The Red Flags of Affiliate Marketing Scams
Thanks to the legitimate business model of online affiliate
marketing; many people are earning a good living working from
home. Unfortunately there exists a series of affiliate program
scams masquerading as genuine Internet marketing opportunities.
These scams are designed to make their creators wealthy without
providing value to their customers or associates. Email scams
and work at home scams don't have any chance of long term
success, so any time spent promoting them is largely wasted.
So what are the characteristics that reveal an Internet scam
attempting to disguise itself as an honest affiliate
opportunity? Since the nature and complexity of these scams
change as quickly as technology, it's almost impossible to
create a comprehensive list, but here are some strong indicators
that a program should be avoided or at the very least examined
with a fine-toothed comb.
No affiliate support contact. When an affiliate program
includes a toll-free telephone number, it's a good sign that
things are on the up and up. However, the lack of a phone number
does not necessarily mean the program needs to be avoided. The
Internet lends itself to email contact, and most websites
structure their contact support system accordingly. If the
website for an online income opportunity does not include an
email or a contact form, though, you are probably looking at an
affiliate program scam. Once you locate the email or contact
from, it's a good idea to send a message with a simple question
to see how long it takes the company to respond. If you don't
receive a response addressing your question within a few days,
tread lightly. The company might not be intentionally trying to
scam you, but if they can't quickly respond to emails, they are
doing something wrong.
No web site. Similarly a contact email without a website
shouldn't instill much confidence. A legitimate online income
opportunity will have a detailed web site, providing information
and showing some time and energy has gone into planning. A
simple website is not difficult to create, but leaves a slightly
larger trail leading back to the creator than that left by a
mass emailing. Again, while the presence of a web site is not a
guarantee that a program is trustworthy, the absence of a web
site should definitely be viewed with a healthy dose of
skepticism.
No product or service. What is the company selling? If
the only product is a chance to make money, you've probably
stumbled onto a pyramid scheme. In order for any referral
marketing organization to make money, someone on the outside
must pay money to the organization. If the only people paying
are joining the organization, than no income is being generated.
The members are just passing money around between themselves
with everyone hoping to be holding the bag of money when the
music stops. Above and beyond this fundamental flaw in the
business model, pyramid schemes are also illegal in the United
States.
No free participation. If you have to pay a company for
the privilege of trying to sell their product and increase their
profits, you aren't looking at an affiliate program. You've
found an example of multi-level marketing (MLM). Not all MLM
opportunities are scams, and some people are extremely
successful at MLM. Unfortunately, if you aren't one of the few
who can make it work; you'll usually spend a fair chunk of
change discovering this MLM program doesn't fit your needs. True
affiliate programs are free to join. If things don't work out
the way you expected, you haven't risked any of your money.
No positive testimonials. Even though there is no
financial cost for an affiliate program, you will be investing
quite a bit of your most precious commodity, time. Before making
that sacrifice, it's always a good idea to spend some time
scouring the Internet for people who have some experience with
your program. Don't rely on the testimonials a company provides
on their website to give you a complete and accurate picture.
Head to your favorite search engine and see what kind of dirt
you can dig up. A search with the program name and the word
"review", "scam", or "experience" is a good place to start. Even
high caliber programs will likely have some negative reviews
from people frustrated the program wasn't a good fit for them,
so don't immediately condemn an opportunity for a little bad
press. Unless a program is brand new, though, you should be able
to find a few positive experiences and success stories.
No track record. A good affiliate program is going to
continue to be a good affiliate program for a while. Resist the
temptation to be swayed by marketing hype that urges you to "get
in on the ground floor" of a brand new opportunity. Of course,
there's something to be said for being the first to market with
a new idea, so you shouldn't be afraid to immediately embrace an
affiliate program that you feel good about and doesn't set off
any of the other red flags described here. If you are on the
bubble trying to decide if a program is legitimate, though,
you're better off waiting. In six months dependable affiliate
opportunities with quality, high-demand products will still be
around, and they'll still be plenty of money to be made.
Meanwhile, most of the affiliate program scams will have
collapsed.