Cody's Chronicles

Making Money with Google – Is this Home Based Business Opportunity Fact or Fiction? July 28, 2009

Today I have an interesting story to share with you. It is about my encounter with yet another online scam that uses Google and other company logos to impersonate a reputable organization, in an attempt to allure eager subscribers to participate in their program. Subscribers that are willing to give anything a try to obtain financial freedom, subscribers that fail to research companies properly, and subscribers that fail to read fine print. But not me, and not you! This is a lengthy post but the information is captivating so please bare with me and keep your eye out for these crooked scams. I was browsing around www.nationalreview.com when I came across an ad that I should have red flagged right away and ignored. Instead, I became curious because it was an ad for online money making. Normally, I would pay no attention to these ads as I surf the web, but for some reason I did not expect this type of ad to show up on a site such as www.nationreview.com. Because of this I had the notion the link just might lead to some actual substance where I might learn something new. Instead what I found was the same old scam, but with some new twists I could not believe. The ad directed me to this site: www.newsline46.com.

Twist # 1
If you go here you will see that it looks and feels just like a real local news and radio station website. This was the first twist in the unscrupulous business methodology that lay before me. This fake news website looks totally legit. It has tabs across the top for sports, news, weather, traffic, etc. Interesting however is that in very small, faint print at the top reads “This site is not affiliated with any newspaper publication”, and later I would learn it is not affiliate with any major reputable organization or company at all. The only story on the page (which happens to be the homepage) has this title headline:

“Is Working Online at Home The Way to Financial Freedom?

A Michelle Sanders supposedly wrote it on Sunday, June 7, 2009. I urge you to go to this website so you can see the debauchery for yourself. The article you will find there is an article advertising a technique utilizing Googles Adwords and Google Adsense programs to earn you cash. They call it “Google Quick Cash” It is a technique that you can learn for yourself, without subscribing to any service. Opening a Google Adwords or Adsense account and reading through Googles help and advice sections should be enough to get you started. In short it was a new tactic used to build trust in the reader and to get them to click on the “Googles Quick Cash” link. I’m sure a lot of readers will think this is a legitimate article and the advice is worthy. It’s not however. To get a better understanding of the fraudulent and malicious tactics I speak of, I encourage you to go to this site now, www.newsline46.com, and take a look. Read the article, and then come back to continue reading this article after you have done so.

Have you Visited www.newsline46.com?
If you have had a chance to look at this site you should notice that they are trying to pitch a program called “ Google Quick Cash”. You need to know that this program is in no way indorsed or affiliate with Google. The program is managed by a 3rd party company that tries to sell information and coaching on how to use Googles services to make money online. And as I have already mentioned, you can learn these tactics on your own, and I will follow up with posts on these different services if you would like some additional free help. You can also go to my “Affiliate Marketing My Way” section for a series of articles relating to this topic. Pay close attention to the information at the bottom of this fake news site. You will read a lot of legal jargon that protects this company from being sued by the companies it is mentioning in the article. It also states that by ordering the information you are opting into an ongoing membership service that costs around 70 dollars a month that will be automatically deducted from your account each and every month. Keep reading this post to find out how. This is the fine print that many subscribers fail to read or understand. When you click the “Google Quick Cash” link you are taken to a signup page where you can order the material. If you have not done so, please do this now. At the time of this writing the address was:

http://www.yourblogprofits.com/c2/index.php

Now here is the kicker, the links at the top of the earlier fake news website that call attention to different topics, (news, weather, finance, sports, etc…) take you to the exact same “Google Quick Cash” signup page. I mean this type of lead generation is just wrong. So the first phase of this lead generation process is over, getting you to click on the “Google Quick Cash” link. Now, the second phase begins.

