Confessions of an Internet Marketing Scammer

By | March 17, 2011
406 Comments

Recently my friend Paul Counts was duped by a scammer who is targeting Internet marketers.

In case you don’t know Paul, he’s proven himself to be one of the “good guys” in our industry, who upholds integrity and treats his customers right. It seems like it’s often the good people who fall prey to scammers, because they tend to trust people.

There are always plenty of scams happening online, and I’ve been scammed a few times myself. It’s NOT fun, and to be a victim is one of the worst feelings you can experience. Most people can probably relate to this at some point in their life.

What makes this story unique from the millions is that the scammer actually CONFESSED his scam and told Paul some of the details of his scamming methods.

In spite of confessing to one of his victims, I do not believe the scammer has been caught, and I DO believe he’s still perpetuating his scams. I’d like to share the details with you, so that you can be aware of this particular scam, as well as gain insight that may help you avoid other scams in the future.

DETAILS OF THE SCAM

The scammer posted an ad in a popular Internet marketing forum, advertising an “ad swap”. He claimed to have an opt-in list of 35k subscribers, whom he would email for his side of the swap. The other marketer participating in the swap would email his/her list on behalf of the scammer first.

Unfortunately, the scammer did not have a list. He was duping Internet marketers into sending out his promotions, in exchange for nothing.

VARIATION OF THE SCAM:

An ad was posted in the Warrior Forum advertising a “solo ad” to a 50k opt-in list, for $287. Several Internet marketers bought this offer, but received nothing in return.

One victim was Socrates Socratous, a well-known Internet marketer who paid $500 in a deal with the above scammer, and $450 to another (or maybe the same) scammer the same day.

Due to the nature of the scam, I think it is very possible that Paul’s scammer is the same guy.

PAUL’S PLEA TO THE SCAMMER:

After the scammer failed to fulfill his end of the deal, Paul sent him this email:


Hello Andy,

I really wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt here, but the longer it is taking you to respond to me really tells me that you probably didn’t intend to hold up your end of the deal and promote for me. I hope I am wrong here, but your screen shot showed my offer qued up and it should have taken you just a few minutes to check on what happened. Instead it is terribly apparent that you deleted my ad after you sent me the screen shot. Again, correct me if I am wrong here about this situation.

My main point is that we setup a solo ad as something that is mutually beneficial for both of us. I ended up just promoting your squeeze page and building your list with my valued subscribers, and in return I got nothing from you. My goal with ad swaps is to also build up mutually beneficial JV relationships where I promoted your products in the future and such.

I like to work with people and recommend people and offer that I can trust myself. Please forgive me for the harsh tone here, but Andy I am sure you can understand my position here.

I really hope that I am wrong and that we can resolve this issue soon.

Thanks,

Paul

THE SCAMMER’S CONFESSION

Here is his reply to Paul’s email. I have highighted certain portions to draw attention to them…


From: Andrew Tudor
Date: Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: Ad Swap – From Warrior Forum
To: Paul Counts

Hi Paul,

You are entirely correct! The reason I did this is because I don’t possess a list of 35,000 subscribers. I also understand exactly what you are saying about building a mutually beneficial JV relationship and I do apologize if I have caused you any inconvenience, I completely understand your position and you have every right to take a harsh tone, I should say that I am surprised that you consider your tone to be currently harsh because I know that many would be quite pissed off in this situation, I respect your reasonable attitude and yes initially I had no intention to hold my end of the deal, simply because it wasn’t possible for me and if I could have, then of course I would have, hey… at least I am being honest here and not continuing to provide you with BS as I am sure many others would.

You are obviously an intelligent man and everything you said was entirely correct. I have been scamming people on the Warrior Forum with solo ads, which they paid for, in your case I think you have lost less, or at least I really hope so because I understand what you say about trust and providing me with opt-ins, but I am still happy to send your ad out for you as it’s already evident to you that I am trying to build a list here. The guys who have been scammed were sent emails to confirm, however most were actually reasonable and as I made sense of the situation and explained that PayPal disputes would not work and that they could open them and I explained that I would just win and walk away, however I did request that those who wanted another option could avoid this by instead being reasonable with me about it and understanding my situation.

My name is not Andy Tudor, I have actually been in IM a very long time but have only just at this point started trying to aquire a list. Now, I really hate scamming or dishonest business, but recently hit a very hard financial time stuck deep in debt and having my family to provide for which is my 4 year old daughter Jasmine and partner Annie, I have gone down the dishonest route which has not been pleasant, but it provided me with what I required in the current circumstances.

