Craigslist SCAM Alert: Against Affiliate Marketers!

[greenovni]

So today I go look though CL and I am greeted by this...

http://orlando.craigslist.org/cgi-bi...&category=sls/

Craigslist is telling people how to get affiliates booted off their affiliate program.

What say you?

[Loren Woirhaye]

That's because affiliate marketers are posting fake JOB ads
to fool people who want employment.

I'm for it. Spammers all over Craigslist have almost ruined it.

[greenovni]

I agree with that, the problem is that now 100s of people will learn how to report an affiliate and will do so out of spite whether the affiliate advertises on craigslist or not.

CL is a business that PROFITS off of prostitution. He obviously doesn't care if you give a guy HIV, VD or have him get busted by the cops but heaven forbid you make a few bucks off a schmuck by sending him to a dating site. That might ruin the squeeky clean image of CL!

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

That's because affiliate marketers are posting fake JOB ads
to fool people who want employment.

I'm for it. Spammers all over Craigslist have almost ruined it.

[Loren Woirhaye]

If you've got a problem with the morality of the people who
run Craigslist, don't use it.

Simple.

It's Craig's site. Not mine. Not yours. He can
do with it what he wants to.

I suggest you stop thinking about other people as shmucks
you can trick into joining a dating site by pretending to
be a girl, and start thinking about bringing value to the
marketplace.

[LB]

Originally Posted by greenovni

I agree with that, the problem is that now 100s of people will learn how to report an affiliate and will do so out of spite whether the affiliate advertises on craigslist or not.

CL is a business that PROFITS off of prostitution. He obviously doesn't care if you give a guy HIV, VD or have him get busted by the cops but heaven forbid you make a few bucks off a schmuck by sending him to a dating site. That might ruin the squeeky clean image of CL!

That's some serious moral relativism. In other words, "I'm not as bad as a guy selling prostitutes so it's OK to spam craigslist"...sorry, but I don't agree with that.

CL was setup and is STILL setup to be a local marketplace site and affiliates have ruined that place. Searching for a job, apartment or service and half the ads are fake or direct you to a site with a CPA offer or adsense etc.

I say ban em and keep banning them. If the affiliate networks start banning people, then this will stop.

Just because some savvy marketers figured out how to exploit CL with affiliate ads doesn't make it OK...and you can thank affiliate marketers for annoyances like fee ads and phone verification.

[MichaelHiles]

Last time I checked, Craig makes money off real estate ads and employment ads in a very few, select markets.

Not prostitution ads.

[actionplanbiz]

Well i use craigslist to apply for 9-5 jobs. and i notice an increase of spam in my email.

example ill apply for a clerical job and ill get an email of a data entry from home click bank product cloaked in the Internet Marketer's Cloaker VirlUrl.

I mean come on people, can we market a lil more ethically here? Thanks

[actionplanbiz]

how does craigslist makes $$$ from prostitution?

[Fun to Write]

Craigslist and sites like this have a right to protect unsuspecting users from this kind of misleading tactic.

Obviously, they're getting lots of complaints.

If you're not using these tactics on CL then there's nothing to worry about is there?

[5starAffiliatePrograms]

CraigsList could be heaven if there were only ethical marketers using it. The spammers and scammers ruined it a long time ago for everyone and I'm embarrassed to say many of those scammers are affiliate marketers.

Many ethical affiliate networks prohibit CL marketing, but there are obviously still ways to get around it or so many would not still be doing it. Too bad CL has to go this far to warn readers/consumers.

[VegasGreg]

I noticed that message too. I try to use CL for legitimate purposes, like finding computer and internet gigs, and sometimes normal jobs and a place to rent.

I run across so many "affiliate marketers" that it gets annoying. Luckily I know what these offers are so I can bypass them, but for the majority it can be bad and such a waste of time.

I applaud CL for taking this action. CL is not made for affiliate marketers. And those that use it for that purpose are BlueFart (as it is against CL TOS) and that is not my style.

[michael-mac]

For me, this is long overdue.

CL has always been a goldmine if used properly and as the junk gets removed or stopped from being posted, responses to my ads have increased.

[mmurtha]

greenovni,

I think they are doing a wise thing with Craigslist. Maybe it will start teaching people not to spam other webmaster's sites, and scam their clients.

If these spammers would use the site in the way they should, they wouldn't have any problems. But no, they chose to run someone else's business into the ground.

It really sucks when your business gets taken over by spammers and scammers who don't care!

Why should Craigslist put up with that crap?

[blur]

Originally Posted by actionplanbiz

how does craigslist makes $$$ from prostitution?

It's not directly called prostitution but there is a charge for posting 'adult services.'

I almost want to go shower just by admitting i know that

https://post.craigslist.org/grr/B

[Willmarathon]

I happen to sell some real affiliate products (like Liquid Nutrition,etc.) locally and I get spammed by people sending trash to my substitute email address trying to sell me something. There is a completely legitimate way to use Craigslist to advertise affiliate programs and that is in the SmallBiz section of services.

[DogScout]

Originally Posted by blur

It's not directly called prostitution but there is a charge for posting 'adult services.'

I almost want to go shower just by admitting i know that

https://post.craigslist.org/grr/B

If I have to take a shower, I am going to have to call one of those ads... I hate showering alone.

[Tom Goodwin]

Originally Posted by blur

It's not directly called prostitution but there is a charge for posting 'adult services.'

I almost want to go shower just by admitting i know that

https://post.craigslist.org/grr/B

CL is probably one of the best places to find "dates". At least that's what I hear.

[InternetMarketingIQ]

You know what?

I sell real things on Craigslist. Real things. Like old computer parts, car parts, things I no longer have a use for.

And what do I get? I get HAMMERED with bull**** spam back from people who call themselves "Affiliate Marketers".

I saw you are trying to sell... ________ I just sold one exactly like it on MPOSSITE.com ... or some variation of the scam.

I even got hit with the Classic Nigerian Scam.

It's so bad at times I don't even bother to post instead using the local TV Station Classifieds.

You can try to justify your posting Affiliate Links any way you want, but it is CLEARLY a Violation of their TOS.

If all you can do to make money is look for ways to constantly "Cheat the System" then that says a whole lot about you as a person. You don't have to be a lying, scumbag, cheat to make money. But for some reason there is this mentality that it's okay to break the rules as long as it benefits you somehow.

Craigs could be a terrific community. And it's a great way to get rid of stuff. But it's not going to get better. And yes Newmark is not Mr. Ethical and he does for some reason think it's okay to promote prostitution - but it is his site, and he likes to play the "Free Speech" game. And the old adage is 2 wrongs don't make a right.

I'm going to get off my soapbox now. Too bad losers are destroying a really nice way to pick up some pocket change legitimately.

I AM 100% IN FAVOR OF ANYTHING THAT CAN KEEP AFFILIATE CRAP OFF OF CRAIGS SO IT CAN GO BACK TO IT'S INTENDED USE - A CLASSIFIEDS SITE.