Though the internet has proven an invaluable
part of our everyday life, it has also (unfortunately) led to a dramatic
increase in fraud. Online fraud is a rather terrifying reality and (in truth)
the only way to be 100% sure that you're avoiding it, is to not do any business
online whatsoever. However if you're an affiliate marketer, and have built up a
decent secondary income or even career for yourself, defeat will simply not be
an option. Thankfully, there are measures you can take to prevent affiliate
fraud, and here we'll be underlining not only the different types of affiliate
fraud, but how you, as an affiliate, merchant or affiliate program manager, can
best avoid them.
Types of Affiliate Fraud
1.
Cloning – When a legitimate affiliate site's content is duplicated onto
a scam site.
2.
Spamming – Mass emails being sent under the guise of a legitimate brand.
3.
Squatting – Creating a site that uses a common misspelling of a
legitimate, popular site as its own domain name.
4.
Diverting – Deceptive links that don't actually lead to the intended
affiliate being paid.
5.
Faking – Using duplicitous means to artificially inflate a CPC
programs number of referrals and clicks.
6.
Stealing – Using stolen credit cards to earn false commissions.
How Affiliates can Avoid Affiliate Fraud
Whilst there is (in truth) very little that
affiliates can do themselves to avoid fraud other than simply remaining
vigilant and looking for subtle 'tells', there are ways affiliates can help one
another. One of the most proactive things that affiliates can do to root out
frauds is to remain active on forums where they can share details on fraudsters
by sharing links and information. Many forums will have 'blacklists' of phoney
sites that should be added to on a regular basis, so if you find a good
blacklist, make sure to bookmark it. Otherwise however it's largely up to the
merchants and program managers to make sure their affiliate partners are safe
from the scam artists.
How Merchants and Program Managers can Prevent Affiliate Fraud
·
The affiliate program
agreement should make it abundantly clear exactly what constitutes an affiliate
action.
·
Thorough research should
always be conducted on all new affiliates before they are approved for a
program. This can be done by checking on their web presence (social media,
blogs etc), asking what methods they intend to use to generate traffic and
deciphering whether these methods will be detrimental or complimentary to your
program.
·
If there is a sudden,
unexplained surge in traffic or conversions/clicks/leads then don't celebrate
just yet, always be wary of it and check it out.
·
Keep a keen eye out for
fraudulent transactions such as fake leads, obviously stolen credit card
numbers and cancellations of self-referred transactions. If any one affiliate
is caught with a fraudulent transaction more than once, the affiliate in
questions should be contacted and disciplined. If they are caught a third time,
they should be banned from the program completely and definitively.
·
Analyse all referred URLs
in order to catch out any potential squatters.
·
Closely monitor your
online brand, making sure that there are no spammers using your name without
your permission.
·
Keep up to date on noted
'cookie stuffing' affiliates and make sure you don't partner with them. These
are affiliates who use nefarious means to essentially falsify web cookies to
make programs think that users clicked on their links, when they actually
clicked on another affiliates link. They are essentially stealing commission
from other affiliates.
·
Keeping scam
artists at bay is a job that requires frequent policing and enforcement. So
make sure that any restrictions and guidelines you placed in your programs
agreement are being enforced and adhered to, even if it means hiring somebody
to do so.
Of course, there is no way to 100% avoid
fraudsters, but by following these tips you should at least stand a better
chance at keeping them at arms length.
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