Fake video testimonials - Truly sickening trend

168 replies
Please be aware that there are many, many people on Fiverr and other similar site that are offering "realistic video testimonials" for $5.

Go to fiverr.com and search for "testimonials" and remember these phonies, so you'll easily spot the fake testimonials when you see them on various sales pages and WSOs.

Here are some example offers...

-----------------------------
"Be it your product or service. I'll seem to be your customer and provide you 2 video testomonials for 5$
"
-----------------------------
"I will create a 1-2 minute realistic video testimonial for your product or website for $5"
-----------------------------
"I will write ten positive testimonials for your website. top quality. satisfaction assured."
-----------------------------


It truly makes my stomach turn. :/


NOTE: False testimony has been with us since humans first walked the planet. This is not about complaining. It is about making people aware that video testimonials are being manufactured wholesale. MANY people are not aware of how prevalent this has become.



.
#fake #sickening #testimonials #trend #video
  • Profile picture of the author alexts
    This is ridiculous.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      Some people think way too highly of 5 dollars. And some people think way to low of legitimate testimonials. It's too bad certain websites are providing a platform for these hucksters to meet up. Aiding and abetting fraudulent behavior can't be a good long term business strategy.
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      • Profile picture of the author Freeman77
        What is it about this field that has people throwing ethics out the window?

        One thing I hate more than fake testimonials: People who buy and sell products that claim to rip-off other people's campaigns and such. Just do your own work and pioneer your own way - don't try to steal from someone else's hard work and creativity to make a buck.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          What is it about this field that has people throwing ethics out the window?
          There is no barrier to entry to the field.

          You can lie about age or location or experience or knowledge. Marketers lie to google about their age to get adsense accounts, lie to paypal about location of residence to get paypal accounts. Lying to customers (fake testimonials) is just another step.

          Wherever there is demand and opportunity, someone will create a service to fill the need. When "fast money for me" is the only goal - who needs ethics anyway?:rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author JennSpencerIM
    There were a few threads on here yesterday about it. I can understand if people are paying someone to read a true testimonial they were given, but even then you have to state that its an actor...and apparently people aren't doing that. Sad thing when people have to resort to lying and deception to sell....
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    Amen, Lance.
    Anyone who would take (or pay) $5 for something illegitimate makes me wonder what they would take from me.
    Integrity is free... and priceless.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brad Gosse
    I want to point out many of these providers do more than just testimonials. I have them reading scripts like recipes for youtube.

    I am pointing this out because my name is plastered all over the reviews of these video offers and I am NOT buying fake testimonials.
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  • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
    Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

    Please be aware that there are many, many people on Fiverr and other similar site that are offering "realistic video testimonials" for $5.
    Gene, it is TRUE!

    And the fake video testimonials are not the only spoof video IMers need to be highly concerned about. I just commented on another thread about this issue.

    The big TRICK now?

    These shysters have mastered the art of using FAKE Proof of Income Videos.

    I saw a FAKE Clickbank Proof of Income Video this morning that was as real and slick as it gets.

    In these videos, it looks like the marketer is actually taking viewers behind the scenes into their Clickbank, PayPal, Adsense, CJ, and other monetization accounts; when in fact these are 100% SPOOF videos designed to incite false buy now pandemonium.

    If you are one of those individuals who demands proof of income VIA video, pictures or testimonials, it is safe to say that you should scratch that ideology off your list of acceptable methods of determining the integrity and/or veracity of an offer.

    Gilles, the Crew Chief
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    The collective crock to hold all the BS that's out there just keeps getting bigger and smellier.

    If you are a seller, and are thinking about spending ANY amount of money for a fake testimonial, then may I suggest you use your time or money to improve your product instead?

    While some buyers don't care about testimonials, I try to include them as part of my sales pages. However, they are all legitimate, and I only ask for "honest comments" or "feedback". If that happens to be positive, great! If not, then I see where I can improve.

    Anyway, not to sound cynical, but it makes me wonder what these bottom-feeding hucksters will think of next.

    All the best,
    Michael
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post


      If you are a seller, and are thinking about spending ANY amount of money for a fake testimonial, then may I suggest you use your time or money to improve your product instead?
      Exactly. And spend a little time and/or money on learning how to use proven sales techniques legitimately.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
    Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

    Here are some example offers...

    -----------------------------
    "Be it your product or service. I'll seem to be your customer and provide you 2 video testomonials for 5$
    "
    -----------------------------
    "Hi I luv to review your product or write a short powerful testimonial about your product along with my photograph. It can help you to sell your product or ebook who needs instant testimonials for most websites!"
    -----------------------------
    "I will create a 1-2 minute realistic video testimonial for your product or website for $5"
    -----------------------------

    I'm not seeing the word "fake" in those ads anywhere... did I miss it?
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    • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
      Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

      I'm not seeing the word "fake" in those ads anywhere... did I miss it?
      "I'll seem to be your customer and provide you 2 video testomonials for 5$"

      Does that not provide proof it is fake?
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    • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
      Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

      I'm not seeing the word "fake" in those ads anywhere... did I miss it?
      I clicked the multi quote button on this one because the 'I'll seem to be your customer' very obviously points to fake, but on the way down saw that someone else also mentioned it. (That doesn't seem fake to you?)

      Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

      Some people think way too highly of 5 dollars.
      Enjoyed that, obvious thinking talent. But I also think way too highly of $5 to spend it on something like this.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Originally Posted by Black Magick View Post

    Major corporations do it all the time. What do you think celebrity endorsements are for?
    There is a difference between a testimonial and an endorsement.

    If a celebrity says they use a product, then the FTC says they better be an actual user of that product. That then becomes a testimonial.

    However, if they say we should try it, that's an endorsement.

    Also, if you look closely enough, you will usually be able to see wording that says something to the effect of "Paid Endorsement", or similar.

    All the best,
    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
    Mods: Please note the Report I submitted regarding a current WSO using two of these fakes. Thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
      Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

      Mods: Please note the Report I submitted regarding a current WSO using two of these fakes. Thanks.
      How do you know that a testimonial posted in a WSO is a fake? Did you speak to the person who wrote it and did they confirm that they weren't providing an honest review?

      I'm still trying to find the word "fake" in the ads above...
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  • Profile picture of the author ~kev~
    This is no different then walking in a car lot, and the sales person telling you how much better their truck is better then chevy, or ford, or dodge, or nissan,,,,,,,,.

    Its no different then a sales person at Best Buy telling you how much better their HP computer is better then a dell or sony.

    Its no different then a commercial telling you how Tylenol is better then Advil.

    Whether its a local Big Box Mart or a online sales person, buying reviews and opinions is just a fact of life.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
      Originally Posted by ~kev~ View Post

      This is no different then walking in a car lot, and the sales person telling you how much better their truck is better then chevy, or ford, or dodge, or nissan,,,,,,,,.

      Its no different then a sales person at Best Buy telling you how much better their HP computer is better then a dell or sony.

      Its no different then a commercial telling you how Tylenol is better then Advil.

      Whether its a local Big Box Mart or a online sales person, buying reviews and opinions is just a fact of life.
      It's ENTIRELY different. These people are claiming to be actual customers. They are not.
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      • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
        Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

        It's ENTIRELY different. These people are claiming to be actual customers. They are not.
        How do you know that their testimonials are lies?
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        • Profile picture of the author Hanz
          Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

          How do you know that their testimonials are lies?
          For $5, you can buy a positive review. The people on Fiverr are willing to do you that favour for $5. Obviously it can't be proven that the person on Fiverr actually reviewed the product before making a testimonial. That's up to debate. But I doubt somebody would pay a person $5 for a negative review. LOL! Anyway, I don't know to be honest. TG2011 says the practice is truthful and honest. Since he buys testimonials and has the person review his product thoroughly, I guess I'd take his word for it. Maybe not everybody selling testimonials on Fiverr is a bad egg.
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          • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
            Originally Posted by Hanz View Post

            For $5, you can buy a positive review. The people on Fiverr are willing to do you that favour for $5.
            That's not a favor, it's being paid for.

            Originally Posted by Hanz View Post

            Obviously it can't be proven that the person on Fiverr actually reviewed the product before making a testimonial.
            It can't be proven, unless documentation is provided, that ANY review posted for ANY product is being made by someone who actually reviewed the product or is being honest in their review.

            Originally Posted by Hanz View Post

            But I doubt somebody would pay a person $5 for a negative review. LOL!
            Buyers pay first on Fiverr, so I guess the review comes in after payment. I've never bought a review on Fiverr, so I can't be certain about it. Since I don't know for sure about how these are handled, I certainly cannot come out and accuse WSO posters of using phony reviews.
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            • Profile picture of the author Lance K
              Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

              Since I don't know for sure about how these are handled, I certainly cannot come out and accuse WSO posters of using phony reviews.
              Paul Myers said a couple of days ago that those kind of video testimonials won't be allowed anymore for WSOs. So even if they aren't "phony", they're still against the rules.
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          • Profile picture of the author pappyy3
            Originally Posted by Hanz View Post

            For $5, you can buy a positive review. The people on Fiverr are willing to do you that favour for $5. Obviously it can't be proven that the person on Fiverr actually reviewed the product before making a testimonial. That's up to debate. But I doubt somebody would pay a person $5 for a negative review. LOL! Anyway, I don't know to be honest. TG2011 says the practice is truthful and honest. Since he buys testimonials and has the person review his product thoroughly, I guess I'd take his word for it. Maybe not everybody selling testimonials on Fiverr is a bad egg.
            Fake tesimonials are not just a product of Fiverr. They (sadly) are now a fact of life and are all over the web (WSO's, Clickbank, Websites and Saleletters).

