Affiliate Program Scams

Most affiliate programs are legitimate and offer a great way to make some residual income. Lots of people are actually making a living with affiliate programs and I think that by working hard and working smart anyone can do very well with the right program(s).

But watch out for the scams! There are a few things you should look for before signing up with any program:

• Bad Reputation: Before signing up with any program, Search the Internet for forums that have discussions about the affiliate program you're interested in. If others have been ripped off by a program, they'll find some place to vent and seek out other victims. A little research can go a long way.
  
  
• Startup Fees: If the affiliate program operator asks you for any money to get started, it's most likely a scam. If you think about it, why would a company make you pay money to sell their products or services? All decent affiliate programs will offer free signup, plain and simple.
  
  
  • It is important to note here that you may be asked to pay a startup fee to join a program and that program may in fact be legitimate. However, that kind of scheme is not considered an affiliate program, it's Multi-Level Marketing (MLM.) Many MLM schemes are honest and legit but I cannot recommend MLM to anyone other than folks who have a very large initial network of family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, etc. who would be more than happy to join "under" you. If you don't have a large initial network to start with, you will probably be disappointed with the results.
    
  • If you do decide to join an MLM program, be sure that the program is actually offering a useful product or service. If there is no real product or service being offered then the program is a pyramid scheme, and all pyramid schemes are scams!
    
    
• No support or poor support: All legitimate affiliate programs will have a quality support system that usually includes a deep and well organized online support section of the company's website and a contact email address or email form. Any affiliate program that doesn't provide contact information is a scam, plain and simple. If the affiliate program operator offers support but the support is inadequate then you can expect the same from the program.
  
  
• Promises of overnight riches: If the affiliate program operator is using questionable advertising e.g. claiming that you can make many thousands or even millions overnight then the warning bells should be going off in your head! You'll see a lot of promises like this in the spam you get in your email box. Be very, very skeptical with such companies and if you decide to proceed any further, do so with extreme caution.
  
  I recommend that you stay clear of any plans that sound too good to be true.
  
  

If you've already signed up with a program, be vigilant. If your payment is delayed don't hesitate to contact the program operator and find out what is going on. If they give you lots of attitude and make lame excuses then I recommend bailing out--you shouldn't make the situation worse by sticking with a bogus program! Report any scam operators to the Better Business Bureau right away; it's also a good idea to Search the Internet and find forums related the program and let other know that you got ripped off.