On April 16, 2007, a lone gunman killed 33 people at Virginia Tech. It was a horrible tragedy that tore apart countless families. One affiliate saw an opportunity.

I came across a post on Earners Blog today about an affiliate who launched a site to cash in on the killings.

This character quickly registered a site, vashootings.com, and began publishing details on the shootings.

One of the posts, titled “Our thoughts are with the people in VA Tech” had the following message:

Send flowers to the victim’s family and friends in this troubling time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to this college town.

The affiliate’s efforts to make money on the murders include links to From You Flowers, FTD, and Grower Flowers, as well as Google AdSense ads.

I find this to be deplorable - an ugly, pathetic side to affiliate marketing. If I were running one of those affiliate programs, the affiliate’s account would be closed.

Here is administrative contact for the domain:

Hinds, Isaac
LIFT STUDIOS
6380 S. Boston St.
#315
Englewood, Colorado 80111
United States
(303) 908-3998

To quote the U.S. Army’s attorney general, Joseph Welch, during the Army-McCarthy hearing in April 1954, “Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”