            Who has the time to check every testimonial?? I know I don't. In many instances there is no way to contact the person providing the testimonial anyway ....
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        • Profile picture of the author Super Affiliate
          Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

          How do you know that their testimonials are lies?
          Steven, if you pay someone to do a review, don't you think it's going to be biased 100%? If you ask someone to do a review without paying them, that's a different story. Even better if they do it voluntarily because they just love your product and made money with it.

          Joe
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          • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
            Originally Posted by Super Affiliate View Post

            Steven, if you pay someone to do a review, don't you think it's going to be biased 100%?
            I have no idea. If someone paid me to write a review, then my review would be honest. I can't speak for how others would handle it. Without knowing for sure, I'm not prepared to make accusations against people who advertise here in the WSO forum.
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            • Profile picture of the author Super Affiliate
              Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

              I have no idea. If someone paid me to write a review, then my review would be honest. I can't speak for how others would handle it. Without knowing for sure, I'm not prepared to make accusations against people who advertise here in the WSO forum.
              Steven, let me ask you this. Do you ever see any negative testimonial from those being paid? If you saw one, let me know. I'll take back what I said.

              Joe
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              • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
                Originally Posted by Super Affiliate View Post

                Steven, let me ask you this. Do you ever see any negative testimonial from those being paid? If you saw one, let me know. I'll take back what I said.

                Joe
                Joe:

                Unless a testimonial is marked "PAID" then I have no idea which are paid and which are not -- so there's no way for me to tell. On top of that, anyone marketing a product isn't going to post a testimonial that isn't positive, so there's no way to know if they paid for a review that came back negative.

                I personally don't buy testimonials, so really, I can't make accusations against anyone. What I can do, however, is just not jump to conclusions or make assumptions.
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              • Profile picture of the author abs007
                wow thanks for letting me know

                off straight to fiverr.com

                only messing guys - honestly even if someone did get fake reviews then its not going to be long before honest testimonials will be out - so if you ask me thats a waste of $5 -

                instead i would rather use other services such as the cheap joomla web design and wordpress services -

                If you ask me then the best way to get reviews is to offer free valuation copies -

                one thing that I do get a little annoyed about though is when you offer say 5 review copies and only 2 come back with reviews -

                But I guess thats just the way the cookie crumbles right?

                Buying reviews is not the way to go - if your getting bad reviews then go back and re-model your product then go for reviews again until you can get some good reviews - if you cant do this then either your product isnt ready for the market or the user who reviewed it doesnt understand it -

                provide value and you will get the reviews flooding in - simple as that
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                • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
                  Originally Posted by abs007 View Post

                  wow thanks for letting me know

                  off straight to fiverr.com

                  only messing guys - honestly even if someone did get fake reviews then its not going to be long before honest testimonials will be out - so if you ask me thats a waste of $5 -

                  instead i would rather use other services such as the cheap joomla web design and wordpress services -

                  If you ask me then the best way to get reviews is to offer free valuation copies -

                  one thing that I do get a little annoyed about though is when you offer say 5 review copies and only 2 come back with reviews -

                  But I guess thats just the way the cookie crumbles right?

                  Buying reviews is not the way to go - if your getting bad reviews then go back and re-model your product then go for reviews again until you can get some good reviews - if you cant do this then either your product isnt ready for the market or the user who reviewed it doesnt understand it -

                  provide value and you will get the reviews flooding in - simple as that
                  When I used to give out review copies, I would give out an initial batch of 10 copies, with the thought of getting 5 reviews. If I didn't get 5 in a reasonable amount of time, I would keep releasing copies one at a time until I reached the desired number of reviews.

                  All the best,
                  Michael
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                • Profile picture of the author Josh Anderson
                  Originally Posted by abs007 View Post

                  If you ask me then the best way to get reviews is to offer free valuation copies -
                  The minute I see a WSO thread with "reviews" from people who received free evaluation copies is the minute the offer is discredited in my mind.

                  Its one thing to have someone review your product to provide you private feedback before you take it to the market...

                  Its a totally different thing to buy testimonials with free copies.

                  Also, if a free copy was provided that must be fully disclosed in a prominent way where the review is used in marketing to comply with FTC rules.

                  Its far better to get natural, real testimonials, from real clients.

                  Anything less is doing more harm than good... if your target market is anything more than the uninitiated.
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            • Profile picture of the author psresearch
              Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

              I have no idea. If someone paid me to write a review, then my review would be honest. I can't speak for how others would handle it. Without knowing for sure, I'm not prepared to make
              accusations against people who advertise here in the WSO forum.
              Right, at the very least you'd disclose that you were paid. But your observations does get to the core of the issue of course - as to documentation...as an bizop attorney recently pointed out on my blog:
              "Re proof of fraud:


              Paul, the legal use of "proof" in a civil case simply amounts to this: is A more reasonable the B, where A is put forward by the plaintiff and B by the defendant.


              Unlike science, or the Scottish criminal system, there is no option of "neither"."


              (Note: I corrected this): And the moderators could make a similar decision - it's reasonable to believe that the use of a paid video testimonial is likely to be less (maybe much less) reliable than an unpaid one.
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              • Profile picture of the author mammothsnowman
                Fake everything video, text, images... karma is going to get you just like it got Reggie on MNF last night. Anyone see the Mr X video and what greed got him?
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      • Profile picture of the author ~kev~
        Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

        It's ENTIRELY different. These people are claiming to be actual customers. They are not.
        Ok? And you think the sales guy at the chevy dealership only buys chevy products?

        I used to work for a cable tv / cable modem provider in Houston, Texas. The problem was, I lived in Conroe, Texas - which is about a 30 to 45 minute drive from north houston. I was expected to tell the customers how great the service was, and try to upsell them, when I had never had the service myself.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dexx
    That's why I own believe reviews from credible people that -> I <- know to be trustworthy in their product creation or testimonial giving.

    Does that limit the pool of products I might try...yup?

    Does that hurt my wallet or brain from bad products or worse support? Nope!

    Whether its fake testimonials, proof of income, fake blogs, fake cheques...like the old saying goes, "you can't believe everything you see online."

    ~Dexx
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  • Profile picture of the author TG2011
    Banned
    I buy testimonials from Fiverr and they aren't fake testimonials.

    I pay $5, give the person my software for free to try out and ask them to provide me with a review or testimonial of my product.

    What's wrong with that?
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      Originally Posted by TG2011 View Post

      I buy testimonials from Fiverr and they aren't fake testimonials.

      I pay $5, give the person my software for free to try out and ask them to provide me with a review or testimonial of my product.

      What's wrong with that?
      When you use their testimonials in your sales materials, do you disclose that you paid the reviewer for their testimonial?
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      • Profile picture of the author TG2011
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

        When you use their testimonials in your sales materials, do you disclose that you paid the reviewer for their testimonial?

        Yes, always!
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  • Profile picture of the author Raymond_Perrin
    +1 Dexx!

    I am new to WF and am finding my way around.

    I have a WSO up at the moment.

    I appreciated all the reviews --all of which were honest, I might add.

    But I was especially glad to get reviews from experienced Warriors.

    It wasn't just flattering that they liked my product, it brought real credibility, I felt.

    I automatically find myself scanning for reviews from people with a decent number of posts when I am looking at other WSOs.

    Not that you can dismiss reviews by people with just a few posts out of hand --I bought and reviewed a WSO on another thread myself!

    In short: it's not an exact science, but reviews from experienced Warriors at least says a couple of things to me: This person has been around. They have probably seen most of what's available. They probably know how to separate the wheat from the chaff... They can probably spot a scam a mile off.

    All of which means that their review is probably worth paying attention to.

    ****

    But paying for reviews.. surely that will *have* to catch up with the perpetrators sometime.

    Karma is a cruel mistress, that's all I say!
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  • Profile picture of the author Law
    That's just pure deception and those ppl offering fake testimonials should be banned!
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
      Originally Posted by Law View Post

      That's just pure deception and those ppl offering fake testimonials should be banned!
      How do you know that they're fake?
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      • Profile picture of the author Law
        Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

        How do you know that they're fake?
        I don't and I'm not accusing. But i'm just pointing out that if they are, then it's not a good way to do business.
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
          Originally Posted by Law View Post

          I don't and I'm not accusing. But i'm just pointing out that if they are, then it's not a good way to do business.
          I'm sorry, what I meant to ask is: if you want to say that using a fake testimonial in a WSO is a bannable offense, then how do you go about determining whether or not a testimonial is fake.
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        • Profile picture of the author Hanz
          Originally Posted by Law View Post

          I don't and I'm not accusing. But i'm just pointing out that if they are, then it's not a good way to do business.
          True but I'm not sure if it's a good way or a bad way to do business. You're referring to ethics and maybe in order to get ahead, marketers just need to be aggressive in their marketing since it's all about making sales. It's unfortunate but that's how it is. It's basically normal. My old company designed and sold apparel. I thought much of the apparel was rubbish and wouldn't be caught dead wearing them but I still had to tell potential sales reps that my company carried the most amazing apparel in the history of the universe!!! LOL!
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      • Profile picture of the author Hanz
        Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

        How do you know that they're fake?
        Nobody knows. It's just an assumption. But what we do know is that faked sales and videos of fake paypal accounts are the trend around in IM.
        Sort of like if it looks like a duck...acts like a duck.....
        But I'd never accuse anybody unless I was absolutely sure about it. Not everybody is crooked.
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      • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
        Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly View Post

        How do you know that they're fake?
        Steven, when they advertise...

