Affiliate marketing has been a key part of business in the real world for many, many years.
It has also featured on the internet pretty well since it’s inception.
Before the days of Google’s Adsense, affiliate links were often a webmaster’s best method of generating an online income.
Just recently, affiliate marketing has gained prominence once again, as savvy money makers look for ways to monetise their sites with multiple income streams.
Of course, as with any area of the internet that generates large sums of money, this presents opportunities for online scams.
Online scammers can approach affiliate marketing from two different angles.
They can attempt to cheat existing programs or users, or they can actually set up their own bogus affiliate schemes.
Experienced affiliate marketers, I’m sure, would be able to spot an affiliate scam a mile away.
However, for the newcomer to the world of affiliate marketing, the chances of getting caught out can be much, much higher.
How to avoid affiliate scams
Perhaps the best, and simplest, method for determining if a particular affiliate scheme is involved in fraud or known to be a scam is to search online.
Simply type the name of the scheme into your favourite search engine, along with the word ‘scam’ or ‘fraud’, and then carefully read any entries that are returned.
Often, picking out any comments in forums is a good place to start as such discussions often go into great detail.
Alternatively, search out websites that take a look at affiliate marketing schemes.
Here at ScamTypes.com we shall shortly begin looking into this area of the online scam ourselves and will be highlighting the good, the bad and the downright ugly site of affiliate marketing.
The other key thing to remember is to ask questions.
If you have found an affiliate scheme that seems to be scam free but still have doubts then contact the company that organises it.
If they are a genuine company then they should be happy to answer any questions you may have.
If not, then ask yourself why?
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