Private Affiliate Program Scams

Recognizing Affiliate Program Scams
Becoming an affiliate and creating an Affiliate Marketing business is a fairly easy method to earn extra income, or eventually make a substantial living if done correctly, but what of the scams – and yes, unfortunately they exist.

There are many unscrupulous Internet users that will try to convince people to promote their product, but fail to pay commissions. While the majority of sellers are legitimate and work through reputable affiliate houses, such as ClickBank, Commission Junction and others, there are still many rip-off artists who work as “independents.“ These people will tell you that they track the traffic you send and the sales amounts from that traffic. They will issue you payments from their own payment system.

The truth is that while some are extremely honest, most have no such tracking and payment system in place. The scammers simply hope to get people to send them visitors. A sale may be made and they’ll tell you that none of your traffic is converting. It may be months before you break the links to their website because you realize that something is wrong with their reporting of traffic.

So, how do you recognize the scammers from those with real systems of their own?

Here are a few warning signs that you should look for when considering joining an “independent” affiliate program

No Contact Information
If they don’t provide contact information on their website then it’s likely their affiliate program may not be legitimate. This is a basic requirement that should always be available. Also, the email address should never be a “freemail” provider, such as gmail, yahoo, and others.

Payouts Not Realistic
There are affiliate programs that pay out high commissions – as much as 75%. However, any more than that should begin to make you cautious about what their program actually involves and if it is only trying to suck in unsuspecting people for a rip-off after they’ve purchased. A merchant will never pay more on a commission then they would get for the sale. This type of offer is usually associated with some type of Ponzi scheme.

No Response To Your Inquiries
Serious merchants will never ignore their salespeople – even if it only to respond that they will get back to you by the end of the following business day. If they don’t have time to answer your questions or concerns, will they find the time to actually send you your commission checks? Probably not.

No Support
Every decent merchant will provide at least a few banners and text links in order for you to begin marketing the product. Something that you can copy & paste onto your own sites. If you are required to do all thework in creating advertising and images for use in marketing you should look for another merchant to promote.

If you are still unsure of an affiliate program from a merchant you should also use the search engines. Google or Yahoo can provide a wealth of information about the merchant and you should also be able to find some reviews. Dig deep in the page returns when searching for information. Scam merchants will often create numerous posts and webpages touting their own system even before it is released for sale.

Keep in mind that very few merchants who are legitimate will create their own tracking and payout system. Most will use the services provided by merchant houses, like Clickbank, Commission Junction and others. Be especially careful if you find a merchant that isn’t a member of one of the established merchant houses.