        "I'll seem to be your customer"
        "I will write ten positive testimonials"
        "I will create a realistic video"

        ...do you believe these are legitimate testimonials?


        (for the record, I'm not talking about legitimate REVIEWS. That's a whole different thing).
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
          Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

          "I'll seem to be your customer"
          "I will write ten positive testimonials"
          "I will create a realistic video"

          ...do you believe these are legitimate testimonials?
          I can't say one way or the other. Could they possibly be fake? Sure. In the case of the word "seem" I simply thought that it was poor English, which is very common on Fiverr, so I didn't read it the way you're taking it.

          In the case of "ten" testimonials, well, I've written multiple (legitimate) testimonials for products in the past.

          The word "realistic" meant (to me) a "real" review (as in, I'll provide my realistic assessment of your product), but I can see how someone looking for a phony review could read the word "realistic" the other way (as in, a testimonial that appears to be real but is not).
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave d
    Firstly I think its deceptive and wrong to hire people just to post postive reviews.

    Secondly Paul Myers said it wont be allowed to happend on this forum which I think is right. So if you think you see one of these you should report it.
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  • Profile picture of the author kbs
    I think alot of it depends on what type of product you are advertising.

    A $5 testimonial for an e-book or guide I don't think is unreasonable if you're trying to get your reviewer to say it has detailed information and the product itself is good.

    However, if you use a $5 testimonial on software that doesn't work or suck like the Gurus do then you have a problem on your hands, which will result in mass refunds.

    Just my thoughts
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

    My. You can cut the self-righteousness with a knife in here.
    Personally, I don't even see how this issue is up for a debate.

    Call it what you want, but some of us see things as right or wrong. If that makes me self-righteous, then deal with it.

    I don't see how your snide comment contributed anything whatsoever to this thread. However, you are certainly entitled to say what you wish, and we get to respond.

    Anyway, that's just my opinion.

    All th best,
    Michael
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
      Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

      I don't see any value in this thread. so anything would be an improvement.

      No, I take it back. I'm absolutely enthralled with sophomoric kvetching about how other people run their business.

      OMG!!! Some people might be using fake testimonials on their sites!!

      Ewwwwww. That's icky.

      It does have comedic value.
      That truly speaks volumes.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

      I don't see any value in this thread. so anything would be an improvement.

      No, I take it back. I'm absolutely enthralled with sophomoric kvetching about how other people run their business.

      OMG!!! Some people might be using fake testimonials on their sites!!

      Ewwwwww. That's icky.

      It does have comedic value.
      Yeah, fraud is funny. :rolleyes:

      If this thread stops just one person from following the lead of those using fraudulent tactics, then I'd say it provided value.

      But nah...let's just proclaim people to be self-righteous, have a chuckle, argue a little, and move on. Much less sophomoric than not bothering to comment on such a sophomoric discussion in the first place. :rolleyes:
      Signature
      "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
      ~ Zig Ziglar
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      • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
        Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

        I don't see any value in this thread. so anything would be an improvement.

        No, I take it back. I'm absolutely enthralled with sophomoric kvetching about how other people run their business.

        OMG!!! Some people might be using fake testimonials on their sites!!

        Ewwwwww. That's icky.

        It does have comedic value.

        Humorous??? Oh really...

        Last week I listened to a guy who foolishly plunked down $2,800.00 on a website that is now nothing more than a barren domain name worth about $8.00 to $9.00.

        He was and still is noob who caught wind of the latest IM gold rush. When he saw the Fake Videos, including both testimonials and income [which he had no idea were fake] he dived in head first and bought the website and the supposedly super secret totally white hat SEO strategy fueling it.

        His IM dream lasted all of 48 hours.

        The feed the site was depending on was pulled and he has no recourse, yesterday, today or tomorrow.

        Had he knew about this fake stuff, he'd be $2800.00 richer and happier right about now because he IS NOT getting his money back

        Your dribbling missive is mind boggling...

        Giles, the Crew Chief
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      • Profile picture of the author Lance K
        Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

        OMG!!! There's fraud in internet marketing?

        Let's wax righteous about it ad nauseum and quickly wring our hands.

        Yeah, that'll stop fraud.

        Maybe you could sell some STOP FRAUD buttons as a WSO.

        Now that would provide some value.
        No thanks.

        How about this...

        You just keep laughing at the self-righteous fools who dare speak out against the mighty, unconquerable fraud in the world.

        Meanwhile, us fools will take solace in the fact that our discussion might keep some people from being taken advantage of. Even if it's only a few. Even if it's only ONE. To some of us, it's worth it.

        If that's amusing to you, then so be it. I'm fine with that.

        Deal?
        Signature
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        • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
          Sometimes it seems like the forum is simultaneously in different universes.

          Here on the main forum there is plenty of good discussion about what is happening in the IM world, right and wrong, dealing with fraud, identifying it, clearing it on the forum, etc.

          Then one wanders in the special offers forum. Almost a completely different set of people commenting and talking about how great some offers are - offers which are obviously bogus and you wonder, who are these people?

          .
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          • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
            Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

            Sometimes it seems like the forum is simultaneously in different universes.

            Here on the main forum there is plenty of good discussion about what is happening in the IM world, right and wrong, dealing with fraud, identifying it, clearing it on the forum, etc.

            Then one wanders in the special offers forum. Almost a completely different set of people commenting and talking about how great some offers are - offers which are obviously bogus and you wonder, who are these people?

            .
            Another thing I've noticed, purely coincidental I'm sure ... almost everyone on the main forum has signatures and their own websites to promote. On the special offers forum, apart from the sellers, there are pages with lots of posts but hardly any sigs at all.

            .
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            • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
              Originally Posted by Michael William View Post

              From this one thread I predict that several fiverr video makers will be getting lots more business soon... While those against fake videos are commenting, there are others thinking to themselves, "great idea..."
              Michael, you may be new to the WF, but your assessment is dead on! It was right after Shoemoney did an expose/rant on the G News site Spam Jockeys back in 2009, that the G News sites IM gold rush actually started.

              So yeah, the shady unscrupulous marketers are going to jump on this Fake video IM gold rush, BUT, it's got absolutely nothing to do with this thread.

              It has to do with the fact that they LEARNED a while back that most IMers are LMIMs Lottery Minded Internet Marketers. LMIMs are so hot to trot about getting rich quick online without putting in any work that they will fall for anything that claims to grant them push button riches and rankings.

              To the LMIMs, the videos are incontrovertible proof pudding that the system/software/strategy works beyond a shadow of a doubt. They have no clue that those videos are fake just like they have no idea that those proof of income videos are fake.

              But when a person is on a tunnel vision mad fervent hunt for quick and easy Internet riches, they won't dare check, confirm, verify, prove or disprove a thing.

              You can show them a Instant Millionaire Niche Magic video of a person raking in $1.2 million dollars online in one week finding highly profitable little known niches such as:
              • Underwater deodorant
              • Pet ants
              • Pit bull cologne
              • Instant tap water to gasoline converter
              • DD Breasts Magic Growth Pills
              • Instantly increase your height course with video
              ...and these people will race like the dickens to BUY, and BUY and BUY and that's a fact because that's what LMIMs do!

              Remember the Google Cash IM gold rush? If AGs and the FTC had not shut them down, they'd still be hawking those IM junkyard kits to this very day.

              Giles, the Crew Chief
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              • Profile picture of the author A Bary
                Originally Posted by Crew Chief View Post

                You can show them a Instant Millionaire Niche Magic video of a person raking in $1.2 million dollars online in one week finding highly profitable little known niches such as:
                • Underwater deodorant
                • Pet ants
                • Pit bull cologne
                • Instant tap water to gasoline converter
                • DD Breasts Magic Growth Pills
                • Instantly increase your height course with video
                OMG...these are amazing niches to go after
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                • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
                  Banned
                  Originally Posted by goldmind123 View Post

                  OMG...these are amazing niches to go after
                  Where can I get the pet ants?
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      I pay $5, give the person my software for free to try out and ask them to provide me with a review or testimonial of my product.

      What's wrong with that?
      You mean, aside from being deceptive advertising, if the situation isn't properly disclosed?

      Ken,
      My. You can cut the self-righteousness with a knife in here.
      I find it illuminating when someone conflates ethics with self-righteousness.

      Lance,
      Paul Myers said a couple of days ago that those kind of video testimonials won't be allowed anymore for WSOs. So even if they aren't "phony", they're still against the rules.
      I said I was going to suggest it to Allen. He hasn't said anything on the issue yet.

      Steven pointed out the reason this is a problem several times: It's usually not possible to tell if the testimonial is real or not. When using paid actors and not disclosing that fact, you're into the realm of "Anyone can fake anything any time and it's unprovable either way." Since you can't know, but the probability is high that such testimonials are fake, I believe they shouldn't be allowed at all. That removes the problem, and solves the issue of potentially false allegations against the poster.

      The difference between those and text-based testimonials with a name attached is that you can at least check the text-based ones in most cases.

      This is ground that's already been covered in the other thread on this subject.


      Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author Lance K
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        Lance,I said I was going to suggest it to Allen. He hasn't said anything on the issue yet.