The Signup Page
The signup page is a shiny page with lots of sale Jargon. At the top it states: “Earn up to $209 to $943 per day” First off, why are these numbers so exact? It’s strange. Using these marketing strategies could potentially earn you less or more. The signup page also uses some advance technology such as a time limit to sign up, stating that there are only so many openings left. Nothing could be further from the truth. This strategy invokes panic and a sense of urgency in the visitor to subscribe as soon as possible without fully researching the opportunity, where in fact the timer itself is completely trivial. If you let the timer run out, it simply starts over. Again, pay close attention to the disclaimers at the bottom of this signup page, and be sure to read the entire “Privacy Policy Page” and the “Terms and Conditions Page”. You will no doubtingly come across some disturbing information about what this company does with your personal information. You will also learn that the offer is actually fulfilled by a company under the name Eco Marketing LLC, established in 2007 in El Paso, TX, not Google. What a sham.

How does the Scam Work?
The basic concept behind this scam is to use Google as a front to establish trust in the visitor. It then will advertise a supposed “risk free” 7 day free trial period that only requires you to pay around $2 for the shipping of the materials. Presto, you have now provided to them your credit card number. And, if you have failed to read the fine print, in 7 days you will see a charge of around $70 from your bank account. Unless you cancel your membership within this 7-day period, there is not a damn thing you can do about it. This is ludicrous. You will most likely not even receive the materials your ordered within the 7-day trial period. Once you are signed up, rest assured, multiple sales agents offering more services for more money will most likely contact you uninhibitedly. How can these people sleep at night?

And now for Twist #2
If you realize that this is not a legitimate offer and decide to ignore this sales pitch and leave the “Googles Quick Cash” signup page, you are immediately prompted to talk with a virtual sales person through an instant chat window to answer any lingering questions you may have about the service. I wanted to find out for myself how this tactic worked so I indulged in chatting. Here is the transcript:

“Wait! Don’t leave just yet. Remember that this is a Risk Free opportunity!
Rachel Says: Anyone with a computer and basic typing skills can earn up to $943 per day!
Rachel Says: Whenever you are ready, just type ‘HI’ or ‘HELLO’ and we can get started or feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
Rachel Says: You can simply CLICK HERE to take advantage of this amazing opportunity!
Me: Hello
Rachel Says: Hi and thanks for chatting with me…CLICK HERE to get your Risk Free Google Profit Software Kit now!
Rachel Says: All you have to do is use simple typing skills to fill out online forms.
Rachel Says: And then, just watch as the money starts rolling in!
Rachel Says: So, don’t wait any longer and start earning up to $943 per day from home! CLICK HERE to take advantage of this deal right now!
Me: are you a real person?
Rachel Says: My name is Rachel and I’m a live virtual agent.
Me: you suck
Rachel Says: OK to end the CHAT simply CLICK on the “X” in the upper right.
Me: I’m sorry
Rachel Says: Remember, this is your opportunity to start making up to $943 per day from the comfort of your own home! You’ll never have to answer to a boss again, so CLICK HERE and take control of your life today!
The End “

As you can see all I received were automated responses. Don’t let these tactics fool you and don’t under any circumstances provide a company with your credit card # without fully researching the company and services first.

Does the Program Even Work?
The strategy and information being offered to make money online is to become an affiliate of a company, and then use Google Adwords and your own advertising dollars to drive traffic to this affiliate programs website. It is referred to as affiliate marketing. If the visitors you generate to your affiliate program grantor turn into customers, you as the affiliate will earn a commission or percentage of the sale because you were the referrer. In essence the strategy can be profitable for you if the visitors you send to the affiliate site earn you more in sales then it cost you to send them there. It is a strategy that requires a meticulous and methodical approach. Typically it requires weeks of testing different ads with different keywords to generate qualified leads that will ultimately turn into buyers. It is not an overnight process. You need to have a business like game plan and stay focused. It can be done however and I myself have earned a fair amount of money implementing affiliate marketing campaigns and I’ll be covering this technique in more detail in the future. My hope in writing this post is to help protect consumers from this type of deception. Please protect yourself by becoming educated. If you come across any other scams or marketing malpractices, I would love to hear from you. Until then, stay safe and stay clear of shady “money making” opportunities. With a little patience and hard work, you can achieve your own success, rather than contributing to the success of phonies.