So yeah, the solo ads would have done that alone but I wanted swaps because I wanted to get started with a list and then possibly start working my way up, the problem is with solo ads that many of my customers have complained that they can’t find good solo ads anywhere, so even though I considered this option for starting my list, this put me off.

Now I am not going to lie to you, as talking any more BS won’t get me any further so I might as well be honest here, I have never had to actually reply to any emails regarding swaps yet but I am sure I will have even more soon. The problem here is it’s indeed true that I have been unfair here, and I don’t know exactly what to say because on solo ads if I am to simply leave with a customers money then they have that to lose and by considering the fact they have nothing to lose by hearing me out and waiting for me to build my list so that I can eventually send out their ads is beneficial to them, and I do indeed intend to send out every one of them ads, for the customers that decided to not take what I said into consideration, they opened the disputes and soon after realized that I won them because it was a virtual good, I even explained this to them before but it’s their own fault for not listening on that.

I work through many different identities and own a VERY large amount of websites, this includes forums, membership sites, squeeze pages, product sales pages and quite a bit more. So the point I am trying to make is, that I could just return under a different identity anyway Paul, and I currently have another 58 swaps this week using many different identities. I have revealed my real name to many of the solo ad buyers and shown them my work.

So what exactly do I want? – Ideally, being beneficial to both of us here, I would like to at least offer to send out your ad when I have established an adequate sized list instead of running off with your subscribers, I don’t see the harm in you taking up this offer? – Also, I feel that contacts are far better to have with internet marketing and although I have been slightly influenced by other scammers and my situation, I really dislike working in this dishonest way.

So here you have the full truth, I can’t really explain much further and of course if you find it unacceptable, well that’s up to you really isn’t it? – However, consider my offer because I ask nothing in return, you have provided your side of the deal and when I can, I would feel better if I could return what you have offered rather than running away. Considering, either way will not really bother me too much, I think you are a good person and you certainly don’t deserve this, I am sorry.

I have many skills that lead to me becoming involved in internet marketing, I also am quite knowledgable on the subject and offer any advice. I understand my wrong-doing here, but theres no need to treat me like I don’t understand exactly what I am doing, this is all well planned and I know exactly what I am doing here, So now in regards to my last statement marked in “bold” font: What exactly do you want? – By all means let me know, as I wish to provide whatever I can on my end and remember Paul that this doesn’t mean you should go thinking you are better than myself for example, sure you carry out business in a more honest way but what I mean is, before you go refusing my offer and complaining, the solution here is to simply be reasonable with me because maybe I have something of benefit to you – I hope so anyway.

Best,
Andy

After Paul replied to the above email (the reply is not included here, as I don’t feel it’s necessary), “Andy” the scammer decided to add to his confession in another email to Paul, which is excerpted below…


Hi Paul,

I do have a list, it’s just not 35,000 subscribers at all, I have done lot’s of work in photoshop, website design and sony vegas, basically for the AWeber screenshot I simply used firebug in Firefox to modify the code and took the screenshot, of course if I wanted to I could have managed with photoshop fine but it just pointlessly takes that little bit longer and of course when I modify code, I don’t usually have to worry about anything being out of place even by 1 pixel, unless I make a mistake but that’s never happend so far. It’s like the ClickBank login videos that you see, some may appear very realistic but it’s a simple job of matching the frames between 2 different clips, I do understand that theres a safe-swaps site if you want to find swaps more safely but I had even questioned that immediately to the fact I could program a bot to enter email addresses into a form and then verfiy that I have a large list, I have never done so because I see it as a waste of time and I would be paying increased AWeber charges for fake/bot generated email addresses…

(Andy)

(UPDATE: Added 03/18/11, 1:35PM)
After posting this to my blog, I received another of Andy’s confessionals, which was received by Internet marketer Socrates Socratous. Socrates was scammed by Andy Tudor, and by Dave Rivera (aka Monta on the Warrior Forum), who may or may not be the same person.

Socrates submitted PayPal disputes, which were ruled in favor of the scammers by PayPal (due to the digital goods loophole). After Andy won the dispute, he sent this email to Socrates:


Well, it appears I have won that dispute… so I have changed my mind. The NO REFUNDZ policy now applies.

I look forward working with you again in the future, I will spend the more wisely, don’t worry!

