Anything 4 Free Forums takes action

Well it looks like the administrators and moderators at Anything 4 Free, a large community of people who enjoy freebie sites have decided to take action:

Quote: Update #5: NEW RULE: Effective immediately, any use of, selling, or promotion of of prepaid cards or virtual credit cards will get you placed on hold on the majority of freebie networks as well as banned from Anything4Free. So don't use 'em! If anyone has any knowledge of someone using a prepaid/virtual/stolen cc, please report this user to a staff person.

I for one, am glad and I hope that FreeIpodGuide and other freebie forums follow their lead.

Speculation: What offer is going down next

My dire prediction: Blockbuster will pull down their payout for new sign ups if they do not pull out of incentive traffic altogether.

What do YOU think?

Some New Offers! MaxBounty Has Lots!

Well, it looks like site owners are going to have to hunt up some new offers, and I have already started looking :D

I think that anyone who hasn't already done so should look to MaxBounty as an incentive friendly publisher, and they have some excellent offers that *still* currently accept incentive traffic. Among the offers I have found that still accept incentive traffic:

Efax - Free Trial!
Creative Painting Book Club
American Compass Book Club
Passport to Fun - $25 Gas Card ($1 Trial)
Today's Escapes: $1 Trial + $25 Gift Card ($1 Trial)
At Home Rewards ($1 Trial)
Sleep Rite - Free Trial
Quickbooks Business Kit - This one is VERY popular
Zoeta
Ultima Patch
Privacy Matters - Free Credit Report
FREE eBay Auction Success Kit Also pupular

Freebie Site Owners Respond to Black Thursday announcements

Well, since Black Thursday there has been some heated discussions as to how site owners should respond. Some of you must be wondering, what are some of the things that site owners can do in response to what is the biggest shake-up in the incentive industry since Tickle?

Well, for starters we have basically all come to the conclusion that responsible site owners must begin performing additional verifications to ensure that members of our sites are actually legitimate users.

Telephone verification of members and certainly orders has been mentioned, as has forcing members to receive a physical gift (such as a check) prior to any electronic funds transfer. Both ideas are excellent.

Many site owners will be paying out on a Net 30 or even a Net 45 schedule to protect themselves, owners that do not make this change and continue to pay instantly, or on a 7 day schedule risk losing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in reversals due to the fraudsters who will flock to their sites.

Speaking of reversals:

As it stands right now, nobody is exactly sure what kind of reversals we are already looking at for this month. I personally lost almost $500 to reversed leads from 60 days ago, I won't mention the network or the offer, but It was painful. I run a small site, I can only imagine what is coming for larger publishers.

Shocker - Azoogle Drops payout on Blockbuster offers

Well, this is a twist, I just logged into my azoogle account to get a new image for the blockbuster ad I am running and WOW The payout has dropped BIG TIME.

Azoogle had Blockbuster running at $50 (for non-incentive publishers) but at some point it dropped and is now paying out $25.

This actually puts the free trial for incentive publishers at a solid $32, which I am guessing won't last long.

So, what is Fraud?

Well, fraud can be many things, but my advice for members of the "freebie scene" who are reading this is simple:

An advertiser considers it fraud when someone signs up with a gift card or a prepaid visa card and lets the trial end. The advertiser tries to charge the card for the full cost of membership and finds that there are no funds available.

It is fraud to sign up for an offer with a prepaid credit card #, the advertiser has NO chance whatsoever to keep you as a paying customer.

Anyone signing up for offers with PrePaid Credit cards, or anyone discussing this type of activity will be banned.

Eric

CPA Storm makes some suggestions

This just came in from Melissa at CPAStorm

Hi Eric,

As our industry evolves CPA Storm continue to evolve to make sure that both our business and your business will continue to grow and have longevity in our industry. Being an incentive publisher I am sure you are aware of the changes being made and what the future holds for our business model. As your affiliate manager with CPA Storm I want to make sure that you are doing everything that you can to make sure that you are taking the needed steps so your business will thrive in the years to come. There are several things you can do to make sure you are limiting fraudulent behavior. Here are a few steps I recommend.

