If you are reading this then you already have taken a few steps in protecting yourself from possible scams. So I am sure I am "Preaching to the Choir" when I say you should be careful and research these sites before you decided to join and invest. I am going to try and and give you some pointers on how to stay safe and how to spot a possible scam.
1. Google Search - Most of you probably know this, but just in case...USE GOOGLE. It is excellent at capturing these sites and info about a possible scam. I would suggest your search term should have the site's name with the term SCAM.
Example: Dingobux Scam
When you do these kind of searches it will show you every site, forum, and blog that will tell you whether or not a site is a scam. Remember, most current members will talk about these sites especially on forums. Also if you click a link and the site is no longer up, try the "cache". Sometimes google will have the info and the site in the google cache.
2. Look over the site - What I mean by that is, test the links on the site. Are they working? If you click on a link that says "contact us" is it functional? Does the "contact us" page load? Usually if a site has more than one dead link, it can mean a sign of trouble. Either the owner has abandon the site and is just leaving it up to see if it will come back to life. Or the site is just made to look more than what is seems. Some owners will close a site down and have a new web address and new site up within days. So make sure the site is operational.
A big clue to see if a site is the real deal, look for a FORUM link. If a site has a forum, it is a good sign that the owner is the real deal. If you sign up and the forum is taken down, then that is also a sign that the owner is about to bail or payments are not being made.
Being able to communicate with the site and it's staff should be available to you. Some sites will have a Forum, a Live Chat, a phone number, email addresses, and a mailing address. If you don't see any of these things, it can mean the owner is hiding and is only in it to make money. Which means he will make what he can and run when it start failing.
And for the love of god...READ THE TERMS OF SERVICE!! So many of us are guilty of not reading the TOS. I know, it can be boring as hell! But that is the point fo the TOS. Watch out for the wordage. And take a screen shot of the TOS on the day you signes up. You never know when it might be needed later down the road.
3. Signing up - If you find something suspicious about the site through your search, and you decide to join and become a member, there are some precautions you should take.
For one, NEVER GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFO. They ask for your name? Then give a fake name. They ask for your paypal or alertpay address? Then give them a fake address. When it comes to the time for a payout, go back and enter your real Paypal or alertpay info. Only when you are ready to receive a payout and you have tested this site and you feel comfortable and safe giving this info out, then go back and change it.
The only real thing you should give them is a email address so you can confirm your account with them. And make sure it is not your main email address.
I would suggest you sign up on Gmail and use that email address when signing up on these PTC sites. Why? Well, to be safe. Cause some of these sites might be a scam, and they gather info and use it against you, or they sell it and spam the hell out of you. And you don't want that.
Another precaution you must make. Is your password. Make sure it is different, with special characters (@#%*%), and never use the same password on any other PTC site. Because a hacker can guess what your log in is and go to your other PTC account and wipe out your account.
For argument sake, lets say you are a member at Hits4Pay, and you are coming close to a payout there. And you have the same exact password from Hits4Pay on another PTC site. On this other PTC site you told other members that you are a member at Hits4pay and how great it was. So this other PTC site turned out it was a scam and the owner closed down. If this owner is sneaky, and noticed what other sites you are a member of or if he was gathering passwords and log in info, he could go to your other PTC sites and log in and change your payout method to his paypal or alertpay account and drain your account. And you wouldn't even know it. Unless you check your account details at Hits4Pay often, which most don't.
So please, be careful, use a different and difficult password.
Also, you will notice some PTC sites do not allow special characters in your password. Personally, I don't like PTC sites that don't let you choose special characters in your password. I mean if they are trying to make their member's safe, they should select that option. Most sites have that option and the administrator turns it off, or does not select it as a option to be available to it's users. Or, it could be that the site's script does not have it available.
For whatever the case may be, if you decide to join, be sure to create a password that upper and lowercase and with numbers. I can not stress this enough. There are a quite a few hackers out there that hack into users accounts through the user password.
There are some PTC sites that offer extra layer of security, like Neobux. Where you can have two passwords. If they do, use it!
4. The Ads! - OK, you now have joined this site. And they are going to pay you to view ads, or to complete offers. When you click on these ads,check them out! Find out who it is that is paying you to view these ads. Let me try to explain this to you as best as I can.
Ads that run on PTC sites are suppose to be from outside advertisers. Meaning they are paying the PTC site/owner to show their ads to you! However, most of the time that is not the case. When you see a site showing their own ads or self-sponsored ads that is a big clue that they are showing these ads to you for free. Which means no one is paying the site to show you the ads. So now you must ask yourself, how are they going to pay you when it comes time for you to cash out? If no one is paying the owner, then where is the funds going to come from?
Many sites will show their own affiliate links in their ads. Take for instance, Clickbank. Many PTC site owners are affiliates/a member of Clickbank. Which means if they sell their product to you they make a commission off of that sell. But here is the downfall of that idea, they only make profits if there is a sell. They do not make any profit off of showing you the ad or if you click on it. Only if you buy it! Which means they are "counting their chickens before they hatch" and depending on people to buy from Clickbank.
