Independent Affiliate Programs.. Are they safe?

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So I found a product that I want to run a promo on for my list that seems really awesome. The product creator is super genuine in his videos, is pretty darn congruent with how I think and feel, the pay out is solid, he has multiple products, AND they work with affiliates to create additional content for bonus' and what have you.

Seems like a pretty rad deal..

...BUT

As it says in the title, this guy does not use click bank...

He uses his own internal affiliate program. Which I wouldn't have a problem with as long as I could verify the company who processes the payouts and everything.

The problem I'm having here is his affiliate sign up page requires me to enter my social security number AND bank account information. There is no other information talking about the the security of my personal info, only the earnings disclaimer and product promotion rules.

I really want to promote these products. I subscribed to his list and his info is really good, non-hypey, and useful.

Has anyone here had any experience with independent affiliate networks? If so what would you suggest if you were in my situation?

All advice and thoughts are welcome

Thanks in advance guys!

Cory
#main internet marketing discussion forum #affiliate #independent #programs #safe
  • Run the other way, this person may be a scam artist trying to get your info.
    He does not need your bank account or SIN.

    Once he has it you may have a big problem.
    • [1] reply
    • The fact that you came made a post asking for reassurance is enough reason to not do any business with this guy. You have good senses... take advantage of that.

      I've done work for people I've met online all the time. I'm okay with giving them one thing: my paypal account email. If you are asking for SSN and bank information you had better be a company like Clickbank, Amazon, CJ, etc.

      I would never give anyone my SSN or bank account information online. I don't even think I gave PayPal my SSN to verify. I used a credit card instead.
  • Independent affiliates - OK, but there should be no need to give bank account information, today most payment is done through Paypal. Something certainly smells fishy here.

    Jeff
  • yes, in the good ole days most affiliate programs were independents.

    i however get the red flag with this guy asking for your banking and social unless he is using some other thrid party host for his affiliate program.
  • I guess none of you are Americans who have earned over $600 from an affiliate program during the course of a year before. Like all other non-employee compensation, that has to be reported to you and to the IRS on a Form 1099-MISC.

    He needs your social security number for that form. It's a requirement of the US tax code, punishable by fines and imprisonment if he ignores it, not some kind of scam. Typically affiliate networks and programs get this by asking you for Form W-9, which exists solely to ask someone what their legal name and tax ID number is.

    As for the bank information, ask to be paid by check or PayPal if you're worried about it. It's more work for everyone than a direct deposit into your account, but that should by no means be a requirement.
    • [2] replies
    • Exactly Dan - that's why my comment was focused on the bank account information and not SSN. I have to fill in forms (even as someone outside US who sells into US) all the time to prevent hold back on commissions...but I rarely see the need to give bank account information.

      Jeff

    • Point me to the tax code that says that when we offer an affiliate program we have to have people fill out this form before hand?

      Thanks
      • [2] replies
  • We should not treat everyone as potential scam artists, but you should make sure why such information is needed for him. As I understand why he may need some information to make ACH payments, I am not sure why he needs your SSN. If he is trustworthy, the reason may be taxes. You should talk to him directly. Contact him by email, phone, skype, chat, etc. and write/talk about your concerns.
  • Yeah, I've already sent an email to his support desk asking for additional info..

    Everything seems completely legitimate accept for this one page. It either means it's okay, or he's really good.. The thing is, is I've received other emails from different marketers promoting his products as affiliates. He has a forum, a fantastic auto-responder sequence, and many videos of himself talking about different topics.

    I don't know what to do here.. I feel like it would be a great company to promote for.

    They take weekends off, so I guess I will just have to wait for their response. If anyone would like to take a closer look, I'd love to chat over PM or Skype and I'll send you a link to the affiliate sign up page and maybe someone could give me a second opinion?

    I just don't want to flame this guys website for any bad publicity if he's legit..

    Just a thought if someone isn't busy at the moment

    Let me know!

    Thanks for the quick responses guys. 'preciate it
    • [1] reply
    • I would like to see the link, but you need three more posts to be able to send PMs :p
      • [1] reply
  • screw it.. 1 post left...
  • PM STATUS!! I'm moving up in the IM world
    • [1] reply
    • LOL, you are fast! Thanks for the PM, I will check this.
  • Just sent you a PM Bruce
  • I would be very cautious, do a bit of digging, Google the person, and the website, include the keyphrase 'Affiliate Program' and see what results come up.
  • Ya my girlfriend is gone, WHICH MEANS I get to work. So I have nothing but time, lol..
  • See if you can contact any other affiliates part of his program and ask them.
  • I have a reply for you, but I would rather PM you, when I get to 50 posts, too :p. Please, give me a while or PM me your email address/skype name.
  • Do you have skype?
  • Sounds a bit dodgy to me - too much personal info.
  • Maybe you can post all the relevant details here and to see if someone knows that person. Cheers
    • [1] reply
    • Well like I stated before, I don't want to disclose this guys site or brand to deter anyone from buying or promoting from them.

      At this point, my only concern is that they are requiring that I give them my SSN. They provide an option to be paid via PayPal, which I wanted to avoid so I wouldn't have to pay fees to PayPal. So that's not a huge issue.

      The thing is that they do not give any real explanation as to why they need this information.

      Everything that's being explained here makes sense tho. I don't have a problem giving it to him as long as I can confirm where it's going.

      I'm still working on getting a response from their support desk. I think we all know that can take a while sometimes.

      Thanks again for all the help guys!
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • If you can't verify an independent affiliate and its asking for your bank account and social security information, it is more likely a scam. If he's not using ClickBank, then all transactions should be done via PayPal. Just my thoughts...
  • I wouldn't give my social security to anyone. While he might be on the up and up, who knows whose hands it could land in. Identity theft is easy enough...
    • [1] reply
    • Then you can't earn an income in the US. Whether through employment, freelancing, consulting, selling ads, affiliate marketing, hell -- gambling, you can't make a living doing it without giving up your SSN. If you're employed, your employer needs it for payroll taxes. If you're not an employee, then anyone who pays you over $600 needs it to report the non-employee compensation.
      • [1] reply
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    Independent Affiliate Programs.. Are they safe?

    So I found a product that I want to run a promo on for my list that seems really awesome. The product creator is super genuine in his videos, is pretty darn congruent with how I think and feel, the pay out is solid, he has multiple products, AND they work with affiliates to create additional content for bonus' and what have you. Seems like a pretty rad deal..