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There are affiliate marketing scams whenever there is money to be made online. For the savvy online marketer, it's easy to spot the scammer and turn and run quickly in the opposite direction. But for newbie internet marketers, things are not quite as crystal clear. Over 90% of what is found on the internet is not worth the time to complete the sign-up. Owners of these programs actually brag about the number of people they get to join their worthless non-paying affiliate programs. With these programs, numerous links are outdated or not working, links go to other websites, and there is nothing close to support available. Start by researching the merchant you are interested in representing.

Unless it is in a category of affiliate marketing scams, a merchant should have more than just an email address. A genuine merchant should have a physical address, a telephone number, and a website that advertises the product or service. With all of that in place, a little more work still needs to be done before getting involved. Make sure there is an analytics dashboard that allows you to check the progress of your activities. A support center in case something goes wrong with your pay, is also a good safeguard against unscrupulous dealers. Remember, affiliate marketing scams are perpetrated by people who are just as smart and clever as the rest of the population. These con artists know how to market their scam just as legitimate marketers market valid products and services. "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie , and do not the truth:" (1 John 1:6) A corrupt merchant could fail to pay an affiliate what is owed, or less than advertised in order to make more profit. The key is to look for the tale-tell signs and check the various rip-off detection websites.

One easy sign is if the merchant asks for money to join or sign-up. Or perhaps the company promises 300% commission, 5 levels of residual payouts, or pay cash daily. Click away quickly! In most cases these illegitimate schemers have been reported already. To find out if they have been reported, perform a key phrase search of the name of the merchant or product along with the word scam or fraud. The results that return will tell a person whether there has even been a question about the legitimacy of the merchant, product or service. One of the most popular types of affiliate marketing scams is that of the pyramid scheme. Often the schemer is masked as multi-level marketing. Let's define the two of them so that we can see the differences.

A pyramid scheme involves the exchange of money for enrolling other people into the scheme, without any "real" product or service being delivered. When your turn comes to be on top of the pyramid, there is the expectation of getting paid some enormous sum. The problem is people never quite make it to the top level before the pyramid falls. While multi-level marketing (MLM) also involves money and enrolling people, there are also "real" products and/or services that a person needs to sell in order to make money. In MLM, there are meetings, conferences, products, incentives, bonuses, and the person presenting the program to you is usually no where near the top. These individuals are one, two, or maybe three levels above entry level in the organization. Quixtar (or Amway) is an example of a very prosperous MLM.

Other affiliate marketing scams seem to make a lot of empty promises. There is a strong push for the purchase of ebooks and training materials that give away supposed newest and best secrets of online money making opportunities. There usually is a website duplicate involved and an encoded personal id. The affiliate is expected to recruit people into the same program and thusly make a great deal of money in a short span of time. While still learning the ins and outs of affiliate marketing, a prudent person would work with a major corporation that will pay the commissions as promised. When trying to avoid getting caught up in affiliate marketing scams, it just makes sense to start a new marketing venture with known entities. Clickbank and Amazon are two top companies that offer affiliate programs. There is also Commission Junction (CJ). It is the top name in the affiliate arena. They represent some of the largest companies globally. CJ even has an online university for those who are really serious about getting their marketing tactics and strategies in order.

Perhaps these warnings are coming too late. Time and money have already been spent on one or more affiliate marketing scams. At least there is a ray of hope that the offender will not get away with it. You can file a report with the local Secret Service field office or the Internet Crimes Complaint Center; which is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crimes Center (NC3W). This organization offers an easy online form that you can use to report online scams and fraud. The IC3, which began in May, 2000, serves as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints about internet crimes. The IC3 collects information from the victims. They add the information to federal databases that track similar crimes. Then, they refer your complaint to proper local, state, federal or international authorities for investigation.

The bottom line is this, legitimate merchants ask for a W-9 form after you have been approved to represent their program. Those perpetrating affiliate marketing scams, ask for a credit card number. You be the judge. Remember that when there is money to be made, there will always be wolves in sheep's clothin g waiting to take it out of the hands of decent people.

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