Wikipedia blocks editor accounts linked to extortion scam
by Matthew Weaver from Technology | The Guardian on (#K69W)
Rogue editors charged businesses and celebrities for Wikipedia entries and demanded 'protection money' to prevent changes online
A Wikipedia scam in which small businesses have been charged "protection money" to safeguard pages about their organisations has prompted the online encyclopaedia to block 381 editor accounts.
The Wikipedia Foundation said the accounts were blocked over "black hat" editing - charging money for the creation of promotional articles - amid allegations that hundreds of businesses and minor celebrities have been blackmailed by scammers posing as Wikipedia administrators.
