Scammy Websites!

by AdrianCostan

Posted: 13 years ago 16 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Not all blogs are created equally… especially when they aren’t blogs at all. There’s a trend in internet marketing to imitate a blog- complete with a first person story and a string of comments- to sell products.

I’ve seen this for skincare and weightloss and I’m sure a number of other categories are out there.

So here’s how it goes… somehow you find yourself on a website and you click a link that says something you’re particularly interested in, usually around sex, money, diet, health. “I lost 25 pounds in 2 weeks!” or “I was broke and now I’m a gazillionaire!”

[IMG]http://vivavisibilityblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/****-sales-page.png[/IMG]

It then goes into a long case study of how the reporter volunteered to try this product, even journals her week by week results.
Verdict: The product is miraculous!
Then the post is followed up by comments:
[IMG]http://vivavisibilityblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/****-sales-comments.png[/IMG]

How can this be legal, I thought to myself. This is such a snow job! Maybe it is a great product but it’s so obvious that this is a cooked up story.
Well, all you need to do is scroll down the page and find the fine print (and not only is it fine print, it’s written in light grey so it’s hard to see)

"It is important to note that this site and the comments/answers depicted above is to be used as an illustrative example of what some individuals have achieved with this/these products. This website, and any page on the website, is based loosely off a true story, but has been modified in multiple ways including, but not limited to: the story, the photos, and the comments. Thus, this page, and any page on this website, are not to be taken literally or as a non-fiction story. This page, and the results mentioned on this page, although achievable for some, are not to be construed as the results that you may achieve on the same routine. I UNDERSTAND THIS WEBSITE IS ONLY ILLUSTRATIVE OF WHAT MIGHT BE ACHIEVABLE FROM USING THIS/THESE PRODUCTS, AND THAT THE STORY/COMMENTS DEPICTED ABOVE IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY. This page receives compensation for clicks on or purchase of products featured on this site."

Does this make it untouchable for the FTC?

#conditions #scammy #terms #websites

J50 13 years ago

It's all risk vs. reward, these types of set-ups are highly profitable and the people behind the marketing of these are spending some serious money on media buys. While they continue to be highly profitable - someone somewhere will always be willing to try his/hers luck.

Due to the way capitalism works, the more illegal or unethical you go the more profitable it often becomes. The risks become greater but so do the rewards, and since we're in a profit driven society there's no shortage out of the 7 billion people who are more than willing to go all in.
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- Maecenas23 13 years ago
  
  People get scammed online same as offline. You can't control everything and you can't prove that website is a fake. You know it is because you are in the field for some time, but many simple people are trying to find the holy grail 3 clicks away
  
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AdrianCostan

13 years ago

But I really wonder if FTC can act on these types of sites considering the Terms&Agreement at the bottom of the page where they state the story is fictitious.

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J50

13 years ago

Originally Posted by AdrianCostan

But I really wonder if FTC can act on these types of sites considering the Terms&Agreement at the bottom of the page where they state the story is fictitious.

I don't know, if you're interested in using the same methodology I'd first consult a lawyer who specialises in Internet law before you do anything. Although I wouldn't of thought so, companies use fantasy to sell their products all the time - TV is a perfect example.

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Jonathan Shearer 13 years ago

I don't mind this particular example since the product is a berry and there's no possibility for harm or abuse.
Think of the contrast with harmful herbs or products from animals on the brink of extinction.
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- Paul Myers 13 years ago
  
  Jonathan,
  
  I don't mind this particular example since the product is a berry and there's no possibility for harm or abuse.
  
  These are typically rebill offers. That is, once someone signs up, they end up getting billed on a monthly basis, usually without proper up-front disclosure of that fact. And cancelling the billing on them is as difficult as the sellers can make it.
  
  The disclaimer won't do you any good if the FTC decides the ad is deceptive when viewed in toto. They don't have legalistic "bright line" standards for such things. They use the "reasonable person" rule, which is both fuzzier and more accurate in most cases.
  
  Paul
  
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  Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.
  