        Steven pointed out the reason this is a problem several times: It's usually not possible to tell if the testimonial is real or not. When using paid actors and not disclosing that fact, you're into the realm of "Anyone can fake anything any time and it's unprovable either way." Since you can't know, but the probability is high that such testimonials are fake, I believe they shouldn't be allowed at all. That removes the problem, and solves the issue of potentially false allegations against the poster.

        The difference between those and text-based testimonials with a name attached is that you can at least check the text-based ones in most cases.

        This is ground that's already been covered in the other thread on this subject.


        Paul
        My apologies for misspeaking, Paul.

        Anyway, I think it's an excellent suggestion. When there's so much room for interpretation regarding a shade of gray, it's best to limit people to black and white.

        The mods don't make enough to be subjected to ridicule for judgment calls.
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      • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        The difference between those and text-based testimonials with a name attached is that you can at least check the text-based ones in most cases.

        Paul
        So, why not require that video testimonials have names attached to them as well? Not that that really solves anything though. Having a name attached to text or video doesn't prevent faking in any way, so if fake testimonials are an issue, maybe there should be a ban on testimonials period.
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
          Cat,
          So, why not require that video testimonials have names attached to them as well? Not that that really solves anything though. Having a name attached to text or video doesn't prevent faking in any way, so if fake testimonials are an issue, maybe there should be a ban on testimonials period.
          Having a name that can't be verified is pointless, yes. Quite true.

          Banning all testimonials/reviews/user comments would be foolish. It's not difficult at all to ask someone with whom you can make contact and whose name you recognize if they actually said thus-and-such.

          I pretty much ignore testimonials and reviews unless I know the person giving them and believe them to be trustworthy.


          Paul
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          Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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          • Profile picture of the author Mark-Dickenson
            Wow!!!

            And I thought the Mortgage Business was shady!!

            I don't get it...you can make really good money without having to defraud people in this business

            When I was in the Mortgage business, there were these 2 brothers working in the same office I worked in

            And for each transaction, there could be the honest way...and the shady way of getting things done

            And they would pick the shady way every time...even though there was a legit way to get things done!!!

            They would fit right in internet marketing
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          • Profile picture of the author JackBenson
            Just about every WSO I have ever bought has had tons of raving and glowing testimonials for what usually turns out to be a mediocre or lacking product.

            I wish there was a more transparent or anonymous (but actual buyer) upvote and downvote system.

            Not exactly the same as buying testimonials but it still blows my mind what goes on in that section.
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

      I don't see any value in this thread. so anything would be an improvement.

      No, I take it back. I'm absolutely enthralled with sophomoric kvetching about how other people run their business.

      OMG!!! Some people might be using fake testimonials on their sites!!

      Ewwwwww. That's icky.

      It does have comedic value.
      Yes, it's icky and I actually thank people like you that come to the forefront with your indignation over our indignation about unethical business practices. Your name will not be forgotten by most in this thread and what you stand for will not be forgotten either.

      Call me or us a nosy nellie or whatever. Do you really think your opinion matters since you apparently have no business ethics?

      You don't see any value in this thread. If for no other reason than your post, it has value. One more person outed that thinks any marketing "technique" is just peachy keen ... one less person to buy from.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave d
    If the maker of the WSO wrote on the sales page "I paid these people in the videos $5 to pretend to be my customer and claim they bought this WSO and loved it"

    They would obviously make less sales right.

    And thats the whole point. Your not meant to know about. Its using sneaky tricks. Just like faking earnings sometimes you will get found out as what happened to a previous WSO and then the $hit hits the fan.

    The point being as a marketer you should be completely transparent about your products, testimonials and earnings etc.

    You should have nothing to hide or get found out about.
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    • Profile picture of the author jslee
      I was always wondering how they could get such good reviews for crap products. I assumed they asked their friends or something. I thought I came across to same guys giving testimonials for different products. Now I know.

      How far they can go with this? People are not stupid and most clickbank products comes with clickbank money back guarantee. They would get returns all the time. I remember returning one product the minute after downloading and realizing that the product was just full of crap.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dave WCITM
      I personally think that the use of fake testimonials is one of the worst marketing strategies anyone could choose to use as there is just something which doesn't feel right normally for the viewer of the testimonial when it is fake, perhaps it is the lack of genuine emotion or the overload of fake emotion, either way I think testimonials of this kind do more harm than good. I personally would never use fake testimonials or buy from someone I felt was using them.
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    • Profile picture of the author opiniones
      Originally Posted by Dave d View Post

      The point being as a marketer you should be completely transparent about your products, testimonials and earnings etc.
      And how many live by these principles 100%? I would say 1%

      Marketers are no better than politicians. It's just the truth. Some help people and some scam people but most of them lie one way or the other.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Bray
    What a daft idea this is!

    Aside from being totally unethical the,

    consequence of which usually backfires
    burns your soul and screws you up
    psychologically, sooner or later
    you're bound to be found out and then
    you'll discover that the Internet is a
    very small village after all.


    If you need fake testimonials, video

    or otherwise, on your sales page
    then it doesn't say much for either
    your product, your copywriter,
    or you.

    Stephen

    P.S. Have you noticed recently that
    several top-marketers seem to be
    promoting quite inferior Clickbank
    products, which I am sure few have
    benchmarked for effecacy.
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Super Affiliate
    Steven,

    Maybe we're on different pages. We're talking about Fiverr.com where people pay "money" to get their testimonials. This is just dead wrong because you don't get people's testimonials by "paying" them. Real testimonials come voluntarily by trying out the product. If they actually tried, implemented the product and felt good about the product (or better made money from it), then they would give you their testimonials without you even asking for it.

    I guess you can also ask for testimonials by giving them a free copy but that's another story. Hope you understand my point.

    Joe
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny12345
    Using fake testimonials is both foolish... and pointless.

    Why take the risk of being labeled a fraud when it's so easy to get real, legitimate testimonials?

    - John
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  • Profile picture of the author dremora
    Originally Posted by Black Magick View Post

    Major corporations do it all the time. What do you think celebrity endorsements are for?
    Yes, now the playing field is leveled with fiverr so citizen Joe can do it too.
    Big corporations do far worse unethical stuff than fake testimonials. Unfortunately even if you heavily police stuff, there will always be corrupt people finding some loophole and game the system. Ethical sellers should take it as their duty to educate the customer base.

    When I was moving and called a bunch of places to get quotes, one of the 20 companies I called was really helpful and they educated me on hidden fees, how people say there is no charge for this and that but they charge you anyway so I should get all assurances in writing. They really took the time to tell me a lot of good info.

    I am going to do this and educate my customers about fake testimonials, fake reviews, etc, in fact I am going to send them a whole checklist on what to watch out for when buying WSO or other products. Thanks for giving me the good idea!
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    • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
      Originally Posted by dremora View Post

      I am going to do this and educate my customers about fake testimonials, fake reviews, etc, in fact I am going to send them a whole checklist on what to watch out for when buying WSO or other products. Thanks for giving me the good idea!
      Demora, great idea. I like that! To a smaller degree, that was my intention in posting this... awareness.
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  • Profile picture of the author bfas
    For the record, my own take is that fake testimonials, of any sort, fall into the same category as false or misleading product claims, false or misleading revenue claims, etc.

    Ok, that said -

    Manufacturers do print & TV spots with 'fake' i.e. paid - bought - testimonials all the time. When you see an infomercial with 'customers' claiming "I lost xx pounds with xxxx...", or "This has been the best xxxx...", those aren't 'real' testimonials. Those are actors, reading a script provided to them. Not too different that a fiverr paid testimonial.

    The fact that there is a weasly disclaimer in unreadable point size flashed at the bottom of the screen for 4 seconds doesn't make it 'right' - that is simply a CYA legal compliance.

    Would having an intentionally-hard-to-notice, tiny disclaimer somewhere make those paid fiverr testimonials suddenly ok?

    The fact of the matter is that these are intended to 'fool' potential consumers the same way a fiverr fake testimonial is.

    They're both wrong.

    And with all THAT said, I think this is essentially a matter of degrees. As far as I'm concerned, false claims on a sales letter, pictures of a Ferrari in front of a mansion, etc., are all manufactured attempts to convey something that is at best an exaggeration, if not overtly disingenuous or simply lies.

    bfas
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  • Profile picture of the author TG2011
    Banned
    It's not deceptive advertisng PAUL. You just don't get it do you?

    Not a lot of sense in that head of yours Paul.

    Nothing deceptive at all about buying a testimonial. Have you heard of exchanging money for time? No? Do I have to explain it to you?

    Sad ignorant old man.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
    Guys, there are obviously some very strong opinions on both sides of the issue here, but let's not allow this spiral downward. The point of this thread is to create awareness, especially for those who are new to IM and don't realize just how prevalent phony testimonials are, whether they be video, audio, written or otherwise.

    Let's get this back to a healthy conversation rather than a heated argument, or the thread may vanish into oblivion. Thank you.
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  • Profile picture of the author BD77
    Thanks for starting the thread and pointing that out, Gene. I'm not going to judge, but at least I'm aware...though not surprised.

    Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

    Steven pointed out the reason this is a problem several times: It's usually not possible to tell if the testimonial is real or not. When using paid actors and not disclosing that fact, you're into the realm of "Anyone can fake anything any time and it's unprovable either way." Since you can't know, but the probability is high that such testimonials are fake, I believe they shouldn't be allowed at all. That removes the problem, and solves the issue of potentially false allegations against the poster.
    Exactly! Since it's not always possible to determine if the testimonials are real or fake it's probably best to avoid them. That's all there is to it in my opinion.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
    Hey Paul, one more post and you'll be at 10,000! Milestone!
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

      Hey Paul, one more post and you'll be at 10,000! Milestone!
      I hope he doesn't happen upon a spamming troll that needs moderation before his next post. Otherwise it could turn into one of those "We wasted the good surprise on you" Big Daddy moments.
      Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author CanuckWarrior
    Testimonial fraud is nothing new.

    Anybody ever bought a product based on raving reviews from the in-bred inner circle gurus and discovered it was complete hype and BS?

    How about cult member reviews where people sing the praises of the product without having even used it? (see some WSO threads for examples)

    The harsh reality is IM is a mine field for doe eyed newbies.

    I would recommend noobs assume ALL testimonials are suspect and instead rely on the strength of the guarantee (e.g. ClickBank is safer for refunds than Paydotcom, .etc) until they gain first hand experience of who gives reliable advise and they learn how to spot the massive amount of BS that permeates the IM world.
    Signature

    Internet marketing is not rocket science ... unsubscribe from every guru spam list you're currently on ... they just want to rape your wallet and make you co-dependent.

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  • Profile picture of the author good2go4
    I don't usually post anything emotive or otherwise on threads because I think the forum is for sharing positive information and helpful tips but this thread made me feel quite angry.

    How can anybody just right off the fact that there are fraudsters in IM? The reputation of the IM as an industry impacts all of us as individuals - doesn't anybody get that? So being annoyed or upset or even raising awareness about an important issue like "another way IMer's will lie to you" is actually a big deal and is something that should be taken seriously. If anybody is lying to their customers, with fake testimonials or proof of income then they are negatively impacting my business as an Internet Marketer and that does concern me. Doesn't it bother you?

    Secondly what ever happened to ethics - since when did they come second place to making a buck? Can the argument that our business is consumer driven make selling your ethics a "means to an end"? Look at the number of WSOs promising thousands - how many of them actually work? I know some do - I buy them and use them myself - but if just one WSO has fake proof of income or fake testimonials then it makes all of us look bad.

    I don't like it. I don't think being a fraud in any way shape or form can be justified. And I have spent a lot of time on fiverr in the past and can clearly see that there are a number of people who will sell their soul for $4 (even the site name is a lie - you have to pay $1 in fees for each gig you do) - promoting you to their fan page; tweeting about you using the messages you have provided them with; giving written or video testimonials - they are doing it for $4 - they don't know you, they don't want to get to know you; they want to make $4 from you. And in my opinion (and yes it is just an opinion) the value that they give your business, or the Internet Marketing community isn't even worth that.

    Making money online for at least 50% of people is hard enough as it is. Why make it even harder by ignoring, or trivializing the problems the IM industry has with scam artists and fraudsters - if we all made an ethical stand about this then maybe something positive could result for all of us in the industry - like being able to build a relationship with a client without having to overcome their reservations because they have read that there are so many scam artists out there.

    My 2 cents
    Lisa
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
    Nothing deceptive at all about buying a testimonial. Have you heard of exchanging money for time?
    Tsk. Sloppy. The act of buying the testimonial isn't the problem. I could buy as many of them as I wanted, as long as I don't use them.

    The problem is using one or more in a way that's likely to influence people to buy something based on untrue statements.

    By the way... Julian? Or one of his clones?

    No matter.


    Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author dougp
    Err, since there is a big thread about this, some newbs will probably think this is a good idea and give it a shot.
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    • Profile picture of the author Patient-X
      Originally Posted by dougp View Post

      Err, since there is a big thread about this, some newbs will probably think this is a good idea and give it a shot.
      Lol that is such a true statement, watch the numbers grow !
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    • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
      Originally Posted by dougp View Post

      Err, since there is a big thread about this, some newbs will probably think this is a good idea and give it a shot.
      Whoever "thinks this is a good idea", whether they are newbs or long-timers, will eventually be found out as fraudsters.

      The bottom line is, only trust testimonials that leave a trail you can follow and verify.
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  • Profile picture of the author Patient-X
    You could twist this method and you use it in a way that doesn't suggest that these people are your customers at all! Thinking about it it would work rather well but that is rather Black Hat and not the best thing that you would ever want to do if you were looking at building a long term income with a solid relationship with your customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Irishman
    I'm not sure what the confusion is here? All you have to do is ask the simple question; "why am I paying this person to give me a testimonial?"

    Any other answer than "I want to use it to influence others into buying my product" imho is lying.

    Which is where the rubber meets the road and you have to ask... why in the world would anyone intentionally defend that it's ethical to pay someone to say nice things about a product the reviewer would otherwise care less about, when they know that this is to be used to influence genuine product seekers??

    I don't see the gray area here. And to those that might say, it's done on TV, and it's done by so-and-so... sorry, but that logic equates to something I learned when I was 5 years old - "be responsible for your own actions. Two wrongs don't make a right"

    Will
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  • Profile picture of the author dremora
    Thanks for all the valuable contributions in this thread. This has inspired me to write a long-ish WSO buying guide and send it off to my list and social media followers. I made a long checklist on how to research WSO's before buying and I hope it will help a lot of people.

    Those of you with lists (and integrity): Please educate your subscribers on buying WSO's and IM products in general, tell them what to look for and what kind of red flags to avoid, I think it's very important to educate our prospects and customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Maddi
    This thread has appalled me to say the least.

    I knew screenshots could be faked, and then was surprised as people could go so far as faking video 'income proof' too. But this...

    Buying Video Testimonials and Reviews not only disgusts me, but saddens me. I have always been proud of the reviews I get, moreover I take pride in Video Reviews and Testimonials I get on my wso thread.

    Just to find out that Video Testimonials are now being faked and abused feels like waking up from a nightmare where I'm wrongfully accused of something I haven't done and I am about to be prosecuted on that basis as well.

    The fact that I encourage and proudly display video testimonials was primarily based on the very same foundations of integrity and authenticity. Because I saw there was too many people abusing income proof in one way or the other, fake clickbank, paypal and adsense screenshots was slowly becoming the 'norm' of the industry's dark circle and even saw paypal proof videos to be starting to fake.

    Paul may particularly remember the instance where this girl had a fake video on a wso and she was offering coaching for $1500 or something, claiming she was making 6-7 figures flipping websites and showing around £50,000+ in her paypal (video) alone. She got banned after being called out, and rightly so.

    My point is, I started doing 'results based' video testimonials and reviews on my sales pages to stand out. As they couldn't be faked (or so I thought) and were much better than 'this is a good product' type reviews.

    Anyways, this has turned out be a rant. Mainly because I'm saddened by the OP and was having a good day feeling merry for what I do and the services I provide that provide Real Value to people lives and not just their businesses.

    I, however, continue to stand by the proof, reviews and testimonials provided on both my wsos and other sales pages.

    End of Rant.

    Maddi Murtaza
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    • Profile picture of the author A Bary
      Unfortunately, Fiverr had a great promising start, but sadly, it seems to fall down quickly... (maybe they should use Paul Mayers services for a while).

      I got unbelievable work done for a measly $5...but..it didn't take that much for trolls to show up there...

      You can't believe what people do offer there...I couldn't believe when I see girls offering nude shows for $5

      Out of curiosity..and because one of clients actually used them...I checked those who offer video testimonials...and man...you can't believe how low these people are willing to go....

      They were ready to say whatever I want on video...they can use a fake name...a fake location...a fake script...there are no limits...

      I forced my client to remove these videos...and I told him that I won't offer him any kind of support or business help as long as he keeps these videos..and he was reasonable enough to listen to the advice...

      Those who are trying to bring an argument here and are trying to defend this practice...FOR GOD SAKE...SHUT UP!!!!

      This can't be legitimate...can't be acceptable...and there's no chance for this to be good for business...

      Enough said....
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      • Profile picture of the author Rob Howard
        Originally Posted by goldmind123 View Post

        ...I couldn't believe when I see girls offering nude shows for $5
        FOR REAL????


        (Heads off to fiverr...)







        J/K People, j/k...

        Rob
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    What blows my mind is that legitimate testimonials are so easy to get and they have a much more lasting, viral effect than phony ones that I just don't understand the mindset of paying for testimonials. I guess it's the allure of the quick buck.

    RoD
    Signature
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    - Jim Rohn
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    Not to throw a wrench into the OP's thread, but I've bought testimonials from fiverr. And when I did, I actually sent the person the product to review.

    There's no difference between doing this, and giving the product away for someone to review. Either way you're giving away value for a review. And as Paul himself said - how do you EVER know a review is honest anyway? I gave money and my product and asked for a review. Will the person give an honest review? Who possibly could know? If someone sent you a scathing review of your product would you post that? I don't think I've ever seen one - lol.

    I honestly think that all of us here (me included) should do our due diligence before making our findings so public. This thread is going to unnecessarily tarnish the reputations of a few people. I can understand wanting to warn fellow warriors of pending danger. But in this case, that giant ice-burgh may just turn out to be a big dollop of ice-cream.

    And when you're actually selling from a website - not a WSO - Then it's a bit harder to give your product away for someone to review. So that's where the paid for review comes in handy. It helps to get the ball rolling, until you get other reviewers to join.

    Does it shock you to know that people also sell fans for their facebook fan-pages? It's just another way to get the ball rolling. If the ball can't roll on it's own, it will stop fairly quickly anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author THK
      Originally Posted by garyv View Post


      There's no difference between doing this, and giving the product away for someone to review...

