EXCLUSIVE: Online reputation manager hacked websites to 'inject' illegal code
By Perry Chiaramonte
Published January 20, 2012
FoxNews.com

Worried about your online reputation? Watch out: The fix could be worse than the problem.

Online reputation management (ORM) has become a burgeoning business as individuals and companies alike seek ways to hide negative or damaging statements about them from the Web.

But let the buyer beware: The company that helps protect your reputation may have its own reputation issues.

Consider the case of Darren Meade, who in 2010 was working as interim CEO at a California-based company. In an effort to address a number of negative comments (about both himself and his company) posted online, his company hired Rexxfield, an ORM, also based in California.

But Meade said he became increasingly concerned about the relationship with Rexxfield when he discovered the company wanted to sell illegal hacker code to scrub negative comments from the web -- and planned a marketing campaign of fear based on the threat that it can wipe anyone offline.

Read more: EXCLUSIVE: Online Reputation Manager Hacked Websites To 'inject' Illegal Code | Fox News