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AdrianCostan 13 years ago

But if it really comes to that, the FTC should file law suits against 50% of the Clickbank Marketplace.
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- Alexa Smith Banned 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by AdrianCostan
  
  But if it really comes to that, the FTC should file law suits against 50% of the Clickbank Marketplace.
  
  Not at all.
  
  You're thinking only (or mostly) of the "make money" products, aren't you?
  
  There are about 297 other niches represented at ClickBank, as well.
  
  It's possible that the FTC could perhaps have a go at many of the "MMO" products at ClickBank, I agree. My own suggestion as to the reason they actually don't is that ClickBank has a no-questions-asked, 60-day, money-back guarantee system in place, and always honors it and is well-known for that. So they're effectively "allowed" to get away with a little on the "sales page representation" front. I'm not a lawyer or anything of the kind, but I have a very strong impression that some of the people who work at ClickBank think that, too.
  
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aceshigh888

13 years ago

Well there's all kinds of marketing right....

Like if I'm selling a sports car....

"this car can go 0 to 60 in exactly 4.3 seconds - so if you wanna be like James Bond this car is for for you" (I think that's pretty safe)

""this car can go 0 to 60 in exactly 4.3 seconds - so you're guaranteed to impress your girl, she'll fall in love with you and you'll live happily ever after". (hmmmm not sure about that)

ha ha.... Okay I'm bored ha ha

True story..... I know this guy who made 450 million in just like 2 years doing exactly what you showed. Only he took it to the next level and showed only products displayed on DR Oz and oparh etc. And showed those videos on his site. He basically had created a license to print money. And he did that. But then the FTC came, raided him and said if he forked over all the doe he they would let him go. And so he did. Look it up on google: .......450 million website ftc canada alberta....... it will pop up. I drove by his old house. It was very nice.

But as for me I tend to look at it most like this. These big bro organizations are no different than the mob. They're the exact same thing. There's absolutely no difference. They make they're money by strong arming those who actually are making money. Just like they did with this guy and tons of others. It's how they rake in billions in profit every year. As far as I'm concerned they're the ultimate scam artists, not the common man who's just trying to make a living. (I'm not saying this dude was in the right either. I'm just saying they target anyone who's made money, it doesn't matter who or how. If you've made money you'll be visited by the eye-r-s by the FTC or a gazillion other strong arm people that will try and take it).

What's funny is I actually read this in a very popular business book. "Robert Allen - Multiple Streams of Income". He talked at length about this and the risk that business people face and how to protect yourself. Anyone doing business would be wise to keep this in mind, especially if you actually start making any kind of big money.

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onSubie

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

These are typically rebill offers. That is, once someone signs up, they end up getting billed on a monthly basis, usually without proper up-front disclosure of that fact. And cancelling the billing on them is as difficult as the sellers can make it.

Originally Posted by aceshigh888

True story..... I know this guy who made 450 million in just like 2 years doing exactly what you showed. ...

LOL

He touts "customer loyalty", which, as Paul mentioned, is much more likely dupes who have been hooked and unable to cancel.

"Our business is based on the loyalty and longevity of our customer relationships. For example, we are proud to report that a large percentage of our customers continued to use our products after twelve months of use..."

In other words: "We rebill these suckers like crazy and give them the run around on cancellations as long as we can. For example, we've been able to avoid some customers for over a year!"

:rolleyes:

Mahlon

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napoleonfirst 13 years ago

Yes, these greedy claims should not be legal but the government is doing something about it. It is just a matter of time to fix this issue.
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Rick B 13 years ago

If you have a good enough lawyer and a lobbyist in Washington you can pretty much do anything short of murder in the good ole USA.
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nicheblogger75 13 years ago

I was just thinking that we as Internet Marketers readily recognize these sites for what they are. But does the average consumer?

If I knew nothing about Internet Marketing at all, I might easily fall for one of these stories...

In fact, before I got into IM I 'm pretty sure I probably even bought from a site like the one shown.
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jasonl70 13 years ago

these "flogs" were big a few years ago.. particularly in the **** berry market.
then the ftc tried to crack down on them some, and google axed a ton of floggers from adwords the very next day.

kinda old news really..
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Scammy Websites!

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