1) Paying your users on a net 30 basis
2) Converting from a cash system into a points based system
3) Have measures in place to prevent gift card and debit card purchases
4) Installing a double opt in process
5) Phone verification of your users
6) Using something like gift cards as a form of payment instead of using PayPal

If you have any questions regarding any of this information please contact me.


I replied and asked her exactly how she feels that an incentive publisher can prevent gift card and prepaid card usage... I can't wait to hear what she says!

Update:
I got a reply back, and as I thought, the suggestion is insightful and makes sense:

You are correct that the advertiser ultimately is in control of what type of method of payment is used when completing the offer. As a publisher you can warn your users that if this form of payment is used they will not be rewarded. I understand it is not a fail proof system, but I think it could scare some fraudulent users.

Taken from a thread at A4F forums

Quote:
Do you allow users to use PrePaid Cards to do offers ?

Lately, there have been many revokes due to this, and we are considering making a new policy that anybody using Pre Paids can be disqualified.

It seems it is a group of frauders, just like SlickDeal and TRAINN sites, who are using PrePaids to do $1 trials. After the trial, the charge is denied and lead revoked.

Not to mention, these people insist on paying them the same day and do not (at least not yet) have provided ID's to verify the identity.

Source


MY thoughts on this statement: Exactly. Prepaid cards are something that the average incentive site owner can do little about, merchants and payment gateways should investigate how they can eliminate this from happening, and soon.

MaxBounty pulling Bargain offers

I got this message about 2 hours ago. and a matching one for Bargain.com Autos.

I have already pulled the offers, I have a feeling that they might not track right now anyways!



Hello Eric. "Bargain.com Homes" is being paused temporarily at the merchant's request as of Sunday, June 17, 2007 at 11:59 p.m. ET. We will keep you updated regarding the offer's return.

We will be redirecting the traffic to "At Home Rewards - $25 Walmart Gift Card", but please ensure that you replace your links before the deadline.

Thanks for your cooperation,

The MaxBounty Team

Instant Dollarz Pulls back offers!

Wow, Black Thursday was rough everywhere, take a look at this from Instant Dollarz:

2007-06-14: Ikea Vouchers (UK), Valued Opinions (US), Clash: Bravia (UK), Clash: PS3 (UK), Clash: Caribbean Holiday (UK), TheConsumerBeat: Free Gas for a Year, TheConsumerBeat: Mexico Trip for 2, TheConsumerBeat: Pontiac GTO, TheConsumerBeat: 60GB iPod, Clash: Sainsbury's Vouchers, Get Me Gaming (UK), Get Me a Ticket (UK), Clash: B&Q Vouchers (UK), Bargain Network: Hud Homes (C), FTD White Label, CE: Harley Road King, TheConsumerBeat: Eclipse Spyder, WinningSurveys: $1,500 AMEX GC, WinningSurveys: Lunch for a Year, and WinningSurveys: AppleTV are DOWN.

2007-06-14: WSHTS: Gas Card, WSHTS: $1500 Target GC, WSHTS: Pink iPod, EliteMate, TheConsumerBeat: Hollywood Vacation, Spyware Removal Software, Flycell: Flower Power, Flycell: Clean Green, Flycell: Clean Joke, Claim Your Vacation, Organic Bouquet, Vistaprint: 100 Free Postcards (US), RingtonePublic, Paid Surveys Unlimited, ExtraPayday.com amd Flycell: Electric Blue are DOWN.

2007-06-14: Doubleday Book Club (US), ePen Home Electrolysis, iCopyDVD, Swivel Mop, HSC: Free $500 Sears Shopping Spree, Psychic Triangle, Psychic Spell, One-Touch Can Opener, TheConsumerBeat: Weekend at the Beach, TheConsumerBeat: Hummer H3, TheConsumerBeat: Custom Chopper, US Chat: MySMSChat, Natural Cholesterol Balance 3, Official Unclaimed Funds, CollectiblesToday.com are DOWN.