      ... I gave money and my product and asked for a review. Will the person give an honest review?
      So you really don't know what kind of review you will get after paying for it! Do you know why all these people on Fiverr offer their services? They want to make money. They want your repeat business. They want your referral too.

      If they give you a negative review after you pay them, will you go back to them? They know it very well that you won't. When you pay them for a review, honesty is out of the equation and there is only one outcome possible.

      That is how the product owner is manipulating the feedback. That is not what real buyers want to see. They want to see feedback from real users of the product or at least the opinion of an industry expert, not feedback from a random freelancer who is ready to dance naked for a fiver.

      People who understand the value of the product are more likely to speak their mind. That is why it is different than a "Fiverr" review.

      Tanvir
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      • Profile picture of the author garyv
        Originally Posted by THK View Post

        So you really don't know what kind of review you will get after paying for it! Do you know why all these people on Fiverr offer their services? They want to make money. They want your repeat business. They want your referral too.

        If they give you a negative review after you pay them, will you go back to them? They know it very well that you won't. When you pay them for a review, honesty is out of the equation and there is only one outcome possible.

        That is how the product owner is manipulating the feedback. That is not what real buyers want to see. They want to see feedback from real users of the product or at least the opinion of an industry expert, not feedback from a random freelancer who is ready to dance naked for a fiver.

        People who understand the value of the product are more likely to speak their mind. That is why it is different than a "Fiverr" review.

        Tanvir
        I'm not saying you'll get the best, or even most qualified review from fiverr. Of course not. But it's a decent enough review to get the ball rolling until you get other reviews in. It's a "primer" if you will. I'm not saying to go out and buy the reviews that blatantly advertise that they'll lie for you. There are actually some on fiverr that advertise that they'll give you an honest review.

        Scenario - If someone sent you a bad review of your product, would you post it? I have yet to see a site w/ a bad review posted, other than sites like ebay, where you have no control over the reviews.

        The purpose of an honest review is to get a good feel of what real people think about a product. So what if some people hate the product? Will we see those reviews? I don't think so. So is there really any such thing as a review section of a site that provides real clarity on a product? I don't think there is such a thing on sites that regulate and post their own reviews.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
      Originally Posted by garyv View Post

      Not to throw a wrench into the OP's thread, but I've bought testimonials from fiverr. And when I did, I actually sent the person the product to review.
      Gary, I did make the distinction between a legitimate review and a fake testimonial. My OP is clearly about people selling FAKE testimonials. Not legitimate reviews.
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      • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
        Gene,
        I did make the distinction between a legitimate review and a fake testimonial. My OP is clearly about people selling FAKE testimonials. Not legitimate reviews.
        Even then, you have to be careful about labeling. The FTC (and virtually all sensible consumers) treat compensated reviews differently than they do unsolicited testimonials from paying customers.

        It's all about being clear on the source and type of comment being quoted.


        Paul
        Signature
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        Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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        • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
          Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

          Gene,Even then, you have to be careful about labeling. The FTC (and virtually all sensible consumers) treat compensated reviews differently than they do unsolicited testimonials from paying customers.

          It's all about being clear on the source and type of comment being quoted.


          Paul
          Absolutely agree, but I was trying to keep the issues separate :-)
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          • Profile picture of the author Cash37
            I really dont see how and why people complain about things online that have been going on in other forms of media for over 3 decades.
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            • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
              Originally Posted by Cash37 View Post

              I really dont see how and why people complain about things online that have been going on in other forms of media for over 3 decades.
              Once again, missing the point entirely. False testimony has been with us since humans first walked the planet. This is not about complaining. It is about making people aware that video testimonials are being manufactured wholesale. MANY people are not aware of this.
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              • Profile picture of the author BizWebMan
                Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

                Once again, missing the point entirely. False testimony has been with us since humans first walked the planet. This is not about complaining. It is about making people aware that video testimonials are being manufactured wholesale. MANY people are not aware of this.
                Quite a debate, caused purely from a little heads up by our man Gene about some bad practice going on out there.

                Lets be clear we can debate and rant all we want, the fact is irrespective of our views the scammers and scumbags will continue with their dastardly ways. All we need to do is be aware and make sure we do not drop down to the same level to make a quick buck.

                Grahame
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            • Profile picture of the author Peter Bestel
              Originally Posted by Cash37 View Post

              I really dont see how and why people complain about things online that have been going on in other forms of media for over 3 decades.
              I didn't see this thread as a complaint, more of a public service announcement for those who may be in need of reminding that there's less than scrupulous people out there willing to deceive.

              I also don't think Gene, or anyone else is particularly surprised that this type of activity goes on. Doesn't stop us from being disappointed and wanting to inform our fellow marketers.

              Peter
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            • Profile picture of the author millard scott
              I really believe that a lot of dishonestly in IM, as well as, any other types of businesses would be eliminated if marketers would just treat people as they would like to be treated. Do unto others......

              M.S.
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  • Profile picture of the author dremora
    garyv: If you are selling product through a web site, you should build a list with a free report, or encourage those who buy the porudct to optin to your list. Then send review copies to your subscribers. I sent a broadcast and gave away revie copies to the first x number of them who responded. Why buy testimonial from random strangers rather than highly targeted users who are already interested in your product's niche? Anyway as long as you aren't getting fake testimonials it's fine. We are talking about people who are giving fake testimonials for products they have never even seen. I bet most of those fiverr trolls don't know squat about advanced IM and are in no position to review an IM product, they are just there to make a quick buck, that's the way it works.


    goldmind123: You did the right thing by forcing your client to remove those videos. If his competition discovered it and made it public, they would probably lose a lot of business, not to mention ruining their reputation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gorilla
    This is the funniest one of all:

    "I will write ten positive testimonials for your website. top quality. satisfaction assured."
    LOL.

    Anyone who would pay someone to write fake testimonials for them cannot be the brightest bulb in the pack.

    Why not save that $5 and write them yourself?

    Hehe.

    I wonder how many 5 spots that dude is making on that one.

    ...
    Signature
    "Good and profitable marketing is what you do for people, not to them..."
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  • Profile picture of the author dremora
    I prefer real testimonials from real people.
    Testimonials from JV partners are just as awful as paid fiverr testimonials.
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    • Profile picture of the author garyv
      Originally Posted by dremora View Post

      I prefer real testimonials from real people.
      Testimonials from JV partners are just as awful as paid fiverr testimonials.
      By real, do you mean someone that is half way down your sales funnel - and knows it? No they have no "ulterior motives" for sending you a good review.
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      • Profile picture of the author carp104
        I have vowed that upon entering the world of internet marketing, I refuse to get involved in anything black hat, illegal, or unethical. It really makes me sick seeing how much misleading information there is out there.

        I have passed several 'black hat' ideas by that I know could make serious bank, simply because I do not believe in scamming people or being a part of anything illegal or unethical. I am struggling to make it work with white-hat methods but I know I will get there some day.

        I hope this forum shares similar views.
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        • Profile picture of the author garyv
          Originally Posted by carp104 View Post

          I have vowed that upon entering the world of internet marketing, I refuse to get involved in anything black hat, illegal, or unethical. It really makes me sick seeing how much misleading information there is out there.

          I have passed several 'black hat' ideas by that I know could make serious bank, simply because I do not believe in scamming people or being a part of anything illegal or unethical. I am struggling to make it work with white-hat methods but I know I will get there some day.

          I hope this forum shares similar views.
          Yes it absolutely does. Anyone trying to scam people in this forum are usually weeded out fairly quickly. Paul has been around for a very long time, and has a good eye when it comes to scams. And a vast majority of the people here are well above board. Or at least try to be.
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      • Profile picture of the author dremora
        Originally Posted by garyv View Post

        By real, do you mean someone that is half way down your sales funnel - and knows it? No they have no "ulterior motives" for sending you a good review.
        I don't have affiliates/JV partners. I send out review copies to interested subscribers/facebook fans of mine (who actually respond to the review call) and first I ask them for an honest feedback (if anything lacks in the material, do they need more detail on any topics, is everything explained well enough, can they start implementing it right away?)

        After the product is released, it's their choice to post reviews or not. I don't put pressure. Some of them bought it even though they had received free review copy (I added some extra topics to the final copy)

        If they miss the review call, they ain't getting it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richnana
    I am sick of the onslaught of all the greatest domination, snipers, dominators crushing, demolishers, How many products does a successful internet marketer really need. These newbies turned overnight guru guys are coming out of the wood work and they have these well known JV partners that are pushing these

    products that they have not even tested or used. I have unsubscribed to every lists that duplicates a product launch email. It tells me a couple of things, that the list owner is just mailing for quick cash from my pocket book

    They are not the least concerned that just 4 days before, they were hawking another similar product. These guys are going to shoot themselves in the foot being promotional who**s and using these 5 dollar pro to sell their stuff will cost them dearly in the END.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Bray
    $5 is too much to pay for a testimonial. Why
    not get some for FREE?


    1. Create a winning product that does

    what it says on the can.

    2. Give it to a group of alpha testers

    who will tell you how to make it even
    better.

    3. Improve it and send it out for

    beta testing.

    4. Read the positive feedback.


    5. Ask if you can use the feedback

    as a testimonial.

