This reminds me of a Puffin browser Pro that used cloud resource to render contents on the phone. It was super fast and isolated from the OS, making it secure. It was a one time purchase with a free version with ads/limited features.

Then one day, the dev decided there were too many pirates and google wasn’t reliable to check licenses. Then shut down the pro version and started charging a subscription. And started doubling down and insulting users calling them pirates and such.

Now that their ratings have tanked, I sometimes go back and watch the reviews for the exchange for some laughs.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cloudmosa.puffinIncognito

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cloudmosa.puffinFree

So if we don’t own what we’ve bought, and we don’t even own the licenses under the terms we bought them either, then what exactly are we getting whenever we hand over the money we’ve earned?

Nothing at all.

They sent out the most GPT slop emails as well. Pasted below is what they sent.

Hi REDACTED

This isn’t your average “marketing email.”

This is us owning the chaos, addressing the backlash, and speaking directly to the heart of what’s happened — and what we’re doing about it.

⚠️ What Just Happened If you’re reading this and still wondering, “Why did my VPN stop working?” — here’s the short version: In 2023, we acquired VPN Secure through an asset-only deal.

We got the tech, the brand, and the infrastructure/technology — but none of the company, contracts, payments, or obligations from the previous owners.

The Lifetime Deals (LTDs) sold by the old team between 2015 and 2017 were not disclosed to us. We only found out months later.

We kept those accounts running for 2 extra years, entirely at our own cost — even though we never received a single cent from those subscriptions.

On April 28, 2025, all LTD accounts were officially deactivated. The original email explaining this?

Some of you never saw it — it landed in spam, or you simply missed it. And to those users: we’re truly sorry you were caught off guard. 📎 Yes — We Have Proof Some people say, “you should’ve known.” So here it is: 👉 Original Flippa Listing (April 2023)

We’ve also uploaded a PDF copy of the sale listing here We did our due diligence — including reviewing the past 6–12 months of financials. But nowhere in the listing, profit and loss statements, or communication was there any mention of Lifetime Deals.

What was presented — and what we bought — was a monthly subscription business and the technology behind it. ⚖️ Why We Didn’t Sue the Seller Yes, we looked into legal action. We consulted lawyers in both jurisdictions, but the harsh truth is: a corporate lawsuit would’ve cost more than the entire purchase price of the business. And by the time we uncovered the LTD issue, the seller had likely already spent the funds or dissolved operations. So, instead of sinking into a legal black hole, we focused on keeping the service running… Improving the infrastructure, and doing the best we could with the hand we were dealt — including supporting LTD users for 2 more years at our expense.

💥 The Aftermath — And the Reviews

👉🏼 https://www.trustpilot.com/review/vpnsecure.me We expected some heat. But the wave of reviews, messages, and yes, even threats, has been overwhelming. Some called us scammers, others claimed we “gaslit” users, and a few even accused us of corporate fraud. We’ve read every single word.

❝ But what about all the users who paid for ‘lifetime’? ❞ We get it. You feel betrayed.

And even if we didn’t sell you that deal, it’s our logo, our app, our name — and so it feels like we’re the ones breaking the promise. We own that perception, even if we didn’t create the original deal. ❤️ To Those Who Stayed — Thank You Here’s the part that surprised us: A huge number of you understood. You read the message. You recognized the challenge. And you signed up again — even after everything. We don’t take that lightly. To every one of you who upgraded to the new plan — thank you. 🫶🏼 You’re helping keep the service alive, fast, private, and improving.

And you’re the reason VPN Secure still exists today. 🧠 What You Can Do Now We’re not here to silence criticism — we welcome it. But we also know some users want to share their side of the story — positive or negative. If you want to support us (or call us out again), you can do it here: 👉 https://www.trustpilot.com/review/vpnsecure.me Good or bad — it’s your voice. Use it. 👇 In Case You Missed It We’re still offering this one-time discounted plan for former LTD users until May 31, 2025: (Once you get one you’ll be able to keep renewing it for as long as you want)

✅ $55 per years

✅ $19 per year

✅ $1.87/month

🔗 Redeem Offer Now: https://www.vpnsecure.me/checkout/lifetime/upgrade/ ⚙️ What’s New at VPN Secure In the last 24 months, we’ve been hard at work — here’s what’s new:

🔐 Wireguard Support (faster + more efficient than OpenVPN) 🛡️ Special Wireguard Edition designed to bypass advanced Deep Packet Inspection 📱 Updated iOS App with improved speed, reliability, and user interface

These upgrades were made specifically to improve connection stability, streaming performance, and censorship resistance — even in high-surveillance regions.

Our commitment to security and user privacy hasn’t changed — it’s gotten stronger. And company and team is in the Bahamas ( not one of five eyes countries anymore 😉) We genuinely want to avoid adding any frustration to your inbox or VPN experience. If you’ve enjoyed using VPN Secure, we’d love to have you with us for the next chapter. One Last Thing… Let’s be real: we had a choice. We could either shut down the business entirely — walk away from our investment and let everything go dark — or we could take the hit, face the backlash, and try to rebuild the right way.

We chose the hard path.

Because even if the LTDs were hidden from us… even if the reviews hurt… even if many walked away… We knew some of you still wanted a fast, secure, privacy-focused VPN — with no lifetime illusions, just solid service.

You will never hear about Lifetime Deals from our company — we never offered them, and we never will.

That was a promise made years ago by a previous owner, years before a questionable exit, long before we took over.

But here’s our promise now: We’re building something worth staying for — and this time, we’re doing it right.

With respect (and lessons learned), The VPN Secure Team support@vpnsecure.me