Internet Marketing And Other Scams
Refer to this page to check out possible scams. I'll be posting them as they are brought to my attention and will announce updates when they are available. If you are aware of internet scams or questionable opportunities, please e-mail me throught the contact link. Likewise, if you believe that a site has been listed in error, advise me of that as well and I will either remove it or note that it is being contested. Let's watch out for one another.
The GPT Boycott List
GPTBoycott has been boycotting programs since 2001, and over time has developed a number of requirements which must be fulfilled before a site can be boycotted. These are outlined in the "Frequently Asked Questions" below. The importance of a boycott should not be underestimated. Many programs which have been boycotted have stopped scamming members and have closed down shortly afterwards, while others have started to pay members in a way which they did not previously. It is therefore vital that our visitors should continue to file their complaints, so that we can continue to boycott fraudulent and dishonest sites.
PHONY PAID SURVEY E-MAIL
Posted 7/24/08
I received this one in my inbox today and recognized it as a scam right off the bat. I've done paid surveys for several years now and immediately spotted red flags:
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Poor grammar in the subject line: "Get Paid 100 Dollar In the Mail!
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Pay to "your name here" If you're a member of a legit survey site, they will use YOUR name.
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The address is outside the US
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It says that the survey will close after 5000 participants. Legitimate surveys NEVER give a number of participants. You fill out the initial info and don't know whether they've already met a quota until you're actually on the site.
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The copyright date is 2005. This is questionable for this type of ad, since they are frequently updated. It's more likely that it would have correctly read @2005-2008, or a more recent date.
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and, "maximum of 5 friends" is also a dead giveaway.
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There are TWO links in the e-mail where they are trying to get your information. This is a fake, do NOT click on them! This looks like it comes from a legitimate site, Excited Rewards - which I no longer belong to. I thought about reporting it them but stopped myself since even the e-mail link is probably tainted. I will contact them in a separate e-mail.
Get Paid $100 to participate, Guaranteed*!
PaidMarketingPanel(TM)
$100 Guaranteed* Cash Giveaway
#0567134 [DATE]]
Pay to: Your Name Here $100.00
One Hundred Dollars
Begin Survey
Re: paid Marketing Panel
Non-Negotiable - Not a Valid Check
Authorized Signature: C. McVeigh
932094 2349234 0293849234290
We need people from your area.
Paid Marketing Panel(TM) will pay you $100 Guaranteed* to participate in our marketing panel.
Takes only seconds a day. Nothing to buy.
Zero experience ok. Maximum of 5 Friends welcome.
URGENT! Available only to the first 5000 panelists - after that this panel will close.
Begin Survey
Copyright (c) 2005 PaidMarketingPanel. All Rights Reserved.
This is an advertisement. If you have any questions or concerns, you may write to us at:
Paid Marketing Panel
654 Malenfant Boulevard
Dieppe, NB, E1A 5V8
They did their best to make this look legitimate right down to the footer, where they apparently copied all of the opt-out info from a real e-mail. Paid survey sites do ask for a certain amount of info, including your paypal e-mail, because they need it to pay you but they would NEVER ask for a bank account or credit card number. Be very, very careful when responding to this type of solicitation.
Known Scam Sites
This list is provided courtesy of my Yuwie friend Basil . If you're already a member, please stop by his profile to thank him. If you'd like to join, you can do so HERE. If you believe that a site has been listed in error, please contact me.
How Do I Recognize A Scam?
- There are sites out there promising emails worth the likes of $5, $50 or $100 and upwards. These are attempts to get our information and/or take your money and you will never see a penny. EXCEPTIONS are so called "Redemption Only" sites where you can redeem your money for advertising only.
- Check the advertising price to see if sites selling ads underprice. If for example, the site has 100 members and an email to all costs only $2 for a $10 link, you can clearly see that the site is underselling advertising. 100 members x $10 per member = $1,000. Therefore, the actual cost of the advertisement without taking into account the referral commission, comes to $1,000. If a site sells this link for only $2, the site is sustaining a loss of $988 per advertisement sold. This is only an example but please note that there are sites selling $10, $20 and even links worth hundreds of dollars for just $2 - $3. Basic mathematical skills will show you that such sites are totally unsustainable and therefore, short lived.
