# Zwinky Cuties - Scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 29, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217 "2011-06-29T01:04:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/1 "2011-06-29T01:04:30Z")
I just received the following: > [@](#): > > Hello from Zwinky Cuties! > > Your child has registered for an account to access the Zwinky Cuties online community. As a site designed to provide children with a fun and safe online experience, we are contacting you for your permission to activate your child’s account. All you need to do is click the link below, or copy and paste the URL into your web browser’s address bar. > > Here is the username your child requested: dayishana > > [http://www.zwinkycuties.com/zqt/verify.jhtml?vcode=ARmHeD6NvS7YmC15PNsrJiXYE15lnOJyg3QTaXt0JRs%3D](http://www.zwinkycuties.com/zqt/verify.jhtml?vcode=ARmHeD6NvS7YmC15PNsrJiXYE15lnOJyg3QTaXt0JRs%3D) This is surprising because my youngest child is 18 (and both my children would use a different email address than the one through which this came). Anyone familiar with a scam from this, or is this just spam that somehow made it through my filter? Google and Yahoo turn up nothing (though it was just 30 seconds of searching). ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/2 "2011-06-29T14:03:45Z")
Their intention is to drive people to their site. It’s guess work spam email. When I went to the site it offered a join up fee of $56.95 for 12 months. If they score enough suckers, that’s a worthwhile mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/3 "2011-06-29T14:07:13Z")
My guess is that someone else’s kid incorrectly entered their parent’s email address on the site. Not a scam. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/4 "2011-06-29T14:17:31Z")
I guess the way to find out would be to go to Zwinky and try to register as a minor, to see whether you’re required to get your parents’ permission. My gut says scam - I’ve never seen a website that used that type of age verification, considering how easy it would be to bypass (a step above “Click this button to say you’re over 18”, I guess.). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/5 "2011-06-29T17:54:03Z")
I avoided the urge to check out the site (though I was a little tempted). I’m going with spam most likely and mis-typed email address by a minor second. I didn’t read the wiki page in depth, but from what I saw it is nothing I would ever spend $$ on, even when my tax deductions were still carpet crawlers. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/6 "2011-06-29T18:20:01Z")
Zwinky adds the MyWay SearchBar toolbar to just about every application on your computer and promotes the downloading of all kinds of nasty stuff, according to the Wiki article. It also displays popups. It has been reported as known spyware. It seems like a particularly nasty way to infest your PC. > **[Mindspark Interactive Network](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwinky#Side_effects_of_installation)** > > Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. was an operating business unit of IAC known for the development and marketing of entertainment and personal computing software, as well as mobile application development. Mindspark's mobile division acquired iOS application developer Apalon in 2014, which was known for popular entertainment applications such as Weather Live, Emoji Keypad, and Calculator Pro. > Mindspark's home office was based in Yonkers, New York, with other offices located in Los Angeles, Cali... ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/7 "2011-06-29T21:06:11Z")
Yeah. Surprisingly, when one googles (or yahoos) “zwinky”, wikipedia is one of the first results. The kind of result that can be found in 30 seconds of research. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/8 "2011-06-29T21:45:48Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Yeah. Surprisingly, when one googles (or yahoos) “zwinky”, wikipedia is one of the first results. The kind of result that can be found in 30 seconds of research. Sorry you thought my post was condescending of your ability to read. I honestly didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t even notice your name was on the post immediately above mine. I was just throwing it out there for other Dopers. Some people appreciate a link and a summary of an article instead of having to Google it. Again, I didn’t intend to impugn your (or anybody else’s) ability to look things up on the internet. I was just making a comment, I didn’t intend to criticize you. I am sorry if you took it that way. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/9 "2011-06-30T01:26:26Z")
No autopsy, no foul. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zwinky-cuties-scam/587217/10 "2011-06-30T02:23:41Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > My gut says scam - I’ve never seen a website that used that type of age verification, considering how easy it would be to bypass (a step above “Click this button to say you’re over 18”, I guess.). No opinion on Zwinky, but I’ve seen several reputable websites do this when signing up for stuff with my 5-year-old.