This kind of advertising can be risky and can lead a PTC site to it's doom. In order to run a successful PTC site, you must have a dependable source of incoming funds to pay your members to view these ads.
Some sites will offer premium packages, which can help alleviate cash shortages. Most members will not upgrade unless they feel safe, and I would not recommend anyone to give their money to a untested site. Wait, and make sure you have received at least one payout before you invest large amounts of money into these site. Especially if they don't offer instant payouts. 30-60 business days is a long time to wait for a payout in the PTC world. A lot can happen between that time.
Going back to the ads, a way to know if the owner is showing self advertised ads, is to check the ad out. Most of the time if you remove the frame or right click on the ad and open it in another window you will see the entire web link of the ad. If it is a clickbank ad, check the hoplink. For those who don't know what I am talking about...on a clickbank link you will see a link with a hoplink. Here is a example:
http://Username.VENDOR.hop.clickbank.net
Most hoplinks will look like that. If you see the same Username in all the clickbank ads, you can count on it being from the owner of the ptc site. Which means he is running a clickbank PTC site. And there are no real outsideadvertisers on their site.
Some sites will show success stories or their other PTC sites in their ads. Another clue to self advertising.
5. Blog - After you have joined a site and you think it is safe, I would suggest you open up a blog or site. It doesn't have to be fancy or anything. This is a good way to spread info, and crucial info to others on whether or not this site is safe. If you think about it, you are testing this site out. What you learn from this PTC site can help others. And if the site is legit, it is a great way to earn referrals. People can sign up under you through your banners.
Make sure your blog is not a "Spam Blog" or some blog sites will delete it. Make sure you have content with useful information in your blog. Do not open up a blog with a bunch of banners and expect the blog to stay up. Add content!
6. Referrals/Packages - Some sites will offer to give you referrals for a fee. Meaning they will give you unreferred members and you can earn off of their clicks. Some of these ref packs come in a set of 15, 25, 100, 500 members. Nine times out of Ten, they are bots. Sorry to say, but that is the ugly truth. Bots are fake members who click, and the clicks tend to die all at once. Most PTC sites will have bots, and most PTC owners will deny it.
Some sites, like Neobux will rent out refs. Meaning for a period of time you can earn off of a certain member, but you must pay a monthly fee. Whether they are bot or not is still to be seen. Some members say they are. Either way, it is much better to rent refs then to buy them. At least if you rent them, you will be able to switch them out (recycle them) in exchange for new ones. Which makes Neobux a more attractive way to buy refs then it's competitors.
7. Investing - As I said earlier, do not invest until you have received your first payout. Unless you don't mind losing your money. And never invest more than what you can afford to lose. Some people will go crazy and invest thousands of dollars into PTC sites. At the time, they could afford it, but later down the road, thy wished they didn't and desperately need the money back. Don't end up like these people.
PTC sites can change within a blink of an eye. A site that was once paying can quickly become a site that is not paying. Look for these signs by reading the forum and do frequent google searches to find the signs of a failing PTC site. You start seeing these signs? Get your money out of that site and get away from that site as fast as you can!
8. Time to Cashout - The whole reason why we are there. Right? When it comes time to cash out or if you reached your minimum limit, Cash out. Don't wait, do it as soon as possible. Like I said things can change and fast. Some sites have instant payments, or some pay on a certain day of the month. Like Fusion Cash pays on the 20th of every month. Or some, pay 30 business days. The worst kind, in my opinion. If a site does not pay you within the terms you agreed upon when you first signed up, then STOP INVESTING. Do not give another nickle to that site.
However you should try to keep your account active. Most sites will allow you to stay active as long as you log in within 30 days and view one ad. Make sure you do that, or the owner will have a reason to delete your account and not pay you. Which they love to do. Cause to them that is one less account that they have to pay. Each site is different, be sure to find out if your account can go inactive and how to keep it active.
9. If you are not being paid - start gathering info. Be sure to save your receipts and credit card transactions. Take screenshots, of the site, the forum, your account, everything and anything to do with that site. Get screenshots of the staff on forums. Most of the time the owner will be a staff member. And usually the one that takes most offense when someone says the word "scam". Be sure to submit a ticket and demand answers. If you get a blanket reply, and it looks like they are not concerned about it, start taking action. Start contacting law agencies and other web sites. Here are some places where you can file a complaint.
Some PTC sites will pay a member if they threaten to report them. That is if a owner is concerned about their reputation.
I would advise against personal threats or bodily harm. Because that can lead you into a heap of trouble.
10. Update your blog/site- And finally, if the site is not paying, let others know. Don't let others fall victim of this site. Post screen shots of the proof that you have of them not paying. So when a new member comes along, and follows tip number one "Google Search" they will find your warning and stay clear of that site. Or so we hope...
With all of that said, I hope my tips help you and may you find a honest and legit ptc site. If I have forgotten something or if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section. on this site I will try and keep this updated. Stay safe everyone...and happy earnings.
Source: ptc-investigation.com
