windows 10). I have not used their proprietary app on my desktop computers yet, though I am leery due to the fact some have reported excessive CPU use. Support for Windscribe has suggested that this is not true for “paid” users, and has said no mining occurs unless you’re on the designated page where coin mining happens.
For what it’s worth, Windscribe does seem rather “defined” in what protocols are available, but I find it quite nice to have SOCKS5 options directly inside a torrent program. More tests will have to be done to confirm the SOCKS5 is actually working (but would uTorrent work if the information entered into the program wasn’t verified?). Also, will have to try OpenVPN from a Windows client and DD-WRT.
I tried windscribe for a trial period. I opted not to purchase because I was not satisfied with this performance and limited data. Upon uninstalling it I discovered it left me a virus that gave me an invalid IP address and turned my domain from private to public. Would not allow me to interface with my own network or Internet. I was forced to do a complete restore and reimage to get back into my own Network.
So, I got an VPN Unlimited 10-device plan, but they only allow one DD-WRT router setup (OpenVPN) per account. VPN Unlimited comes from KeepSolid. Avoid KeepSolid if you like OpenVPN or setting up VPN in DD-WRT.
This just developed from KeepSolid’s VPN Unlimited after some push back on their restrictive practices.
quote:
Nov 16, 17:22 EET
Dear Dan,
We are very glad to inform you about the latest update, that provides a perfect solution to your issue below.
Now a user is not limited by one manual configuration set and can generate additional settings in your User’s Office:
https://my.keepsolid.com/products/vpn/
1. Log in;
2. Go to Home tab > VPN Unlimited > Manage
3. In Configuration section click ‘Create new device’ > choose the required option and press ‘Generate’
You could use that for your second router.
However, the total number of connection sessions corresponds with an account’s number of slots (for you, the number of devices is 10).
If you need any assistance, please let us know.
Previous correspondence I have sent included the following from me:
“Nov 16, 16:09 EET
Why does this VPN service have stingy policy in regards to how many
routers I can setup with OpenVPN?”
“Nov 16, 02:09 EET
I prefer to have my devices behind a router.
Your options are limited and unsatisfactory.”
“Nov 16, 01:38 EET
What’s the point in having a 10 device limit if I can only add 1 device
of a particular type? These limitations reflect poorly upon your
service, and I have other VPN options. I don’t think it likely that I
will give good feedback for such confined options.”
I have not yet seen these new additions in my profile management page.
Hi
can you tell me if DigibitVPN (Windows) is any good?
thanks
Sorry Paul, I’m not sure about Digibit VPN, I haven’t tested it out.
Hitman Pro detected malware in my Digibit app for Windows and quarantined it!
Good to know, thanks Ian.
I mentioned it on Digibit UK fb page and this was their reply.
“This is whats known as a False Flag – Due to the networking needed to assign a VPN this can happen with some AV – Add an exception & install again”
Hi Ian, well, it is true that antivirus software does not play well with VPNs. That being said, I usually run VPN software through a VirusTotal scan to see what comes up. There’s a chance for false positives, but if 3 or more antivirus tests are flagging the VPN, that may be cause for concern.
14 out of 65 have flagged it on virustotal, doesn’t look good. Are you planning on testing Digibit Vpn? I think I might have to stop using them. At least I only pay them monthly (£2).
Hi Ian, wow, that is very concerning! In this study they said anything over four positive results should be considered malicious. Based on your test results, I would immediately remove the software and then run some antivirus scans. I may eventually test the VPN – but my focus is on the larger providers for the near future. Good luck.
The windows app I use gets only 6 hits on VT, I’ve used VT for many years and in my experience, a lot of hits are actually FP’s as most the Anti-Viruses used aren’t that reliable and have high FP rates. I have used Digibit for a month now and my testing reveals that while it does have some flaws these can be fixed, and makes for an excellent service for the price…
1) DNS & IPv6 leaks in Windows 10 – this is down to how Windows 10 sends out DNS requests (in parallel to all network adapters) which means DNS (and IPv6 IP) leak and all Windows 10 installs have this problem, the fix here is to simply disable ipv6 and use the free OpenVPN client instead of the Digibit app as the OVPN client has Windows 10 DNS firewall built in which blocks all DNS requests except through the VPN (although you have to enable it in each server config file by adding “–block-outside-dns”). Once you do this you have a solid VPN as tested on the IP-leak – nothing gets out, if you didn’t want to use OpenVPN client then simply change your DNS server to Comodo or OpenDNS as this will not notify your ISP of your activity.