2007-06-14: Vivitar Binoculars, 4 Seasons: Free Wine Refrigerator, eAuctionSuccess (US,CA), Mrs. Beasley's Valentine Sweets, Mrs Beasley's All My Heart Basket, Vistaprint: Free Sticky Notes (US), Thompson Cigar: Baker's Dozen, Vistaprint: Free Checks (US), Funk Unlimited T-shirts, eAuctionSuccess (INT'L), MasterGrip Golf Putter, Direct Wines: 4 Seasons I, SurveyPanelGroup, SuperGolfBalls, Spy Bouncer, Thompson Cigar: Powerhouse 30, Book of the Month Club, 4 Seasons Wine, Video Professor (US,CA) (C), Thompson Holiday Set, Thompson Cigar: Holiday Gift Set, Bonzai Chopper, 50 War Classics, View Catcher, SonicBlade, FTD Gifts, KnockOut Hockey, Logitech STX Webcam, GoFirstAid.com, Vistaprint Limited Time Offers, Fit in Five, Vistaprint Free Samples, Diabetic Plan, Takkle.com, BeautifulSkin.com and Kaboom NeverScrub are now DOWN.

2007-06-14: Kiss & Tell LiteLips, Omaha Steaks, Dual Action Cleanse, JWS: Plasma TV, NoPainSpray, Independence Plus Visa, Today's Escapes: Linen N'Things, TCG: Apple iPhone, The Aggressive Wealth Audio Collection, Prevention Fitness, HydraBrush, LintBeGone, Pumpone iPod Trainer, Grant Mentor, Classic 60s Music, Witchcraft Exposed, 20-Minute Facelift, MySelectGifts: $500 Pharmacy Gift Card, QuickBooks, MyFax, MySelectGifts: $500 Spa Gift Card and WWII Classics are DOWN.

LeadGains holding payment and pulling offers

Looks like LeadGains is holding payments and pulling offers too.

Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:05:28 -0700 (PDT)

Effective Immediately:
* Bargain Homes, Bargain Autos, Price Store, HudhomesNow DO NOT allow cash sites. If you are running a cash site remove these offers immediately.

* ALL Verture Offers (At Home Rewards, Passport To Fun, Shopping Essentials, Valuemax, Todays Escapes) DO NOT allow Cash sites OR Point sites. If you run a cash or point site, remove these offers immediately.


* The following offers are down immediately.

- Classic Wine Selections
- People PC
- 20 Minute Facelift
- Four Seasons Wine
- Bidz.com
- eAuction Success
- eAuction Success International
- Quickbooks Simple Business Kit
- Scrapbook Club
- Payday2go.com
- Classmates.com
- Creative Painting Bookclub
- Woodworkers Bookclub
- Campaign: [Email Submit] YourTopBrands - Free Apple TV
- Campaign: YourTopBrands - Smoking Survey
- Instant Grant Finder
- Gevalia Coffee
- Google Home Business Kit
- Wines Across America

*** Also, we regret to inform everyone that payments will be delayed this month until around the 20th due to the recent rise in fraud. Payments are held until the investigation and reversals are complete. Your cooperation during this is appreciated.

--

Thanks,
Bryan VanAlmkerk

Cease and desist from Clickbooth

This email just came in:

Clickbooth has quickly become the top true performance based network in
the world. We owe that success to all of our partners and to our continued emphasis and reputation on doing business only with both Quality Publishers and Quality Advertisers. As a company we came together over the past three months and have reached a decision to turn down any future business via all incentive channels
and over the next couple of weeks will be pausing the accounts to any incentive based sites in our network.

As a team we decided this channel strategy on a long term basis, no matter how much emphasis is placed on quality and compliance is destined to be unsuccessful and goes
against our core company emphasis on quality.

We ask that you make the necessary arrangements to cease all traffic within the next 72 hours; however, your account will not be terminated. We greatly value the
relationship that we have established, and want to focus on various marketing methods that will be beneficial to all parties involved. Your account will be paused until we are contacted with an alternative method you have for promoting our offers. Should you decide to take part in any non-incentive projects, we will reactivate your account and you will be placed with a specialized affiliate manager in the
corresponding department.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your affiliate manager or speak to the head of the Incentive Department:

Jen Sangbush

The Begining of the end - The Death of the incentive affiliate marketer

Call it Black Thursday.

Today some very big names in incentive marketing are pulling out, leaving incentive publishers grasping at straws and wondering who is next.