I am going to enjoy a nice cigar, which might seem a waste of money but it’s just to celebrate your failure, the sweet and smokey taste of success..

It’s only $450 man, it’s not much at all, but I guess with all the others out there that I clearly SCAMMED, it all adds up at the end of each and every day!

You are indeed the idiot that fell into the scamtrap. How’s that for disrespect? – You think your money was enough? No, please… it’s the pure enjoyment of scamming you that makes it worthwhile.

I suggest you get onto your credit card company Socrates, it’s obviously a bad sign if you had to use a CREDIT card to purchase a solo ad, what’s wrong? Out of money? I hope you starve.

Best Regards,
Andy

Subsequently, Socrates did file a complaint with his credit card company, and DID receive his money back through a chargeback.
(End of updated section)

CONCLUSION

I could give a lot of my own commentary here about…

…how the scammer justifies his actions by his circumstances, and his “good conscience”…

…how he arrogantly talks of winning Paypal disputes, and has the guts to blame his victims for not listening to him…

…how he is STILL trying to scam Paul and CONTROL the situation in his emails, and even goes so far as to compare himself to Paul…

…the fact that he “feels bad” about it, yet has another 58 VICTIMS lined up already in the next week under his various scammer aliases…

But I’ll leave the bulk of the commentary to you. Please post your comments below.

And most importantly, beware of scammers like “Andy”. As the scammer himself confessed: Anything on your computer screen could be fake. Just because something looks real, that doesn’t mean it’s real.

At the same time, not everything is fake. There are plenty of legitimate opportunities, and there’s plenty of money to be made online. So take this knowledge and apply it to your personal “filter”, as you determine what’s real and what’s not.

Have a great day!

(UPDATE: Added 03/21/11, 2:40PM)

Just a quick update to let everyone know that Mike Filsaime has contacted his rep at PayPal to notify them about the scammer, and PayPal has confirmed that their risk department is taking care of the scammer’s accounts. Thanks Mike. The guys at AWeber have also been notified, and I was told that their security department is handling it as well.

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406 thoughts on “Confessions of an Internet Marketing Scammer”

  1. Eric Post author

    Socrates, thanks for the update.

    I will add this additional “confession” from Andy to my blog post.

    I too think “Andy Tudor” and “Dave Rivera” (aka Monta on the Warrior Forum) are indeed the same person.

    In one of his emails to Paul, Andy denies that he is Monta, and even says he has warned other people to stay away from Monta, out of the goodness of his heart. This makes it all the more seem to me like they are one in the same.

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  2. Andrea

    This is precisely why I can’t bring myself to get involved again in any IM business. I was already scammed for over $1,400 a couple of years ago by a ruthless, fraudulent IM business who thankfully was reported and finally put out of business but now I don’t trust anyone anymore. I’m currently still unemployed and really need to make some money but am afraid of getting scammed again since I’m a newbie. How do I know who to trust?

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  3. Len

    I don’t know why this guy is spending so much time setting up scams. It probably takes more time to hide his identity and set up the scam than it would to be totally HONEST and straight up, I’m sure that if he was honest with the people he has scammed and legitimately asked for help that he would have gotten it without scamming anyone. I personally hate Thieves and Liars and he is both so I hope he looses everything. I’m tired of getting screwed by those type of people, that’s why I’ve given up on ever making any money on the internet.

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  4. Dr Claude Windenberger

    The truth is that anyone who sees a scammer is a scammer. The world is as we are. We can only see what we create in our minds. If we want to be free from scammers and spammers and what not, we need to stop looking for them. But the real culprit is our addiction to the emotional reactions that such situations trigger–addiction to feeling angry, revengeful, pissed, etc. So create unconditional freedom from such reactions and you will experience a completely different world.

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  6. Doug Champigny

    Hey, Eric!

    Thanks for posting this. Did either Paul or Socrates relay the info to the authorities? If those of us who’ve been in the biz a long time don’t do everything to permanently weed out these jerks, we’ll never have a truly professional industry.

