In an era where technology reigns supreme, piracy has emerged as a formidable threat, undermining legitimate businesses and siphoning off their hard-earned revenues. Despite stringent laws implemented by governments worldwide, the reality is stark: a simple computer center can offer Windows keys for a fraction of their true cost, leaving many to wonder how such practices persist.
Recently, a well-known Tamil YouTuber, “Nanda Kumar”, known online as PC Doctor, faced a scandalous exposé for promoting illegitimate software keys. Celebrated for his expertise in tech exploration and PC building, Nanda Kumar’s credibility took a massive hit when he got exposed by another techie “The Jason Samuel”. The investigation was to dig deeper into the suspiciously low prices of the software keys that was advertised. To everyone’s shock, it was uncovered that the very company promoting these deals traced back to Nanda himself. The irony of the situation was striking, Nanda had previously criticized other social media influencers for engaging in similar scams, virtuous in his condemnation while knowingly participating in the very practices he had denounced.
Nanda’s Illegitimate Piracy Empire
Nanda Kumar, known for his YouTube channel “A2D Channel,” built his reputation on engaging content that includes PC building, tech reviews, and sharing affordable alternatives for the tech-savvy public. With a staggering 1.77 million followers, he became a go-to source for budget-friendly tech solutions, even showcasing impressive feats like running GTA V on Tamil Nadu government laptops and self-repairing iPhones. His popularity grew as he frequently schooled other social media influencers on the pitfalls of scams, often using sarcasm to highlight their missteps.
However, as his channel evolved, Nanda began to focus more on the social dynamics within the influencer community, aligning himself with certain factions and critiques. This shift in focus raised eyebrows among his followers, especially when he continued to expose scams, even as he promoted his own questionable partnerships.
The façade of legitimacy came crashing down when it was uncovered that Nanda was linked to the very scams he condemned. In every video, Nanda had been promoting a grey site “cdkeylabs.com,” a site offering software keys at drastically reduced prices—₹1,000 to ₹1,500 compared to the legitimate ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 from Microsoft.
So, Jason Samuel, determined to uncover the truth, decided to purchase a key from the grey site cdkeylabs.com, which had been heavily promoted by Nanda Kumar. During the checkout process, he noticed the name “Gopinath Sekar” associated with the transaction. Upon doing a background check of this name, it was discovered that it belonged to a business manager at “Nuke Technologies Pvt Ltd.”
Intrigued, he delved deeper into Nuke Technologies and found that it was co-directed by none other than Annamalai Nanda Kumar and Vigneshwara Karthikeyan. Further investigation revealed that the registered address for the company matched that of A2D Channel’s operational address, confirming that Nanda Kumar, the celebrated PC Doctor influencer, was indeed behind the very business promoting these questionable software keys.
What struck as particularly alarming was that Nanda Kumar never disclosed his involvement with Nuke Technologies on any of his social media profiles. Despite being a director, he maintained an air of separation from the company, further complicating the trust issues surrounding his online persona.
When Jason Samuel reached out to Nanda Kumar for comment, seeking clarification on whether he was a reseller or if cdkeylabs.com was indeed a grey market site, Nanda acknowledged that it was, in fact, an operated site. Nanda Kumar said, “You may ask why I was not concerned of this right? It’s why because as were cooperating for 6 years I never thought like this… I was okay with me as we were doing for 6 years do you understand? I let to my team to handle it. However, now I think I shouldn’t have done like this.”
Later, Nanda admitted that by promoting such grey market sites, he received a lower commission, which ultimately led him to enter the business himself a shocking revelation. Nanda Kumar said, “Let me explain how this evolved from CD key offers to CD Key Labs. First of all, CDKey offers was the long-term sponsor for us. After some time, the amount paid from the sponsor was very low. We asked them the amount provided was low and to increase it, but they denied as they had fewer orders since only PayPal payments were accepted. When we suggested paying via Indian payment methods, they offered us saying, ‘Better we start together a Indian website in that we will provide you with a commission. You create a website, and we shall share the revenue’. This is how it happened.”
What His Followers Feel About This?
One of them on Reddit noted, “Such a hypocrite this guy is. Doesn’t have the balls to admit his mistake publicly!”
Another said, “I was very disappointed with Nanda after watching the video. He holds no integrity, from starting a company called Nuke Technologies to resell licenses under cdkeylabs to blatantly say I don’t overlook the operations. All just to increase his sales commission.”
Another said, “I only came to know about A2D becuase of the Tamil Tech incident. I tried watching some videos later, but I found that MF kinda snobby. So, I stopped, his “tech” content are not really that great imo just a disgracing knock off of LTT. What i’m really frustrated is when he was advising to all while secretly doing all this low key stuff. He needs to be canceled. But we have too much tolerance here; he’ll just drop an apology video and continue his nonsense.”
Another said, “How can he do this kind of thing and preach the opposite to others in video. Uruttu this, uruttu that, after saying all that he did a big urutu! All for views!”
Another said, “Saw the video. Up until now I thought the cdkey site was legit and now I see this is a grey site and Microsoft has already warned reselling keys are not authorised. Guess next video la victim card play Pannuvan and his cult soldiers will believe it. Damn!!! Dont know whom to trust”
A conversation unfolded with one netizen saying, “Will this impact their PC factory customers and profits? Most likely, he used those pirated keys to install the OS on all the PCs he’s built so far.” Another replied, “Absolutely, A2D definitely used those pirated keys. I hope the buyers step up and demand legitimate ones. They can’t just get away with this!”
Scammer Who Lectured Others on Avoiding Scams
While Nanda Kumar was scamming people by selling illegitimate black Windows keys through his grey site, he was simultaneously lecturing others on the importance of avoiding scams. He positioned himself as a moral authority, condemning unethical practices while secretly engaging in them himself. This hypocrisy highlights the deep irony of his actions—he preached integrity and caution, all while profiting from the very scams he claimed to denounce.
This revelation not only tarnished Nanda’s reputation but also underscored the pervasive issue of piracy within the tech community, prompting followers to reevaluate their trust in influencers in this rapidly changing digital landscape. How can we navigate this murky terrain, and what measures can be implemented to hold those who exploit it accountable?
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