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Mayor Ellie Wooten fell victim to cyber sabotage Friday.
Internet users who typed Ellieformayor.com into their browser address bars were directed instead to the Web site for Rick Osorio, her challenger in the Nov. 7 mayor's race.
Wooten discovered the Internet bait-and-switch Friday afternoon on a local blog, Merced Politics and TV.
Ellieformayor.com is not Wooten's official Web site. Her actual site is at Ellieformayor.org.
"I just think it's kind of underhanded," said Wooten. "I wouldn't have done that to (Osorio). This isn't the way it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be upfront and honest, and this definitely was not upfront and honest."
Osorio said he was completely unaware of the online redirection until a supporter called him about it Friday afternoon.
"Why would I do something like that?," Osorio asked. "If I went to look at (my site) and it went to Ellie's I would be upset. ... I definitely wouldn't try to sabotage Ellie Wooten."
He added, "I don't know that much about computers. I don't want to know how things work -- I just want them to work."
Osorio's Web site manager, James Eidson of Golden State Solutions, was unaware of the issue until a reporter told him. "I didn't know anything about it. I don't even know who (Ellie Wooten) is," said Eidson, who lives in Sacramento.
He said engineering that type of online misdirection is a simple procedure. "If you know what you're doing, it's not that big of a deal," said Eidson.
An online service that tracks the ownership of Web sites lists a company called DomainsByProxy as the owner of Ellieformayor.com.
DomainsByProxy specializes in maintaining the anonymity of Web site owners.
Whoever bought the domain name Ellieformayor.com did so on Friday, the same day the Sun-Star published an article about City Council candidates' Web sites.
Osorio speculated that the perpetrators could be "the dirty tricks people" trying to smear his name. "Well, think about it -- why would I do it? There would be no benefit for me to do this. This should be an issue campaign, instead of playing gotcha politics."
The Internet has emerged as a battleground in this year's mayoral contest. Anonymous comments tagged to online versions of Sun-Star articles have made pointed and vicious assessments of candidates.
Wooten, 73, says she ignores those online attacks, but uses the Internet daily to read news and check e-mail.
Osorio, 61, seemed less familiar with the Internet, telling a reporter that his Web site can be found at rickosorio@yahoo.com.
Reporter Leslie Albrecht can be reached at 209-385-2484 or lalbrecht@mercedsun-star.com.
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