    The big loss here isn’t to those losing the bucks, or to those of us who’ll make less sales, but to those who really need to find a way to make money online. People like this make them afraid to try the biz, leaving them trapped in their financial crisis…

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  7. Doug

    Andrea,

    Sorry to hear about your loss to the fraudulent IM crowd out there. I believe the main problem you had was dealing with somebody you did not know, therefore, had no basis for assessing a business dealing with them. Who to trust is a much harder question to answer than you may think because there is too much anonymity afforded by processors such as PayPal. My advice would be to learn all you can about bringing internet marketing and electronic advertising to businesses in you local area. There is good money to be made in offering these services. The down side? It does require you to actually interface with your clients and perform work. There can be no big promises about creating a product, selling it, and retiring overnight. A fair amount of free information is out on the internet and some free forums focusing on developing your “offline” business. I will not list any because I do not want to give the perception of pitching something. I will say that I moved from online to offline and have been very happy since. Maybe Eric can recommend a course (or other training) if you desire to pursue this route. Best of luck to you.

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  8. Douglas Stratemeyer

    There was an “Andy Tudor” selling a product named “Google Predator” on Warrior Forum about a year ago. The e-mail displayed in the post here suggested an affiliation, so I did a search.

    Warrior Forum now shows the member status for Andy Tudor as “banned”, and the sales thread for Google Predator on WF is “closed”.

    A Google search produces forums in which buyers of Google Predator purchased a subsequent “I’ll Do It For You” product for $997. The purchasers are unable to find “Andy Tudor”.
    Hmmmm.

    I’m a lawyer, and Internet marketer. I’ve spoken nationally on “Doing Business On-Line” to many groups and organizations.

    My recommendation is to file a complaint with both the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of your state. They do take action when enough complaints are lodged, and the FTC will refer to the Justice Department for prosecution in some cases.

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  9. Ria

    Being a recent victim of fraud I HATE THIS HAS HAPPENED!

    Although Andy may think he is safe, Paul has the opportunity to file a report with IC3.gov. Which I highly suggest he do.

    The Government is looking at these scams as well as credit card scams and PayPal scams very closely.

    Although their website is hard to navigate through, he has more than enough information to support a fraud claim.

    I hope he sinks this man. People like him prey on hard working, honest people and he as well as the other’s that do this, need to be stopped.
    I think it is great Eric that you are sharing this with all of us. I would have Paul post it on Face Book, his blog if he has one and anywhere else he can.

    Personally, as soon as I posted the names of the company’s that accepted the fraudulent payments, it was funny on just how fast the money was returned. But since in my case the charges were international, IC3.gov gets involved due to the company’s lack of security it becomes very serious.
    Paul ~
    Go for the gusto!

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  10. Ria

    Dr. Windenberger;
    I do not agree with your statement.

    We have the right to be angry over the “accidental” finding of being scammed.
    We have the right to be angry at peoples dishonesty when we “choose” to work honestly.
    We have the right to make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that other people are protected from the scum that prays on people.

    It’s not an addiction, I hardly believe that most people look for the scammer’s and spammer’s. As a matter of fact, they find people and gosh, before you know it, you have a situation that has to be dealt with swiftly and sternly.

    There is nothing funny about people who choose to be dishonest. Equally, there is absolutely nothing funny about you thinking a “victim” is looking to victimized as your comment suggests.

    Paul is a victim who tried to give Andy the benefit of the doubt. In return, he was victimized even farther by the mere fact Andy thought it was a game.

    Personally, I think Paul was great in how he handle this situation. The only thing he received in return was Andy laughing at how he
    victimized Paul and other’s just like him.

    Your comment suggests that when someone has been scammed out of money, they should just blow it off. Well I am sorry but you are wrong.

    You can’t blow it off. You have to move fast, swiftly and firmly to make sure EVERYONE knows about the crook. Because that is exactly what these spammers and scammers are.

    Let’s take it even farther, how would you personally feel if this would happen to your mother or grandmother? Because situations just like these are happening every day.

    Personally, I choose to be proactive and help in every way possible to expose criminals just like Andy. Because we all have a moral obligation to do so.

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  12. Richard Adams

    Amen to everything that’s been said. I’m a newbie and I talk to others and right now because of all the scams out there now, would be internet marketeers are becoming increasingly skeptical and disillusioned. If everybody ends up walking away because of all this stuff where will the industry be? There’s dishonesty in most walks of life but the scale of it in IM is horrendous.
    How many times do we read that 98% of new people give up and are politely slagged off for lack of persistence etc. They give up because they’ve been ripped off, let down and lied to! Who can blame them?
    Richard

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  13. Michaela

    Oh Boy! Socrates the arrogance of this person is incredible… The Paypal policy is protecting Andy not the innocent people, I am very surprised…
    Eric I hope you will publish the end of this saga.
    You make a great service to IM community publishing the entire story, the response is overwhelming and I hope this type of spams will go away, but to accomplish this, the scams must be exposed.
    All the best Socrates and Eric

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  14. Michaela

    I think you are right Eric, this guy reacts without scruple, is full of arrogance and thinks that he can full everybody.
    It is pathetic.

