I am not sure if you guys know anything about the recent aweber email scam. There wasn’t that much news about it and it’s sad that most bloggers won’t blog about it; I am sure you know the reason- if not then keep reading.

I have used aweber since 1.5 years. I haven’t used email marketing much which was a big mistake on my part especially in the internet marketing world. However, this post is not related to my mistakes nor Justin bieber, it’s about the “most popular” email marketing company aweber.

Most marketers and bloggers trust aweber and promote it to their readers but the fact is, they are not the best one out there. Why would someone tell you that a product sucks when he or she is making money from it? And even if they do, they might be promoting a competitor’s product. Aweber has an affiliate program and many bloggers including me promote them. If you see aweber cloaked with my affiliate link on this post, blame it on SEO Smart Links – I am assuming even this one is linked up

Aweber was hacked several times in the past and millions of email addresses were compromised. Check out a post written by Darren Rowse on problogger: Aweber Makes a Statement About Their Data Being Compromised

Note that the post was made in 2009 which is over 2 years ago. There is another post made on aweber’s blog: Email Subscriber Data Accessed; What We’re Doing About It. This post was written in 2010 which is last year.

When Barman talked shit about aweber, I felt some of the stuff was true but now I know that he makes sense.

Aweber Email Scam

Recently, I received an email and you can see the screenshot below:

As you can see, the email looks so legit that most people would simply take action as in do what the email says. I knew something was not right at the first glance and before I could even check the link, it was suspended. I really love exploring stuff like these (even if website is filled with viruses and Trojans)..’cuz that’s how I discover new scams and reveal them.

I wouldn’t be surprised if aweber gets hacked once every year; there seems to be at least 1 post regarding this issue every year. Aweber says they have over 80,000 customers. I bet some of the top gurus using aweber have hundreds and thousands of subscribers. Imagine over 44 million emails leaked into the wild. I know it’s scary but this is the fact and we cannot do anything about it—oh wait, maybe there is something.

I am not saying aweber sucks and you should quit using them. I believe nothing is perfect and even my sites were hacked couple of times. Mistakes are made, things can be compromised but precaution is better than cure. We can definitely take advanced steps to avoid further breach. Aweber should take action and fix this issue once in for all. I wouldn’t be happy if I have to write something shitty again about them next year.

What is the alternative?

Of course, this is the most important part of this post. Even though, I am still with aweber and will continue to use them, I believe we all need an alternative. I know how important is email marketing and there is always an alternative; a better choice for the serious marketers.

If you have followed my previous posts here and even on Mastermind blogger, you should know that I have always talked good about mailchimp. Beside aweber, I also use mailchimp. The best part is; they allow you to have up to 1000 subscribers for free which is just awesome. Aweber really can’t beat that offer. If you are wondering why I still use aweber – I find their interface pretty easy and since I am comfortable using it, Ill stick around. I am hoping they will come up with a solid solution in the future and at the same time, I am also testing and using mailchimp.

I love my readers and would never want their emails to be compromised. If you are my subscriber and receive spam, it’s because aweber or the email marketing company was breached. I haven’t started my awesome newsletter on this blog yet, it’s because I don’t want to simply give you guys shit in exchange of your email addresses. I believe in quality and I am currently working on a list; once it’s ready, I hope you guys get instant access .

My ultimate goal is to develop my own email marketing system . Trust me, with today’s modern tools, everything is possible. If you are an expert and are into programming and stuff, check out phplist. If you guys have any question or remarks please post below. I would love to hear different opinions

1. Always check out the URL (address bar) before you fill out any information or even click. URLs can be tricky, really tricky so make sure you note this down.

2. Make sure you check out the TOS/Disclaimer before you sign up for anything. If it’s unclear, stay away from that product/site/service.

3. Enter Email and Get FREE stuffs? Son, there is no such thing as “Free Lunch”. If you see such offers or ads then make sure you read the details properly before filling out any forms.