2) Support is good but can take a while to reply (a few days is the norm), but I like to think that’s because its cheap and therefore the savings are passed to us. They are very technical and certainly know what they are talking about.
3) Speeds are pretty good, I have a 37.5Mbps connection and like to use non EYE14 country’s servers (Poland & Switzerland are my two go-to servers) and both max out my connection to 33-35Mbps which is correct after 256-Bit AES Encryption (256-bit key) and 8.5Mbps upload from 9Mbps (latency = 40ms where its 15ms without VPN) so as you can see the connections are great.
4) Kodi & Torrents work perfectly with it, IPleak website tested for leaks and nothing at all was leaked, not even through torrents as ipleak has a torrent you can download to test it with and Digibit passes all tests with OpenVPN & its DNS blocking and IPv6 disabled in your network adapter.
WHATS BAD ABOUT DIGIBIT?
1) The Android app keeps crashing, but this is only the front end and doesnt happen all the time, once setup the service is still active as you can see it running in the background.
2) No Server Side Certificate Verification – I’m not sure if this is a major issue, just OpenVPN red highlight’s it in the log, the link reports that without this verification your open to Man-In-The-Middle attacks, but to do this the MITM attacker has to emulate the server your connecting to, the VPN does use a login but I suppose a MITM attacker could just falsify the login handshake to make it look like a proper connection to the VPN servers.
3) No Kill-Switch or Connect at Startup options on either the Digibit app or OpenVPN, these would be handy as if the client ever drops the connection then it would block your normal connection to prevent you accidentally jumping on a non-VPN connection.
Now given the minor moot points and the fact the service is only £2 a month (when paid monthly) and is aimed primarily at streaming services like KODI etc. I think its an extremely good deal, other services such as IPV and PIA are 4-5 times this and have similar problems with buggy software and also they suffer a lot of congestion due to their popularity.
– I strongly recommend DigibitUK…just use it with OpenVPN if used on Windows 10
Hi Paul, agreed, there is a chance for false positives when using VirusTotal, but I personally would not be using anything that gets six positive hits for malware. That seems worrisome. But thanks for the info.
Hi Sven, any thoughts or comments on the unblockr vpn ?
Hi, I have not tested or researched that service.
The reason a third-party vendor would be beneficial is because there’s no direct link between the person buying from the vendor and the VPN service itself. Also, you can certainly gift to your friend or family member by buying from the vendor. All they would need is the redemption instructions and link.
As a computer tech with a small handful of clients, I purchase these lifetime subscriptions and pass the cost on to my clients if they want to use a VPN service. I utilize the services myself, and effectively get them at no additional cost. At most, they use one device or two and I use at most one or two devices also.
Been using windscribe (free) for the last two months. 10GB/mo data usage. To good to be true? Well, the vpn seems to be working good, ip is actually changed. Speeds are good, and the 10 GB seems legit (compared to what my mobile data usage app says).
Then last week I found something disturbing. Windscribes cpu usage was a constant 50% (with or without being connected to the vpn service). Same when absolutely no other program was opened and having internet access or using windscribe for that matter.
Only by quitting the windscribe program did the cpu usage stop. I then found that there is a service available for gaining more data usage (up to 50GB/mo). When opening a special webpage windscribe uses your cpu at (magically) precise 50%, to mine for monero. They say it is only when that page is opened, but my conclusion is (without proof) that windscribe’s mining all the time….. Before I noticed the high cpu usage I didn’t even know about this mining business/internet.
So is this scam #8…?
Anyway, thanks to this experience I found your excellent reviews. Going for a paid vpn now. (either vpn.ac or vpnarea)
Hi Bram, thanks for this information. You are correct, I just found a twitter post where they announced this. Another example of how when something is free “you are the product” – or your CPU in this case 🙂
I have the free 50GB Windscribe plan (a frequent special offer). With Windscribe on but not connected, there is no disk or network activity and the cpu activity is mostly 0%, periodically bouncing to 0.1% (according to Win10 Task Manager).
The page that Bram refers to shows 50% as the default setting for how much CPU you will allow them to use for mining. They use Coin-Hive. (https://windscribe.com/miner?affid=5d86qgra) [Note: I have never use this mining page. I just Googled to see what Bram was talking about.]
I doubt that Windscribe is running a background CPU miner without telling you. (But I am reviewing the Black Friday weekend specials for a paid VPN, which is how I found this site.)