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  15. Floyd Fisher

    Eric:

    This scammer is obviously terminally stupid. I got that when he figured Socrates was using a credit card because he was out of money…what a dope to not realize credit cards are used to prevent fraudsters like him from taking advantage of hard working people like yourself.

    Do you sell any products I can buy to show my appreciation for what you did here? Or do you have a way for me to ‘buy you a beer’?

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  16. Joy Marino

    Wow… thank you for sharing that Eric (and the gentleman who shared the information). I am appalled at the nerve of this “Andy” and will be on the lookout for him on WF. I am shocked and I don’t know what else I can say other than this: “What goes around comes around-what you do to other people will be done unto you.”
    Joy

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  17. Chris Harris

    This is why many people as well as myself are sick of all the sales talk. Sales isn’t really a valid profession, unless value, (not perceived value) is actually there. Tricking or swindling people is why I have yet to make one dime.

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  18. Mick Fallon

    Karma will have its say in the end, we reap what we sow, their are literally millions just like Andy ” who ever he is” who walk the path to greed and avirice,not knowing that natural justice lies in wait.
    Thank god their are billions of us honest folk who also walk the true path to dilute them.

    Cheers Mick Fallon

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  19. Ken Harthun

    John, sorry, but $40 is a drop in the bucket and the truth be known, if it took 4 months to get to page one, he didn’t give you any backlinks. He made $40 for about five minutes worth of work. He took a friend of mine for several thousand dollars and didn’t deliver anything but a few lousy, useless pages. I was smart enough not to get taken, but he wasted a lot of my time.

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  20. Marilyn

    Let’s not forget Paypals part in this. Even if you provide them with proof of a scam or illegal activity they hide behind their policy. I hesitate to use them because they offer us no protection against the scammers.

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  22. Mike FIlsaime

    LOL – I need to change that Gravitar LOL. Andy I sent the information over to the people I know well at PayPal. I also sent them info that Socrates posted and they are on it. I will update you guys soon

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  23. Gary Simpson

    WOW! Yesterday there were lots of comments here – about 60-odd but now there are over 200. That’s a strong reaction.

    Naturally, and rightly so, most people are completely outraged by this “Andrew (Andy) Tudor” character but… let’s step back for a moment and analyze all this…

    WHY do you think he is doing it? Why not just take the ill-gotten fraud money and slink away looking for more victims?

    Why do you think he has gone to the trouble of writing to Paul Counts (and presumably other people – eg Socrates – see his comment on this) such a long and detailed “explanation” of his so-called circumstances? Why the boastfulness?

    I’ll tell you what I think…

    He is a baiter (well some would say a master-baiter… a small joke. Sorry). This is how he gets his jollies. He is challenging the recipients of these comments. He’s committed a crime and he’s rubbing everyone’s faces in it.

    He believes he is “smarter” than his victims and he is basking in the anger and frustration that he has caused them. It makes him feel superior. Like… “what on EARTH can you do about it?”

    I’d even be so bold to say that he is getting an amazing amount of satisfaction by reading all the outrage this has caused here and elsewhere. [Hello “Andy”]

    His need is not for money – as he says – that is just the icing on the cake for him. That’s the excuse. The real driver IMO is the thrill of beating somebody and getting away with it. That’s what motivates him. He’s an egomaniac. His thrill is in the hunt and then the pre-meditated attack on unsuspecting and trusting victims. In some respects he is like a serial rapist. It’s not about the sex. It’s about the power.

    And he gets extra satisfaction by sending megalomaniac taunts like the one above. Here’s an insight into his phobia (from his own mind):

    “…Paul that this doesn’t mean you should go thinking you are better than myself for example…”

    See? That is the REAL driver. Power over others. It’s the undercurrent to why he does this. He just thinks he is superior and, in his own mind, he needs to reinforce that. Hence the taunts.

    There’s are lots of other hints in his comments above too – such as the false regret. It’s very smarmy – designed to ramp up the outrage. (See also the taunts to Socrates – it’s all about “I’m smarter than you.”)

    “… it’s just to celebrate your failure, the sweet and smokey taste of success..”

    I mean, why bother contacting the victim and gloating like that? He’s already gotten away with the crime – or so he thinks. He NEEDS that extra ingratiation. It gives him such a buzz. He craves that feeling of power over people.