    No deception required


    Stephen
    Signature
    Send me a DM, or visit my support desk to contact me: http://support.stephenbray.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
    Gary,
    Paul has been around for a very long time, and has a good eye when it comes to scams.
    That wouldn't matter if I were the only one who did. There's too much activity of all kinds in this group for any one person to keep an eye on. We have a LOT of other moderators here watching out for this stuff. There are things I would never catch, because they're in fields I don't know well, that are caught all the time by moderators with more experience in those areas.

    In addition, we've got members who regularly point us to the stuff that needs handling. Without those people keeping us informed, we'd be swamped trying to keep up with it all. As it is, we miss more than we'd like.

    Keeping this place running is a team activity. Take away any part of the team, and things would go downhill, real fast.


    Paul
    Signature
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    Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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  • Profile picture of the author biggame5
    People are willing to do whatever they can to make money. I don't say it's right but I do understand why they would do it. It just really sucks for honest poeple who are looking at a products that they might really think they could use until they get it then they find out it's garbage.
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author thegamecat
    Lets take the following:

    People on the internet lie to make money
    Marketing people lie to make money
    What do you think internet marketing people do?
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  • Profile picture of the author provitall
    Nobody who ever sold an **** berry "diet" product can accuse others of not having ethics. Any sales page that ever claimed that anyone could possibly lose weight with **** is fraudulent.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin AKA Hubcap
      I have to admit I'm surprised people think video testimonials wouldn't be faked. Most things can be and where money is involved there will be two camps. Those that do and those that don't.

      The argument concerning endorsements and testimonials is really a non-starter. Any company can give a celebrity their product to use--thus they become a "user" of the product.

      Many are caught up in paying $5 for a testimonial. Understandable. Some even suggest that a "free" testimonial given in exchange for the "product" which in almost all instances cost more than $5 is acceptable. Am I the only one that sees the irony in this? Do those of you who approve state state this anywhere in the testimonial?

      Why?

      Kevin
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  • Profile picture of the author dremora
    When big corporations run TV commercials, they make it clear that the person giving the testimonial is an actor and not an actual customer. If it's an actual customer they disclose that too. I think you need to disclose paid testimonials per FTC regs (like big blue chip corporate entities do in their TV commercials) one day FTC will start cracking down on those and a lot of people will find their assets frozen.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin AKA Hubcap
      Originally Posted by dremora View Post

      When big corporations run TV commercials, they make it clear that the person giving the testimonial is an actor and not an actual customer. If it's an actual customer they disclose that too. I think you need to disclose paid testimonials per FTC regs (like big blue chip corporate entities do in their TV commercials) one day FTC will start cracking down on those and a lot of people will find their assets frozen.
      Hi Dremora

      I understand what you're saying but how difficult would it be for a corporation to give an actor a sample to use? Now they're actors who've also used the product.

      Regarding the FTC. They will only go after the most blatant violators, usually triggered by a rash of complaints. They don't have the resources to pursue most of these cases. They hope that by going after a few, the many will take note and stop.
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  • Profile picture of the author LauraDanaLewis
    ADVERTISING MUST TELL THE TRUTH AND NOT MISLEAD CONSUMERS.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael William
    Honestly i am less likely to buy a product that has screenshots since they always make me more skeptical. There is a simple script that can change almost any page for screenshots in seconds and fake videos have been around forever.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raja Kamil
    EXPOSED : A lot of testimonial here.
    One of the most famous website on Clickbank.
    The Rich 16-Year-Old's New Millionaire System

    Dang, I just realize it when I read the post here.
    See all the video testimoni.

    They all fake...........

    Go to Fiverr, and find people to make video testimonial.
    You'll see most of them are in the site too.....!

    Shame IM.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael William
    From this one thread I predict that several fiverr video makers will be getting lots more business soon... While those against fake videos are commenting, there are others thinking to themselves, "great idea..."
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    • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
      Originally Posted by Michael William View Post

      From this one thread I predict that several fiverr video makers will be getting lots more business soon... While those against fake videos are commenting, there are others thinking to themselves, "great idea..."
      If they want to be foolish with their own business, let them. They'll lose more business than they attract when they're found out.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      Originally Posted by Michael William View Post

      From this one thread I predict that several fiverr video makers will be getting lots more business soon... While those against fake videos are commenting, there are others thinking to themselves, "great idea..."
      Anyone who comes to the conclusion of "great idea" obviously has limited thought capacity.

      Anyway, wouldn't it be a hoot if the $5 hucksters decided to make a tell all video about their fake testimonial. Then they told the twit that bought the fake testi that they wanted $100 or they were going to publish their new video and optimize it for all of their keywords.

      Talk about an upsell with a killer conversion rate.

      Ah yes..."great idea" indeed.
      Signature
      "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
      ~ Zig Ziglar
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  • Profile picture of the author skibbz
    Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

    It truly makes my stomach turn. :/
    I agree with you bro, its such a turn off when people do these things
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  • Profile picture of the author perfectlovehere
    Trust whoever has honest reviews on that imreport card site. I've found it's pretty legitimate overall. Never trust reviews on their pages.
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    • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
      When is this madness going to STOP!

      Originally Posted by perfectlovehere View Post

      Trust whoever has honest reviews on that imreport card site. I've found it's pretty legitimate overall. Never trust reviews on their pages.
      You say trust and use words like legitimate and then brazenly leave an affiliate link in your SIG, which is not allowed?

      When a person clicks on "CLICK HERE!"

      => Make $20/hr EASILY! CLICK HERE! <=

      They are first taken to...

      http://www.surveyadventure.com/a/cj.php?aid=3842851&Refid=cj

      And then ultimately to...

      http://www.surveyadventure.com/?aid=1&subid=cj1


      Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Copy?

      Giles, the Crew Chief
      Signature
      Tools, Strategies and Tactics Used By Savvy Internet Marketers and SEO Pros:

      ProSiteFlippers.com We Build Monetization Ready High-Value Virtual Properties
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  • Profile picture of the author ZaraK
    Regardless of anything else, this thread has certainly helped me separate the wheat from the chaff, or the men from the boys, or those who understand ethics from those who do not.

    Thanks to everybody for your input, for now I know where to put you on my preferred purchase list.
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  • Profile picture of the author EamonDiamond
    I agree with Dave. This is the real world and many people do dirty tactics to grab the attention of their prospect costumers.
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  • Profile picture of the author vishalduggal
    I hate these kind of people who always wanted to steal people's hard earned money with fake reports as well as fake testimonials.
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  • Profile picture of the author Pipinscott
    Good grief what a lot of hoopla for a simple comment exposing another way less than honorable marketers will try to make a buck.

    I think it was a good "heads up" encouraging consumers to look a little closer at the "testimonials" rather than just jumping in taking them at face value.

    Of course the best safety net is to check the warranty prior to purchase and use it if appropriate. *Don't start a firestorm on the "refunders" there are too many threads on that topic already*
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    You are all in luck!

    I just so happen to offer a wide range of pet ant accessories. Ant leashes, ant food and water dishes, and hand-knit angora sweaters for the special ant in your family; to name a few.

    ~M~
    Signature

    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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    • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      You are all in luck!

      I just so happen to offer a wide range of pet ant accessories. Ant leashes, ant food and water dishes, and hand-knit angora sweaters for the special ant in your family; to name a few.

      ~M~
      If you need a testimonial for any of those accessories, just let me know. I have a special going on: 4 testimonials, just $16. Hurry, this offer available only to the next three people who order now, so act now to avoid disappointment!

      Cheers,
      Becky
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  • Profile picture of the author brendanfinn
    Long before Fiverr came along, most of us have known that 90% of testimonials are "fake". The only ones that matter are those from people with a very strong reputation.

    If you think the Fiverr gigs are scary, think about how many people provide exaggerated testimonials to either:
    1) Ensure that theirs is used, which gives their face/name/link some exposure,
    2) Trade for a fabricated testimonial in return.

    Here's another clever idea some guys are using:
    Host a testimonial contest. If you are serious about your site, offer up $100 for the best testimonial, and a few bucks for the runners up. I've seen guys pull in as many as 100 testimonials using this. And as you can imagine, people want to win that money, so they make your product sound like it's the greatest thing since autoresponders.

    You know what's funny though? Fake or not, they work.
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  • Profile picture of the author designerjack
    It's amazing to know how there is people out there who buy their way into the world. It's fine if you hire people to perform tasks for you. But not testimonials that are not real. That's just cheating people out of their money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Who is more at fault?

    The crooked product sellers who have no problem using such underhanded methods?

    The hungry "testimonial" providers who are only trying to cater to a certain market?

    All the best,
    Michael
    Yes, I worded the two questions VERY specifically to see if it would skew the replies.
    p.s. Does it matter?
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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  • Profile picture of the author GenerousBoy
    Testimonaials are bottom of the barrel in advertising world - regarded as the least creative means of convincing possible punters. However, when done for real, they can be convincing and legitimately so. But of course they have always and always will be open to abuse. I think product owners should at least give us some credit for spotting the phonies - they usually stick out a mile!
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  • Profile picture of the author simonjwarner
    Originally Posted by Black Magick View Post

    Major corporations do it all the time. What do you think celebrity endorsements are for?

    GOOD POINT!

    In soccer its known as a "boot deal"

    however a five dollar testamonial is worth what you paid for it....
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  • Profile picture of the author alsmith1
    These people that are paying for the fake testimonials are ruining their business by ruining their credibility when these customers realize the testimonials are invalid.
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  • Profile picture of the author A Bary
    Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

    Where can I get the pet ants?
    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    You are all in luck!