4. When granting full access (your info/details/data) to a third party, think THREE times before you do so and also note that they are legit. Legal stuffs always look good and will contain proper information.

5. A fan page might have 1 million fans but that doesn’t mean that the 1 Million fans are all “right” in making their decision to like the page. They might be newbies/kids falling victim to scams too. Do not go with the number. Do your own research or seek guidance from an expert

6. Do not click on random links posted by others in group walls. At least 90% of them are spams or else they wouldn’t be there in the first place . Even if you see a link posted by your friend, it could be fake. Your friend might have given access to some of these crazy bots/apps who are using his account to post stuffs. Verify yourself before checking it out.

7. Use common sense when dealing with Facebook. Do not try fancy stuffs like profile layout, tracker, who viewed me etc. If Facebook officially announces any new features then it’s a different case. Avoid all the other third parties.

Enjoy, Prosper & Spread the Word!

Before I begin, I just want to clear out something important; that is, I personally have nothing against the facebook groups/pages/apps or whatever I am going to mention or should I say “expose” today in my post. I just love browsing around finding flaws and discovering the dirt on the net and of course, I don’t want any of my readers to get affected or fall victim to any of these scam/spam and other bullshit.

If you happen to be the admin of these pages/groups and believe that you are legit and I am wrong then feel free to comment or email me with proof. I would love to sort it out.

I wanted to make this post for a while now. I actually wanted to create a video where I would show you what I was seeing and browsing which would have given much clearer impression. I really wanted to show you the links and everything they were doing to make money but anyways, I will try to put this in a video as well pretty soon. I still have to get the video intro done and I have passed the details to one of my new techy girl who claims she is good with After Effects. I am hoping to get that done soon. By the way, if you haven’t subscribed to my channel yet then, go ahead and do the right thing.

I hope to put the truth/facts on the table and hope you guys enjoy the post. I usually do not write long posts (I guess I suck at it ) but this one might be an exception. Today, I will talk about some of the Facebook scams that have been there for a while and some new ones. I plan on exposing some other crazy Google, msn messenger scam/spam pretty soon so stay tuned!

FACT: Scammers Will Always Exist!

Facebook is huge! They are so friggin huge that I bet they cannot guarantee 100% safety online. Maybe they do but according to me, it’s B/S! If we talk about privacy then you lost that when you first joined Facebook, eh!

There will always be the “3 S”, scammers, spammers and stalkers hanging out on Facebook trying to make money in every possible ways using unethical methods. Trust me when I say this, I have seen “black hatters” who do that and make a ton of money. I am talking about five- six figures here.

Making money through Facebook advertising is legal and legit. If you are making money selling affiliate links through a fan page or group then you should mention that you will earn a commission if someone purchases the product –According to the FTC rules you gotta hook up a disclaimer.

Creating a fan page or asking someone to fill out a survey to prove that he/she is a human is bullshit. If you play Mafia wars or Farmville then I bet you have come across pages that sells or asks you to fill out a survey in exchange of a cheat or Farmville bot. You know that they are making money right? Tons of them. It would have been ok if they mentioned that the survey was to help them support their hosting cost or etc. but it hardly occurs.

Abusing CPA Offers

Another crazy CPA offer people are desperately trying to promote through Facebook is the email submit offers. I bet you saw one of these too. Win an ipad? Free iPhone? Enter your email? Hah, yeah! You did and I can bet my butt that you entered your email couple of times . Well let’s say that these offers are not SCAM and they are legit. BUT, here’s the secret: you don’t simply get an ipad/iPhone for FREE after you enter your email address. If you read or look at the bottom of the page/offer then I am sure it will say that “participation required and you need to fill out 2-3 offers in order to be eligible to get the product. “ We should clearly write this out so people know what they can expect after submitting their email address. The image above was picked from a random group that is promoting the offer. If someone tells you that you will receive an ipad if you become a fan and share it on Facebook then let me tell you, they are lying. If it says “Participation Required”, you should know that you have to go through some deals/offers. If we mention this clearly and then market this offer on Facebook, I think it should be ok. However, email submit offers do not easily get approved on Facebook ads and spammers will keep on doing their good job.