    Andy, why don’t you make a comment about what I said. You know you want to. You’re not afraid to show yourself here are you? Just use a throw away email addy. Send it from an Internet cafe. You’re pretty clever (We can tell that but… you really need to brush up on your grammar. It’s a little shoddy in places. Too many mixed and rambling sentences.)

    C’mon… humor us.

    Gary Simpson
    TEMPLE

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  24. Eric Post author

    Very interesting comment. I understand what you’re saying, although I do not agree that it is possible to create unconditional freedom from natural emotions. IMO the freedom would be more in how you handle and resolve those emotions. And did you mean to say anyone who sees a scammer is a scammer? The statement would make more sense if you said anyone who sees a scammer is a VICTIM, although I still would not agree with it 🙂

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  25. Ron Schmidli

    I’m sorry to hear you got ripped off for so much money. I’m sure you have legal recourse IF you ever find the real person. You’re not alone though, last yesr I tried to purchase the software “Unlimited Capture Pages”, as I believe its the program that made marketers like Brian Bear very wealthy in a short time frame. I found the site, ordered via PayPal, but never got a download link or any feed back. I filed a complaint with Paypal which was useless. This past fall I saw it advertised again, the website looked fresher, so gave it a second try, thinking maybe I was tired and was the one that messed up the transaction, but I got the same experience, no product. This time I did not pursue it. I guess I’m just gulable in believing my fellow man. I have purchased many products from click Bank promising high traffic, filling your CB account account, yet to see ANY of them actually perform as advertised, or even close. That being said, I suggest we create a SCAM thread, possibly at WF so us marketers with integrity can share our SCAM experiences with each other.

    Ron Schmidli

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  26. Andrew Tudor

    [NOTE FROM ERIC: I do not know whether this is really Andy or not, but I think it probably is. I’ve edited a few words, to help keep my site family-friendly in the search engines]

    Hey guys it’s Andy, btw Paul got OWNED.

    I appreciate your kind comments, and I also find them quite funny although to be completely honest and I am sure many agree with me here, it’s in fact you Gary Simpson who looks like a serial rap- -t, just in my opinion of course.

    Karma, Illegal blah blah fu- -ing BULLS- -T, I do enjoy SCAMMING, why do I confess? Because it’s just too hilerious that idiots like Paul fall into these scams, IT WAS SO EASY!

    It’s not about power, it’s about how funny it is, I can have a laugh like this and make money in the process, you are the only fool nigg- -s who suffer.

    Tar Tars!

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  27. Kadhim Mohammed

    Hi dear Eric it nice from u to provide to your subscriber subjects like Scamming in the internet ,everyone has a possibility to be scammed these days and your friend Paul is the proof,this guy Andy, is smart psycho who has 2 different tricky speeches,so guys….. be careful

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  28. William

    Eric, thanks for sharing. If enough people get this message, perhaps they can put this worm out of business. It is so hard to know whom to trust anymore. It almost makes me want to work from within closed walls. I’ll make less money, but perhaps that will be the cost.

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  29. joseph n mascarenhas

    I’ve been scammed from here to eternity by some IMarketers that claimed that every thing they offered was so easy a 2 year old could make money doing their stuff!

    I am still interested in IM but you have been the shining star teaching me and others like me IM stuff for free and also warning us not to BUY stuff until we can hold it on our own through your “EricsTips!”

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  30. mdarff@gmail.com

    Dear Eric,
    We suggest you spread this new more openly so as to help many Online biz from being scammed.
    These scammers’ they are smart people doing funelling innocent people money unto their wallet.
    We need to protect innocent people from being trapping by the real scammers, thus collecting allots of money from their sincerity clients.

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  31. Chad Carlton

    WOW! I haven’t even started building a list yet and now this is concerning! I was looking at buying spots on list but now, who should I trust?

    Do you have any recommendations, or better yet… Start a safe and closely monitored system?

    Chad!;-)

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  32. stargaterich

    I am lucky in the sense that I have never been scammed the way some people got themselves into with disgusted cyber criminals such as ‘Andy’. It is quite alarming that this guy knows the rules of the game and is able to leverage on loopholes so much so that he is able to walk free with any disputes via PayPal. This is really a cause of concern. Someone need to put a stop to this scammer period.

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  36. AD

    I would bludgeon this guy to death if I ever met him in person. Just glad that Paul was able to get a refund through his CC company.