    I just so happen to offer a wide range of pet ant accessories. Ant leashes, ant food and water dishes, and hand-knit angora sweaters for the special ant in your family; to name a few.

    ~M~
    Well, this was funny until I found this

    Pet Ants

    People are really petting ants
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  • I have to admit that when this post first came up, I found myself really bothered by it. But now that I've had some time to give it some thought, if anything, it doesn't really change the fact that anybody could have had thrown a video up for FREE at any time by just having someone close to them do the video--or just do it themselves if they were using a fake pic for their profile.

    And I honestly believe video testimonials add enough power to a squeeze page that a good marketer could probably pay 20X that and make it still worthwhile, so the significance of how cheap it is now doesn't bother me so much either. Someone who can't pay more than $5 for a fake testimonial is probably going to need a few more tricks than just that up their sleeve to make a sale.

    So I guess buyers are in no more danger than they were before--that said, I'm certainly more aware now, which was what Gene wanted to accomplish by starting this thread, so thanks Gene.

    Anyways, I went and spent some time over at Fiverr because it keeps coming up here and I hadn't even been there yet, and it is really a mind-blowing website IMHO. I think it's a very interesting product of social media, and I find it fascinating just for the social observation as well as looking at it from a mind that is interested in marketing.

    As for statements I've seen on here about people selling their souls for $5--I think that was a bit dramatic now that I've had a look around. There are definitely people doing some things that are questionable, but I found those were exceptions. And I'd say a good portion of those offering fake testimonials haven't put a whole lot of thought into the implications of what it is they are doing and how unethical it really is. I wish they would, but there are a lot of things people do that I wish they would put more thought into...

    The examples Gene mentioned in the OP were pretty blatant though.

    And actually, the site does spark some money-making ideas--very few of which have anything to do with selling anything for $5, by the way. I'll keep those to myself for now.

    And no--I won't be purchasing any fake testimonials in my lifetime.

    cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author candyeagle
    I haven't read every post here but thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth, anyway. I have a friend here in St. Louis who is an actor and did a commercial for a hair growth/replacement company. I've known him for years and he has a thick head of hair. I asked him if he ever had a hair thinning problem. And he said no. That seemed totally unethical to me--both for him and the company. I questioned that kind of marketing. He said he had no problem with it because he's just an actor. Unfortunately, there was no disclaimer on the tv ad as a paid re-enactment, etc. So, the problem isn't just in IM.

    That's one of the reasons I haven't done much affiliate marketing. I can't recommend something that I haven't tried and been successful with myself.

    Btw Gene, I can hardly wait for you to have affiliates for your Easy Domain Cash system. It's the best program I've ever tried.
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    Blessings,

    Candy
    FreeLeadPlace.com

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    • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
      Originally Posted by candyeagle View Post

      I have a friend here in St. Louis who is an actor and did a commercial for a hair growth/replacement company. I've known him for years and he has a thick head of hair. I asked him if he ever had a hair thinning problem. And he said no.
      I worked with a guy back in the '70s who had a 'wirey' build and losing weight was never anything he ever needed to worry about.

      He got a part as a 'satisfied customer' in a Dexatrim commercial.

      The first time I saw that ad on TV I thought, "What's wrong with this picture...?" :rolleyes:


      Thanks Candy, and just to be clear, a person does not necessarily have to be a user of a product to recommend it, it it is a sincere recommendation.
      Gene, that's the first time I've ever seen anybody put three "it"s together in one sentence. We must have had the same English teacher when we were young.

      ~Bill
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      • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
        Originally Posted by Bill Farnham View Post

        Gene, that's the first time I've ever seen anybody put three "it"s together in one sentence. We must have had the same English teacher when we were young.
        ROFL! The middle one should have been an "if". Gonna go fix that now!
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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      Originally Posted by candyeagle View Post

      I haven't read every post here but thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth, anyway. I have a friend here in St. Louis who is an actor and did a commercial for a hair growth/replacement company. I've known him for years and he has a thick head of hair. I asked him if he ever had a hair thinning problem. And he said no. That seemed totally unethical to me--both for him and the company. I questioned that kind of marketing. He said he had no problem with it because he's just an actor. Unfortunately, there was no disclaimer on the tv ad as a paid re-enactment, etc. So, the problem isn't just in IM.

      That's one of the reasons I haven't done much affiliate marketing. I can't recommend something that I haven't tried and been successful with myself.

      Btw Gene, I can hardly wait for you to have affiliates for your Easy Domain Cash system. It's the best program I've ever tried.
      Does this mean the guys in the Cialis and Viagra commercials really don't have "problems"?
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  • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
    Thanks Candy, and just to be clear, a person does not necessarily have to be a user of a product to recommend it, if it is a sincere recommendation. It's when the primary motivation is to make a few bucks to "create" a recommendation out of thin air that burns me. I have no problem with an actor getting paid to represent an actual customer, if that fact is made clear, and if there is a real customer that the actor is representing.
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    • Profile picture of the author candyeagle
      Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

      Thanks Candy, and just to be clear, a person does not necessarily have to be a user of a product to recommend it, if it is a sincere recommendation. It's when the primary motivation is to make a few bucks to "create" a recommendation out of thin air that burns me. I have no problem with an actor getting paid to represent an actual customer, if that fact is made clear, and if there is a real customer that the actor is representing.
      I agree about not needing to use the product in order to endorse it or actors paid to represent an actual customer. There just needs to be a disclaimer/explanation to that effect.
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      Blessings,

      Candy
      FreeLeadPlace.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Owen Smith
    This is going to happen, it is a quick fix for scammers to get good testimonials instead of having to prove their product works.

    Regards
    Owen
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  • Profile picture of the author Ty Neal
    Fake testimonials LOL that funny for five dollars, Just offer a review copy of your product or service and then you will receive an honest testimonials if the product rocks...
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    This is just the continuation of a trend that was started with television infomercials, which then progressed to websites and sales pages. The difference is that the recent developments in Fiverr have made it even easier for people to buy fake testimonials now that these providers are openly offering them - the barriers to entry have been reduced considerably, and now you can buy fake testimonials from the comfort of your home computer...this is a disgusting trend that will lower the value of even genuine testimonials, but unfortunately this is not something that can be easily stopped.
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  • Profile picture of the author havaread
    I don't listen to testimonials. I consider myself to be intelligent enough to see through the BS
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  • Profile picture of the author Erica Leggette
    I "think" I saw a manufactured video testimonial the other day. The chick in the video was testifying to how life changing a system has been to her but she never once said the name of the system in the video. I knew the name of it though but she never said it. The video is so generic that it could be use for anything labeled as a system. I may be wrong and the testimonial could've been real. She talked for like seven minutes about how her life has change but the only name she gave the system was "this system".

    Maybe people will start believing in their own possibilities instead of wanting so much proof for everything as if that means our progress will be the same. And maybe people will be real about their business and stop misleading others. It is what it is and the fake stuff is out there just as well as the truth. Be the truth and the lies won't faze us so much.
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    Be easy.


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  • Profile picture of the author Godaxe
    This reminds me of what I see on tv late in the day. It is just a mater if wether or not you can see past the acting and tell if there is any value for you to take from it.

    Just my 0.02
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  • Profile picture of the author sparckyz
    People in TV commercials recommend products all the time and claim they found it amazing. I bet not all of them have used/own the product..
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  • Profile picture of the author daj
    Recently discovered someone in the WSO section using fake (paid for) video testimonials...
    It makes me cringe.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Originally Posted by daj View Post

      Recently discovered someone in the WSO section using fake (paid for) video testimonials...
      It makes me cringe.
      PM me the link, along with whatever proof you have, please.


      Paul
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      .
      Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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  • Profile picture of the author DeborahDera
    This has always bothered me. I had a client ask me to write testimonials once and I declined that part of the project. Thankfully we had a good enough relationship she was able to move that part to someone else because she understood my (ethical) reasoning for not wanting to do it.

    I have trouble even considering putting testimonials on my own sites because I'm afraid people will think they're fake!

    Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel View Post

    Please be aware that there are many, many people on Fiverr and other similar site that are offering "realistic video testimonials" for $5.

    Go to fiverr.com and search for "testimonials" and remember these phonies, so you'll easily spot the fake testimonials when you see them on various sales pages and WSOs.

    Here are some example offers...

    -----------------------------
    "Be it your product or service. I'll seem to be your customer and provide you 2 video testomonials for 5$
    "
    -----------------------------
    "I will create a 1-2 minute realistic video testimonial for your product or website for $5"
    -----------------------------
    "I will write ten positive testimonials for your website. top quality. satisfaction assured."
    -----------------------------


    It truly makes my stomach turn. :/


    NOTE: False testimony has been with us since humans first walked the planet. This is not about complaining. It is about making people aware that video testimonials are being manufactured wholesale. MANY people are not aware of how prevalent this has become.



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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Daj,

      Thanks. That offer has been locked until I get an explanation of the video in question.

      Deborah,
      I have trouble even considering putting testimonials on my own sites because I'm afraid people will think they're fake!
      A lot of people feel the same way. As long as they're real, and not over the top, I'd use them. Include a text link (not necessarily a live one) to the sites of the folks who have them, so folks can check if they want.

      The problem with video testimonials like the one Daj mentioned is that they can't be verified. It may be that the seller paid someone to read a real testimonial from an actual customer. Or something totally made up. There's no way to know for sure.

      That sort of thing can be very easily abused.


      Paul
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      Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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