Now the problem with the email harvesters are easy to see, but what is the threat with the false advertising? Well I got spammed on my site by someone offering their kidney who was not really interested in offering a kidney at all. I wanted to warn everyone about what just happened in October 2009 to my site. A man by the name of “strangewr” posted this:
strangewr (8:43 pm Oct 6, 2009) “hey guys i wanna donate my kidney perfect health no drugs or alcohal age 21 contact me at mail thanks……”
strangewr (8:47 pm Oct 6, 2009) “guys feel free 2 contact me at mail b+ blood…may god bless all”
Now looks all find and dandy except that his email address was that of a email harvesting spammer who collects emails of anyone who contacts him and then sends them to “the list” (not the kind you want to be on) to get sent a LOAD of SPAM!
Please be careful of who you contact when you contact anyone who posts their email addresses publicly! Just want to keep everyone safe!
Here is the proof of that:
http://www.projecthoneypot.org/ip_119.154.53.120
and
http://www.stopforumspam.com/search?q=119.154.53.120
Be smart, Be safe.Also with advertising for a kidney publically you run the risk of this happening: Spammers using the comments section to simply spam.
Take a look at comments section of these well intentioned blogs:
http://kidneyinthenews.wordpress.com/kidney-donor-list/ ** Is actively moderated to prevent spam and is doing an excellent job now. Thx Mike for the update!
http://www.stayhealthyla.org/home/issues/view/78/
http://krystynamcoria009.blogspot.com/2006/11/desperate-for-cash-donate-kidney.html
Now with the first one, I know that person and because of him and a dialysis nurse in Ohio, I had started a forum called Organ Donor .info .. but it was not well advertised and with a forum such as Living Donors Online there was no reason for me to keep it up anyway. Forums are better because they offer more security and are maintained.
I have decided to start up another forums for organ donor search but this time, with knowing there already is a good alternative out there to matchingdonors, my purpose is 2 fold. I want to not only offer a place for people to search for donors or advertise donors, but also want to be on top of looking up every member against a black list and taking out the spammers. Since I have seen many places where people advertise their need as well as potential donors advertise, yet no one is watching the spammers. I will be on top of the spamming issue once I start up the forum (this time not paying but it will be on a free forum on proboards).
What is my problem with matchingdonors?
Well, it is just my opinion and nothing substancial, but I don't like how matching donors costs $600 but I finally met a lady who is going through them and was honest with me about why she has been so satisfied with them so far. She posted on KidneySpace.com here: http://www.kidneyspace.com/index.php?topic=2609.0. Yes they are persistant for you to join but if you want a kidney really bad and have the money, it keeps you safe, you CAN block people, and you can choose who to accept and who you don't trust.
But as for myself, I personally still wasn't happy with matchingdonors but want to thank John Souza for the deal I was eventually offered:
Dear Angie;
Since you are a citizen of Canada I could not offer the plan offered by Direct Care Medicare Payment, but if you can afford 41.00 CAD a month I could place you on our sight on a monthly payment plan if you can afford it. If not please contact me at 1-781-821-2204x7 Mon- Fri EST and we can work other plan for you.
Yours truly,
John Souza
MatchingDonors.Com
Incase you are interested, here is a screenshot (picture) of their price listing at the time I was there:
http://kidneykorner.com/AK/forumimages/OrganRegistryFEE.gif
And this is what you get:
http://kidneykorner.com/AK/forumimages/MatchingDonorscom.gif
So at least they FINALLY worked with me but in the end I got "the call" anyway.
The cheaper option of 2 sites that keep you safe that help you find a living donor, I would say is Living Donors Online, because for THAT one you pay $0!
But even though a lady offered to me on Living Donors Online, I ended up turning her down for personal reasons. I just could not get past how I met a man in the states in WV who donated to a little girl (relative) and he was 100% healthy (doctors said they never saw someone so perfectly healthy, no problems what so ever) and then a year after donating is in and out of the ER with unexplained pain and illnesses. I could not accept a kidney from a living donor with that in my mind. I just was not able to in good conscience. Not saying that no one should, just that I was unable to bring myself to.
I ended up waiting from early early 2001 all the way to the end of Sept 2007 for a kidney. Mind you, this is my 2nd time around so I had a higher antibody count and I am a very popular blood type that any blood type can accept, so the wait is understandably long. But I didn't mind because I wasn't that sick. I mean, I got really terribly sick with infection in 2005 but that was caused by something else. But this year I am doing very well! I love having a kidney because now I can drink milk again (boy how I love milk) and I can have bananas again!! The side effects don't even seem as bad this time around! I don't know if it is because the transplant meds I am on this time are better than the ones I used to be on but this time is starting to be better finally (even though the first kidney worked so much better than this one it was the side effects I had an issue with).
So, in conclusion, if you do decide to go for a living donor but do not have anyone around you willing to donate or able to that would pass all tests and match, you can search for one, but be smart about it. Living Donors Online and MatchingDonors are 2 options you CAN take, but don't post your email publicly on blogs as it will not only get you real responses but also encourage spam and false email addresses that lead you into danger.
Be smart, Be safe.
** These have just been my thoughts. I am not a professional and this blog is just my opinion. You have every right to disagree with what I am saying by commenting below. Thank you.
- Angie
