With affiliate marketing being such a big, legitimate industry, there are absolutely people out there looking to take advantage of it through many different scams.
If you’re a newbie, just be on the lookout for these many scams and trust that you can truly make an honest living with affiliate marketing. Let me give you some pointers on spotting real opportunities and scams.
Popular Scam Samples
Fake Affiliate Marketing Training
It is understandable that if you’re just getting into affiliate marketing, you would look to find some sort of training to teach you the business.
As you research affiliate marketing training, you will probably be overwhelmed with the many people willing to sell you this training information, through e-books, webinars and however else they say they can teach you.
Of course many of these programs are rip-offs. A good clue to a program being a rip-off, is if they want a large sum of money for their program. There are so many free training programs out there that you shouldn’t have to pay for training.
Keep in mind, there are legitimate training programs that cost money, but in those cases, you’re usually given a free trial period to verify it’s what your looking. For a look at my favorite affiliate marketing training, click here.
Get-Rich-Quick Offers
Affiliate marketing is a genuine business opportunity, however, it is not a get-rich quick type of business. It’s not hard work, but it does take a lot of work to get it off the ground. Anybody who promises that you’ll make thousands of dollars in no time, is trying to scam you. Don’t take that bait.
No Product or Service to Sell
As an affiliate marketer, you make your money promoting a product or service. If a company is promising that you’ll make thousands of dollars, be sure they are actually looking to have you promote a product or service. If they don’t acknowledge an actual product or service, it’s more than likely a scam.
Pay-To-Join Programs
Affiliate programs are free to join. If you are asked to pay any kind of fee to join an affiliate program, don’t do it! Even if it is a real opportunity, there are thousands upon thousands of legitimate affiliate programs that are absolutely free to join, from which you can make quite a comfortable living.
Best Ways to Avoid Affiliate Marketing Scams
Check Google
When in doubt, ask Google. If the program is a scam, there will probably be online reports or reviews that will outline the problems. You can usually just check by the name of the program, or include the words “affiliate marketing” review, report or ripoff.
The Company Website
If a google search yields nothing, go directly to the company’s website. If there is no website, it’s a good sign that it’s a scam and you should proceed with caution.
Your Due Diligence
Keep the old adage in mind: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and you should proceed with caution.
Take the time to do the proper research on any offer so you don’t get scammed. There are so many good opportunities out there that you don’t need to take a chance with a pipe dream scam.
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