For those of you who have no idea what incentive marketing is: Ever see an ad that offers you a free iPod in exchange for signing up for a trial offer and referring a few friends? That is incentive marketing: Giving the consumer an incentive (the iPod) to try out an offer from an advertiser.

Earlier this week I got an email telling me that Hydramedia was no longer accepting incentive traffic, and now I have learned that Clickbooth, PerfectPayCheck, and Netblue have followed suite.

The reasons for this massive shift in policy are simple to understand: increasing levels of fraud and extremely poor lead quality.

Fraud affects an incentive publisher, the advertiser, and the affiliate network to different degrees, however the root of the fraud is easy to discover: Greed. More and more, fradsters are using incentive publishers to launder money through stolen credit cards, false identities and disposable proxy servers, not to mention many of the members on incentive sites where users can "get paid to try offers" are there to do just that, sign up for an offer, get paid and cancel. This brings us to the second part of the problem: Poor lead quality.

Every week, hundreds of people sign up for a free trial of BLockbuster or Netflix and a few days later they cancel their membership, just for the sake of the $20-$30 that they have been promised in exchange for "signing up for a trial offer".

The combination of massive organized fraud and poor lead quality has become increasingly difficult for advertisers, networks and individual publishers to handle, and is now threatening to destroy the incentive publishing and marketing industry completely.

I hate to say it, but I picked the wrong business.

There is a storm about to break over every incentive site-owner's head: A lack of new advertisers in the incentive marketing business has left us scrambling, and now it looks like advertisers are voting with their feet and taking their traffic to more fraud-resistant networks that don't allow incentive traffic.


Over the next few days I anticipate that there will be finger-pointing and blame laid at the feet of everyone from the Incentive Publisher who owns a free ipod site, the members on his site, the affiliate networks, and the advertisers themselves. Each group can take steps to help preserve this type of marketing, but they are not easy, and they require big changes.

I asked Byron Kho, CEO of AdIntegrity/InstantDollarz Publisher Network what he thinks can be done:

"Even until today, many merchants in the incentive space are not adequately informed about how incentive leads are produced and the dangers they may face, and neither are they secured against credit card fraud. The former may be an intentional step on the part of the network or agency involved, but the latter can definitely be improved by currently available authentication methods and technologies priced only slightly higher than their current credit card merchant accounts."


Various things have been suggested to help Incentive Publishers cope with the changes, including telephone verification of new users (to deter fraud) and ending the practice of cash payments which are a common and frequently requested gift on incentive sites.



The only networks that I work with now that are large and respectable enough to still be offering incentive publishers a chance to make a decent living are MaxBounty, Azoogle and Instant Dollarz.


My bet is that at least one of these is going to pull the plug on incentive publishers, and soon. Smart money is on Azoogle, since they seem to have cut way back on adding new incentive friendly offers, and rumor has it that they will announce this soon.

Comments are welcome, if anyone has an idea of how to fix this industry from any side: Publishers, Networks, Advertisers or members of the freebie community, you are encouraged to add your thoughts. I will continue to cover this story as it happens.

Digg It!

Get Paid To Blog - Introducing Rewarding Reviews!

Welcome to Rewarding Reviews, I am your host, Eric.

For years, bloggers have relied on adsense to generate revenue, recently services have sprung up that allow bloggers to try products and write reviews. This works well for established bloggers like John Chow, who earns thousands writing reviews.

The downside of most pay-per-post or paid review sites is that there are lots of established bloggers taking the high paying reviews, and it can be difficult to get your blog approved. You may wait for weeks to have an advertiser willing to let you write about their product, and even longer to get the post approved and collect your hard earned money.


RewardingReviews.com is different.

We pay you to try products and services from big name advertisers. You try the offer out, and write an honest review, and earn an average of $10-$40 per post! You can write your first review today! We only want honest reviewers, so don't feel that you need to write a glowing review every time. Once your review has been checked and approved, you get paid on the 25th of the following month.

Get Paid to Write Rewarding Reviews on your blog.

Rewarding Reviews is for Bloggers, Myspace Members, Facebook Users, Site Owners, and Anyone with an opinion.

If you don't have a blog, you can always start one! We have links inside to lots of great services where you can blog for free.