AnchorFree, providers of free Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications and services, received a zillion volts shock when it discovered that a website, VPN4Life, is going piggy-back on its freely downloadable tool, Hotspot Shield, and is actually charging potential users $50 (USD) to avail of this facility. AnchorFree has formally handed out an official consumer warning in this regard.

Clearly stating that neither AnchorFree nor Hotspot Shield are in any way connected, David Gorodyansky, CEO and founder of AnchorFree said, “ (We) urge anyone who has been mislead to purchase our service through the site to file a complaint with PayPal for a full refund. The real Hotspot Shield will always be 100% free to download."

Once convinced, and the fee paid, the customer would then be simply redirected to the official site and link of Hotspot Shield. Now, when anyone logs onto VPN4Life, the following message “This account is currently unavailable due to technical/billing issues” effectively prevents further misadventure.

In a VPN, a computer network, select connections are established via virtual circuits, which guarantee a secure path through an unsure network, also known as tunnelling. The relatively proven security of a VPN is a welcome counter measure to sections of frameworks, or hotspots, which allow programmers to add functional code.

These additions can sometimes be in the form of cyber spying, password collection, credit card number recording, phishing and other intrusive irritants. It is precisely in this area that AnchoFree’s Hotspot Shield protects users’ confidential information and the continued quality delivered, has increased its popularity by 500% in 2008. It is used globally and a similar tool has been extended to Apple's iPhone.