| It's two in the morning and Mary has been shopping | | | | cash. |
| Internet sites for just the right Christmas gift for her | | | | 4. Promises of Quick Cash and "Get-Rich-Quick" |
| Grandmother. At one site she happens to get a | | | | Remember the age-old adage of, "If it sounds too |
| "pop-under" message about a great way to make | | | | good to be true, it probably is"! This is just sound |
| tons of money working at home in her spare time. | | | | business practice and common sense. This said |
| The ad is slick and the money is enticing. Mary enters | | | | however, there are still those who fall for the line of |
| her name and email onto the squeeze page and is | | | | "instant wealth" and the whole "lazy man way to |
| redirected to the "one-time-offer" page. She buys it. | | | | riches" line. Everyone should be aware that a new |
| Mary will soon realize she has just become another | | | | business requires work. There are no free lunches. |
| statistic in the Internet affiliate marketing scam. | | | | So, just say "no" to those who would have you |
| This scenario happens all to frequently these days as | | | | believe 100k a month is possible by doing absolutely |
| Internet affiliate marketing grows. With this growth | | | | nothing other than buying his or her product and |
| come scammers and criminals looking to make a | | | | watching the money roll in! (Note: A lot of scammers |
| dishonest dollar from an unsuspecting public. But, | | | | are on to this one however and will tell you that this |
| what can be done about it? Mary could have used a | | | | is not a get-rich-quick plan, even though they are |
| little knowledge about affiliate marketing before she | | | | telling you how money will fall from the sky if you |
| clicked the "buy now" button. This article is going to | | | | sign up with them.) Also be sure and check out the |
| discuss four ways of spotting affiliate marketing | | | | disclaimer, fine print, and testimonials before signing |
| scams by looking at their contact person, web | | | | up for anything. These three things will speak |
| address, email address, how they conduct business, | | | | volumes as to how legitimate the company really is. |
| and misleading promises. | | | | How can one tell the difference between the good, |
| 1. Contact Person or Agent | | | | bad, and the ugly of affiliate marketing companies? In |
| Is there a contact number or toll-free number listed? | | | | a word: Research. Read up on the company before |
| Is there an agent or someone to contact should | | | | signing up. Read all the articles and ezines published on |
| anything go awry? If there is not any such | | | | the company, then check out the "scam" websites |
| information, this is more than likely a rip-off artist | | | | to see what other people are saying about it. is one |
| trying to separate someone from his or her hard | | | | website set up to let other people know what has |
| earned dollars. A legitimate company will welcome | | | | happened to them. If you do not find the name |
| contact with their affiliates and go out of their way | | | | there or other scam sites, type the name of the |
| to make sure they can be reached. After all, the | | | | company in a search engine with the word "scam" |
| affiliate is the one making the merchandiser money! | | | | after it. Usually this will bring good results. Just know |
| 2. Lack of Email or Web Site | | | | that some of the scammers change names |
| Is there a definite lack of web page or proprietary | | | | frequently and may be so new that they will not |
| email? If so, this could be another sign of trouble | | | | show up on these sites. |
| down the road. Just because the company has a | | | | Another good way to tell the difference is in the |
| free email account does not necessarily mean they | | | | compensation plan offered by the company. Do they |
| are out to scam someone. However, it should be | | | | let people know what it is up front or do they want |
| viewed as suspicious. A real, honest-to-goodness | | | | money first? If they want money up front before |
| company will have their own domain name and emails | | | | revealing how they pay, go elsewhere. |
| linked to that domain. | | | | In conclusion, research is the name of the game |
| 3. All Business Done by Email | | | | when it comes to affiliate marketing companies. |
| This is another red flag so be cautious about anyone | | | | Beware of any company that does all business via |
| wanting to do business solely by email. This could | | | | email, has no web site, and no proprietary email |
| mean they do not want actual contact and want | | | | address. These should instantly send up red flags. |
| their real identity to remain anonymous. Ask | | | | Also, if the company is promising easy wealth |
| questions of a potential company and gauge their | | | | without any or very little work involved, RUN AWAY! |
| response time. If response time were over 48 hours, | | | | So, do the research, sign up with a great affiliate |
| the potential affiliate marketer would be better | | | | company, put in the hours needed to succeed, and |
| served by doing business with a different company. | | | | we'll see you at the top! |
| Be cautious and ask questions before giving up any | | | | |