The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Tech Help Desk Column.

Byline: Bill Husted

Sep. 9--There are a lot of rip-offs -- both on the Internet and in the brick-and-mortar world -- where advertisements promise something free and, by the time you get through the fine print, that free item is a come-on and you end up paying.

Several readers thought that had happened to them when I recommended a free firewall program called Zone Alarm from Zone Labs (www.zonelabs.com). They went to the Web site and thought the program -- which protects your computer against hackers -- wasn't free at all.

Justin McCarthy, for instance, said, "Not only are they not for free, but they charge big-time." Helen Fraga said, "I went the …