    Really wish this guy was put behind bars. I know cause I was scammed of a substantial sum of money too and there too the scammer himself escalated the dispute and won it in his favour within seconds (automatically as per paypal policy)…

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take this issue forward…

    Contact paypal about the issue – file charges against this guy and put him behind bars. Anybody who has a paypal account is completely ‘trackable’. Let’s at least put him on the run.

    Reply ↓
  37. Ellie

    I think this scammer had some nerve to talk to
    the people he scammed that way. I have been
    scammed also. I take it personally and in some way violatesyou .Because you do not feel safe.And he is in your space and like many who
    hurt you your afraid of him coming back

    Reply ↓
  38. Stuart - NetActivated.com

    the sad thing is that it’s sometimes easier to
    make money scamming, than it is to make it
    legitimately.

    the problem (aside from the moral & legal
    issues) is that there’s no longevity to an
    income derived from running cons.

    no matter what you do, no matter how ‘careful’
    you are – sooner or later it catches up with
    you.

    are you in this, or any biz, for the long haul?
    if so, learn your business inside & out, what
    makes it tick, what moves & motivates the people
    you serve, and deal with ever aspect of it the
    same way you’d like to be dealt with.

    do all of that, and sooner or later you will
    succeed.

    and if you’re trying to get started – in
    whatever it is that you want to do – realize
    that there are sharks out there, online &
    offline, that don’t give a hoot about you and
    are only after one thing – your money – no
    matter HOW nice, interested and concerned they
    appear to be.

    the answer?

    no matter what size the investment or purchase,
    take the time to check the seller out – and NO,
    i don’t mean by reading those cheesy BS
    tesimonials you see on a LOT of sales pages.

    those testimonials are only as good as the
    reputation of the person who posted them…

    and by the way – to any of you who are new to
    this biz, just in case you didn’t know, you
    can’t find many marketers in this biz of the
    quality of both eric and paul.

    my 2 cents…

    stuart halpryn
    NetActivated.com/CC

    Reply ↓
  39. Eric Post author

    Thanks for your kind words Stuart. I received your greetings at JV Alert Orlando thru a messenger, thank you.

    Reply ↓
  40. James

    I love that the WF deleted Desmond Ong’s thread that linked your article. It seems that they don’t take warning other warriors very seriously sometimes, which really disturbs me.

    Reply ↓
  41. Learn Spanish

    I stand aghast at the number of comments on this subject. It confirms my suspicion that most people are scammed by so called Gurus. I have been working 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 15 months, spent 000’s $ and sold ——– wait for it ———— $300

    Reply ↓
  42. Los Angeles SEO

    I’m by instinct suspicious. So much that I’m questioning the validity of this whole post. Why would a scammer send a long letter explaining what he is doing? It doesn’t make sense.
    I have a feeling that we will soon see a something sent out my Eric or Paul to “help” us understand better.
    I don’t mean to offend anyone, but 99% of all this kind of communication carries the intention to get the recipient of the communication to purchase something.

    Reply ↓
  43. peter

    Kathleen.
    I just want to say that I totally agree with you.
    I also have one GUY? ripping people off.
    As I have an international business serving the
    UK, Europe, USA and Asia, I am sending the file
    (over 50 pages of emails and “canned” replies”
    to all my associates, to warn them of this
    man/woman.
    LOOK OUT “CHRIS A” we are after you.
    Thank you Eric for bringing this in the open,
    and allowing us to use your blog for interaction.
    All the best,
    Peter.

    Reply ↓
  44. Kathleen

    Yes Stargaterich,

    Andy,is a sad being with no life and may think he knows the rules of the game but one thing he does not know or understand are the laws of the universe!!
    Like i said earlier- KARMA!
    Also, in answer to you Andy ( if that is who you really are, didn’t your poor mother ever teach you that there is no fun in having all the toys if no-one will play with you, because when you may think you have it all – you will not not have what really matters and, that is family, friend and respect and no-one will be there for you,when your really in need or trouble!!
    Well ANDY, you are just a sad wannabe who ain’t and never will be, but you are a loser,just like the schoolyard bully who meeds to be dealt with and the universal laws will most cerrtainly do that .
    You won.t be able to cheat that, and you most certainly won’t be laughing, you sad being!!!

    Reply ↓
  45. peter

    Many thanks Eric for this blog. I will be keeping my eyes open for updates in the “ANDY SAGA” and other scammers that can be named.
    Kindest regards,
    Peter.
    PS All my filed copies of ERIC’S TIPS are next to my computer station.

