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By advivusteam | Sep 10, 2020 | 10 minute read | Blog

Affiliate Marketing Scams To Look Out For

While surfing the Internet, have you ever seen headlines like – “Affiliate marketing is a scam, stay away from it”? If you have, know that you are not the only one. Unfortunately, people who make these headlines don’t understand what consequences their actions can lead to. What is important to realize is that scammers exist in every industry. Marketing, moving, IT industry… you name it! So, even though affiliate marketing scams exist, that doesn’t mean that the entire industry is a lie. As a company that has been in this industry for so many years, we can tell you one thing – Affiliate marketing is a real deal. This is a legit industry that can boost your income if you know what you are doing.

So, let’s put an end to the headlines we are seeing by getting informed about affiliate marketing, its benefits, and the types of scams that exist in this industry. Don’t worry, we, at Advivus, are here to help you and provide you with all the necessary information. Here is what you need to know about this matter!

Why affiliate marketing scams are common?

The Internet made our everyday lives so much simpler. We can order our favorite food, find a perfect dress for our friend’s wedding, learn about the best digital marketing trends in 2020, and do many other things from the comfort of our homes. Now, people are living much faster and like simpler and more convenient solutions technology brought to us. The Internet is a place full of different opportunities but it is also where many vultures can be found. There are so many ways of making money online but, unfortunately, some people still like to make income by taking advantage of other people.

The Internet offers many convenient solutions for people of all age

So, the Internet is where we all can make income, including scammers. For scammers, it is much simpler to come up with an internet fraud scheme and wait for people to “willingly” become their victims than to go on the streets and rob someone. This is exactly why you can find so many scammers online.

Beware of the following affiliate marketing scams

As you can see, the marketing industry isn’t the only one that is filled with scammers. Fortunately, you can avoid them just by learning about the red flags. Remember that recognizing scams is what will help you stay away from them. So, instead of being afraid you will become a victim, you should fight back. The more you learn about these people and their schemes, the stronger you will be. To help you out, we have listed the most common affiliate marketing scams you need to stay away from. That is only one of the things you need to know before becoming an affiliate marketer.

Fake training and online courses

What do you do when you want to learn a new skill? In most cases, you will start looking for tutorials, training, and online courses. This is what most of us would do, especially if we are total beginners and want to learn something new. And, more importantly, we can do it from the comfort of our homes since there are so many e-books, online courses, webinars, etc. The one you will choose will be the one that has a good program and a good price. Well, scammers are aware of this. This is why they create ads for programs, courses, and e-books that won’t teach you anything. If you are lucky enough, you will actually get the course you have purchased. However, it won’t contain any useful information. So be careful, and go only for the best affiliate marketing courses that are offered by someone reliable and reputable.

Get-rich-quick schemes

We have already talked about this – affiliate marketing can bring many good things if you have the right strategies and methods. However, this doesn’t mean you will become a millionaire overnight. You need to learn, research a lot, and constantly look for ways of becoming better. That is how you can become a successful affiliate. So, if you ever come across an affiliate program that claims you will learn a lot with minimal work, stay away from it. This is one of the most common affiliate marketing mistakes!

Unrealistic deals should always be the sign you are dealing with scammers. Unfortunately, there are many people who don’t have jobs and are experiencing financial difficulties. These people will most likely become victims of get-rich-quick schemes.

Pay-To-Join Affiliate programs

Do you want to join an affiliate program? Then you should know that real and legitimate affiliate programs are free. The whole idea behind affiliate programs is that they need to be risk-free and an opportunity for affiliates. Just think about it – you will be working for the company that has created the program that you like. You don’t have to pay to get a “real” job so why would you need to pay for joining an affiliate program? So, if you ever stumble upon a program that doesn’t have a free membership, avoid it. There is a really big chance you won’t get what you are hoping for.

Avoid paying to join an affiliate program since most legit programs have free memberships

Promoting fake products and services

You already know what affiliate marketers do – they promote and sell other people’s products. But what happens when you are promoting a product or service that doesn’t really exist? In short, you will find yourself in a problem. These offers work like pyramid schemes where no one is making money other than the people who are on the top of the pyramid. In most cases, you need to pay to enter the program and then that money is passed to someone else. This type of scheme is illegal which is why is also considered to be one of the most dangerous affiliate marketing scams. You won’t get any income, you will lose your investment and get into trouble. So, choose wisely the products you want to promote and you will stay away from scammers and problems. Easy-peasy!

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Written by advivusteam

advivusteam is an online marketing specialist and copywriter for Advivus. She has worked intensively with SEO and copywriting for several years in the US market and has since worked for an online marketing agency helping clients to succeed with their online marketing efforts.

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