We Can’t Stop Them but We Can Avoid Them

As the title states, we can never stop the spammers/scammers but if we educate ourselves and take measures, we can avoid them and not fall victims. I write about scams whenever I discover them; if I feel that it’s important for you to know. Check out 10 Tips to Avoid Scams which I posted a year ago. It might be basic but it’s strong and will come in handy.

The pages/apps/groups I am going to mention below are picked randomly because of their rapid growth and influence. There are ton more similar groups/pages you will come across. This post is to show you some of the examples so you understand how it works and how to avoid being a victim.

The images are shrunk to fit the page. If any text/portion is unclear then click the image for a larger view.

Recent and On-Going Facebook Group/Pages/App Scam

Who Viewed Profile Scam

I have pretty much put all the details into the pics. As you can see, it is growing so fast and people are unaware of it. Also check out their website if you are curious. It will take you to a non english crappy page.

Here I point out how they are making money with ads. Click on the image for a better view and understanding.

You can see the comments above made by various users of a similar “who viewd me” app. They sure dont look that happy .

Change Profile Layout Scam

I have nothing much to say here. Check out the text in red. Its actually funny when I think about these stuff. Why would someone want to change profile layout or even see who viewed us? I understand that it can be exciting and as a matter of fact, most of the youngsters are the ones who are often browsing these stuff.

External Facebook Site Scam

See the above pic? There are ton of sites like these. Its really scary how they take ton of your datas. I cant blame them because its the users who are granting them access. 62 people online at a time, this is huge and really ridiculous. Bieber is one of the top two entertainers now along with Lady Gaga. He is popular amongst the younger generation so you know how scary is this because these young people are the ones who are logged in and giving off information without knowing the facts.

Verdict

These are just some of the sites or pages I have shown you but these are also the most important ones because the scammers do not give up. They will create, rinse, repeat and thats how they work. You will come across similar sites always but just remember, its sometimes common sense to figure out things. I really dont want to make this post longer and to be honest, It took me around 3 hours to do the screening, Images and writing  so I really hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope you know how to be safe now.

Please Share!

I would really appreciate if you guys share this and spread it out. The fact is, its always the good stuff that get less likes than the badass ones. Take the groups/pages I mentioned above for an example . Spread the word and keep the community safe. Please comment and let me know your thoughts

Enjoy & Prosper!

I was Scammed!!

I want to share a personal incident: the first time when I fell for a scam; it was my last time too . It was long time ago; maybe when I was 15 years old. I have been always seeking opportunities to learn and earn from the net. My parents were very skeptical about this since they dont use the net that often.

They never bothered what i did online since they thought either i was watching a movie or playing games which we all usually begin with. It was tough to believe that someone could earn a living from the net. Internet home based jobs were the hottest thing online since then and I was excited to give it a try.

Anti-Scam!

I chose one to begin with; the company stated that they would send me a CD with details on how to make good sum online and ALAS! I just bought that stuff :p. I received the disc several weeks later; the disc had loads of email list and some cheap affiliate junks and there were tutorials about how you can make money from “Spamming”. Yes! You heard it right! So this is what I learnt at 15, “How to make money from Spamming :p”! Of course I didn’t do that since I knew about ethics and it wasnt my food so I gave up on this and moved on to something else. But, this time I was more professional. I invested my time on researching and finding out more stuff about online businesses and how everything works.

Believe me when I say this, if you can use google as a friend, there is nothing that you wont find online . I will post a guide soon enough about google tricks and tweaks which will come in handy.

There is no ending to gaining knowledge. I am still a learner and I love educating myself and the community. Scams have become so intense these days that some of them can even trick the experts. Always be careful when you are dealing with money, act according to your senses and be safe!