    Reply ↓
  46. Mark

    Eric,

    thanks for sharing this information. I hope it will prevent other people from falling for this scam.

    I also hope it will slow down the adswap frenzy that’s taken over the IM arena…

    Reply ↓
  47. Kara

    With everything going on in the world (yeah – I think globally – as well as locally)…

    I’m saddened by ALL OF THIS…
    So sad.

    This guy needs a wake up call.

    I can’t imagine how he’d be in the middle of earthquake/tsunami Japan – no food, no warmth, no creature comforts, or in the middle of a town in Libya where he or his most beloved was severely injured.

    This is what it takes to “break” these types of narcissistic, self-indulgent, “above the law,” misguided personalities.

    I doubt he’d be pulling his own special kind of “racket” in a scenario like the ones above.

    And if he did try – it wouldn’t be tolerated for long by the rest of the group.

    I realize internet marketing is so akin to the wild, wild west – it’s not even funny. Yet tolerance, in the world in general, is growing very thin for these types of people.

    For me personally – the line has been drawn in the sand, and there’s no tolerance left.

    Thanks for reporting this – and if ALL marketers who know of these types of scammers (or the one person with 7,000 pseudo – identities) and exposed them publicly – then we would be looking out not only for each other and also for the integrity of the internet marketing community at large.

    May the sands of Justice fall on the just and the unjust, expediently, nevertheless.

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  48. Jack

    At least this is one “honest” responsive scammer. Most scammers cut off all communication with you after running away with your money.

    Reply ↓
  49. Elizabeth

    Having read all these posts, some comments have a very common thread running through them.
    We all know there is no real protection against these criminals on the internet.
    There are however some things you can do for yourself.
    1) Re: Paypal….Do NOT use them to buy products, but, only to receive your payment transactions.
    2) Re: Buying….Use only your credit card that has a very strong Anti-Spam Policy..I use American Express…”S*** hits the fan” with them!.
    3) Re: Emails with the inevitable “push this button for $37, $27 etc BS, from your so-called marketing ‘mentors’. Don’t just Unsubscribe, use your Reply Box..Ask them to remove you from their ‘BS list’, their ‘sell to a sucker list’ & don’t forget to ask for an explanation! This works for me, as I believe the Marketers affiliating themselves with the product..should know what they are promoting!
    4) Get hold of the IP adress from the email, complain LOUDLY to their hosting company.
    5) Report the Spam to the authorities.
    6) Write an Article to Ezine, etc.. about your experiences, especially with Clickbank, Paypal, WF..etc..(you never know..we might achieve a louder voice…) 1 person will not be heard, more voices mean the noise is louder!
    7) Go onto forums and spread the word! 1 person alone will not change the policies in these big companies, I know, BUT, at least You can do something about looking after Yourself.

    I am sorry that Paul is obviously saddened and more than a little bitter about this experience, I also believe that many are extremely suspicious of Adswaps and the like..and so you should be, ask the seller for contacts of his/her previous JV partners as recommendations & follow them up! You could also casually mention that you are a newbie just starting out in IM after retiring from “a well known investigative authority”…
    I use this tactic..it works for me!…Out of 4 different attempts to scam me..only 1 marketer, actually wrote back and complied with all my rquests..he was entirely legitimate!.(he was not afraid to comply)…By the way..I am still waiting for the replies from the other 3..It’s been some months now…and still nothing!..Maybe they are busy? or, did I scam them?
    Decide for yourself…Take Care & Be Aware!

    Reply ↓
  50. Gary Simpson

    Well “Andy”

    Since you said:

    “… I am sure many agree with me here, it’s in fact you Gary Simpson who looks like a serial rap- -t, just in my opinion of course.”

    and your “opinion” is worth nothing then I’m not worried at all.

    I know what makes you tick mate, despite your denial and attempted diversion of the truth.

    I predicted that you were reading this thread and you just couldn’t help yourself, could you? LOL!

    I’d say you were the one who got “OWNED” – stupid term that it is.

    Thanks for exposing your dogma and narcissism to everyone.

    Don’t bother replying I’m not interested in anything more you have to say.

    Oh, one thing I will leave you with. It might help you change your ways…

    One day when you are standing at Heaven’s gate and you are denied entry you’ll realize your entire life has been a waste of time. Pity.

    Gary Simpson

    Reply ↓

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