So I tried a free trial with PoloVPN Pro that said they’d start charging weekly after the first week of you don’t go into the account settings and turn off auto-renewal. I’m see all kinds of horrible reviews now about there being no way to turn off auto-renewal or to contact them even. I don’t know what to do other then to uninstall the app, contact my bank about getting a new card or whatever I need to do to stop future charges, and maybe try to complain to apple… any suggestions on what else I could try by any chance?
Thanks Sven for this article, I was about to buy lifetime subscription of purevpn from third party site. So before buying, I started doing some research and found out your article, and then I was having a live chat with the purevpn guy asking him how many years does lifetime subscription last? He said 5 years!! What a scam! When did the word “lifetime” start meaning 5 years?!
Are there any legit vpn services on which one could trust on?
Glad to help! Well, I’d just say do your research and watch out for red flags.
Why should i avoid the VPN lifetime service
Regards
I received a message from support.smart-defender.com
VPN Update required
Your current browser cannot display the webpage
Please download the recommended free VPN App from Apple Store to solve
This problem, protect and speed up your connection.
Installing will take about seconds.
Install Now
This message has locked my screen , and I am locked out of Safari on iPhone.
I am sending this message from a separate iPad.
I can access Apple Store.
WHAT CAN I DO!
Hi Don, well I definitely would not download anything. Many apps in the Google or Apple Store contain malware. I’d contact Apple on that one, clearly sounds malicious.
Beware of Private Internet Access
Hi Loren, In the PIA review I found some IP leaks and their support to be pretty poor, but other than that, not too bad. Are you referring to something specific?
Stay away, scam company VPNLand. They can give any lifetime offer, and then after 1 year they cancel your account and tell you read their policy that they can cancel any account with any reason. So, big scam, they give lifetime account for cheap price, many orders, then after 1 year, they cancel them all. Their Connection is slow anyway. Bad support customer.
Hi Ken. Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like this may be a standard practice with some of these “lifetime VPN” scams.
i use many vpn programs
That is a good idea. Using more than one VPN will further protect you.
excellent article
Hi Sven, thank you very much for your views. I’m using VPNSecure on Windows only. Its Android app doesn’t appear mature yet. Till now, I found the VPN service on Windows good and Support has always been very responsive. It’s a paid service for computers and I have a discounted lifetime subscription which will renew every 20 years according to support.
Very informative article! Is SecureVPN a good VPN according to you? Been using this VPN over a couple of months with no issues. There are no ip and DNS leaks. Thank you.
Hi Richard, I haven’t tested it, but I’d be careful because SecureVPN appears to be a free VPN in the Google Play and Apple stores. Usually free VPNs make money either through ads or by collecting and selling user data – you can see this free VPN article for more info. It may work fine, but still be collecting your data. I even found one free VPN that is owned and operated by a Chinese data collection company (giant scam!) see VPN Master app.
Is ExpressVPN considered as VPN scam?
Updated reply: No, ExpressVPN is not a scam – they have made some major improvements over the past year. Regarding logs, they are one of the few VPNs to have their “no logs” claims publicly verified with a real-world test case. See the no logs VPN guide fore more information.
PureVPN are basically scammers based in China. They give you IP address that have already been banned on many websites and when I asked for the advertised refund, they said that I exceeded the data and connection limit by including some numbers in an email that could have been (and most likely were) made up by them, since there is no way for me to verify the numbers on their website. Their software is buggy and there is no way to telephone them. They are total scammers. Stay far away from these guys.
Hi Jackson, I basically came to that same conclusion too – see the PureVPN review.
PureVPN owner is from Pakistan and all their staff is from Pakistan as well. Moreover, their claims about having servers in exotic countries is 100% lie. Basically, they have couple racks in a UK datacenter with thousands of IPs, and since they own these IPs they can cheat RIPE databases and assign any location to IPs they wish. They do not have so many physical servers as they claim.
Hi John, thanks for your input. Yes, my research suggests there are definitely a few VPNs not being honest about server locations. Of course you can also verify this with a traceroute – https://lg.he.net/ . I will have an interesting article on this topic coming out soon – stay tuned! 😉
Is Opera free VPN http://www.opera.com/computer/features/free-vpn considered as VPN scam?
Opera’s “free VPN” is not a VPN at all. It’s a web proxy (that many people consider insecure), which shares data with third parties. See this explanation.
As to whether that qualifies as a “scam” – I’ll let you be the judge 😉