I am working on several guides /tutorials which I will post shortly. They will include several legitimate ways of making money online, how to succeed with blogs, elite marketing strategies, twitter and much more.

Feel free to comment, retweet, dig and share my post. Till then, take it easy!

How to Avoid Scams!

• First of all, ask yourself; do you know what you are doing? Always use your common sense before acting especially when money is involved.

• Do a whois on the domain and find out when it was registered. It is not easy to find out which one is credible but it is obvious that the domains which are recently purchased seem illegitimate or creepy.

• Ask for references; if the company is legitimate then they will definitely send you details and references from their satisfied clients. You can always ask since you have nothing to lose.

• If you are dealing with large sum of money then it is better to check with the state’s Attorney’s Office to see if the company has a received any sorts of complaints.

• Use GOOGLE as your friend. Google is so powerful that you can’t imagine. Do a search on the product. For example: if the product is Google cash kit then search for “Google cash kit reviews”. Always checkout reviews before dealing with the product. There are tons of sweet people like me giving out free reviews.

• Make sure the review is legitimate. A lot of unethical marketers use this “review” system to their advantage to make sales.

• Check with the National Fraud Information Center. You can reach them at 1-800-876-7060. They provide a lot of valuable resources about all forms of scams.

• You should remember pyramid schemes. They still exist and a lot of people still fall for this. If you are asked to send money to ten people, who each send money to ten other people, and goes on, this is ILLEGAL.

• If you encounter a site or ad that says you won a prize or money then think twice. Nothing is for free my friend beside knowledge.

• If you still think that it is just too much to resist and you have to make a purchase then at least pay by credit card. You have a lot of payment options these days. If you pay by credit card and realized that you fell a victim of you are not satisfied then, you can call your bank and do a “charge back. Also, when you put your financial information on the net, make sure that the site is secure. The domain should have “https://” on instead of just “http”. Never give out your credit card details (especially by email).

Making money online sounds easy but if you cant distinguish between the real deal and fraud then, it is better if you keep off. Always remember, do a research or find reviews before you get involved with any online business or products.

Make Money with Google Scam

There are several products that seem to be tempting; Even though some of them might cost even a $1 and you might not be bothered even if you were ripped off  since it is just a $1 but, just imagine when a thousand of you support this, the scammers make $1000 from all. Thats not it!! If you are ignoring such incidents just because they are cheap, you are also misleading others into doing the same thing. Internet users are constantly seeking for legitimate reviews, so get out there and spread the word.

You can also post a review on ripoffreport . I found them quite interesting

How to Avoid an Online Scam

I was browsing the net recently and came across this pop up ad; the big famous “Google cash kit.” You all have definitely met this kit at least once in your screen; I am not surprised to see such scams even these days. As a matter of fact, you can’t wipe off scams ever and they will exist. But, you can surely avoid them.

I really feel sorry for those who have been a victim of such because of their lack of computer and internet knowledge. I just read a comment on a review site where one victim was stating that she was a newbie with computers and how she fell for the Google kit scam. I don’t understand how someone would just order something randomly without even putting a thought into it.

You need to be serious about the matter which involves money. Just because google is Huge, it doesn’t mean that whenever you see or hear google, you will bow and say Yes! A lot of scammers or unethical money makers use the term “Google” to capture lead. I will elaborate this in one of my upcoming posts.

People still fall victims of SCAM!!!

Scam will exist as long as you dont educate yourself on it!

There are several other victims who have been complaining that these scams/programs have been charging their credit card on a monthly basis. I was like What the F! What is wrong with these people? They got their bank, card and financial statement in their hand but still complaining that they can’t do anything about it? I am truly amazed. Either they are not bothered, being lazy or do not care about money

I have a few very important tips on how to avoid scams and I would like to share it with you in my next post. I really hope you guys follow and if you have any questions then feel free to ask or comment.

Please spread the word and help others!