On Ethics

HSBC empowers scammers and spammers

Manage how others use your brand

You are probably one of the millions who receives daily emails from supposed proponents of Orchard Bank, a purveyor of credit cards from HSBC Bank, also known as Household Bank and myriad other names.

In 2007, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission won a judgment against various groups promoting HSBC cards after charging them with “unfair or deceptive acts or practices.” Then, the issue centered on telemarketing abuses where consumers were tricked into paying from $159 to $236 in advance for cards they did not receive.

Now, it seems a similar scheme may be underway on the Internet.

One Internet domain name associated with these spam attacks is supersavings2010 (dot) info. According to a prominent antivirus company, “McAfee TrustedSource web reputation analysis found potential suspicious behavior on this site which may pose a security risk. Use with caution.” Incidentally, the site’s domain name is registered with Enom, Inc. — a company COCO+CO. blacklisted several years ago because of its unethical link to spammers.

HSBC Holdings plc of London has done little, if anything, to distance itself from these shady practices. The company probably believes it benefits from the millions of illegal email messages containing their logos and marketing materials.

HSBC is not an innocent victim. You may recall the bank was also forced to pay $62.5 million to settle claims for its role in the Bernard L. Madoff Securities LLC Ponzi scheme. Since the U.S. Supreme Court has seen fit to give corporations the same standings as human beings, maybe law enforcement officials should propose the same kind of “three strikes” law that puts repeat offenders out of commission. It would be a sort of corporate death penalty, helping smaller and ethical businesses regain their traditional footings.

COCO+CO. advises client partners and friends to keep tabs on their graphics — especially online — by limiting distribution of certain file types and employing certain security protocols to prevent or deter misuse. For more information, please call or write.

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