Okay, so I?ve been lurking around these forums for several months now, and I?ve learned a number of things from many of you. You?ve given me quite a bit, and now I?d like to give something in return. I haven?t seen this particular tactic posted anywhere ? I got the idea from searching CL for things that looked scammy and learning from how the scammers did their thing. This is a variation of something I saw executed on CL in January (hopefully not by someone on this forum). I modified it and used it successfully up till about a month ago. This is a method I recently stopped using, because it?s just too black hat for me. I know, this is supposed to be a forum for the soulless, but I got tired of lying to people and I?ve found other ways to actually help people and make money at the same time, so, as I?ve shifted my focus, I?ve found myself using this technique less and less. Anyhow, here?s the heart of it: I make a post to CL for free furniture, and I mention some of the things I?m ?giving away.? Not too many things (which makes it smell fishy), but enough to catch most peoples? interest. Be specific ? chairs, different sizes, desks (real wood), file cabinets, older computers . . . whatever. I mention that I?m storing it in a warehouse near town (whichever town I?m posting to) and that they can email me for directions and to set up a time to meet me so they can go through the things. They email me. Their email nearly always asks about the condition of the furniture, wanting to know the location, and giving times they could meet. From there, I send them back a response (not right away, because then they know it?s an autoresponder) and here?s where the magic kicks in. I make the message long and detailed, it should look like too much effort has gone into it than some crappy scammer (like us) would have put together. Here?s a version of the message I use (with notes for all you crappy scammers ? be smart enough to remove them if you?re just going to copy/paste): == Begin == Wow, I had a huge response to my ad on CL, so I?ve removed it and am writing back to everyone who responded. (This will take care of three things. 1- If they notice that the ad is a little form-letterish, they won?t worry. 2- If they go back to CL to read the ad again, they see that it?s been removed ? flagged ? and don?t worry. 3- They know there?s going to be some competition, so they?d better hurry to do what I tell them.) I?ve gotten response from several dealers, so if that?s you, forget about it ? this FREE furniture is for real people that can actually use it. If you?re a dealer, just hit the DELETE button now. This furniture is for people who actually need it and will put it to good use. (I?ve always had success with telling people that this offer is just for them, make it seem exclusive). Since I had such a big response, I?ve come up with an idea that will allow everyone to get a couple of pieces of this furniture. I?m currently storing it a building that is used by a non-profit company called (make up your own name). They give people free information on (whatever lead category you?re promoting). So, since they?ve been kind enough to let us use their facility for storage, I?m going to ask everyone who really wants some of this furniture to go to their Web site and sign up for free information. Once you?ve done that, email me back along with whichever furniture you?re interested in. I?ll put your name on it and we can make arrangements for you to pick it up. Whoever emails me first will have the first choice. Their Web site is located at the bottom of the message, after my name. (Obviously, you?ll be directing them to a Web site that has some generic information on whatever you?re promoting ? they?ll go sign up, email you back, and never hear from you again) Here?s some info about the furniture: Around 80 pieces available. Chairs, different sizes ? some are traditional office chairs for sitting at a desk, others are more for a reception area. Desks, different sizes, these are real wood, not that fake stuff from a supercenter. One is black lacquer. Workstations (desk-combo type things). File cabinets, heavy . . . some with keys, others without. Different sizes. Printer stands, various. Computers, old . . . they may or may not work. Location: Most of the items are in a heated building in an industrial park in NAME OF CL CITY. There is a loading dock, and I can have someone there to help you load your furniture. Directions: (Give them real directions to some real industrial park on the outskirts of town ? you?ll need this to seem real because they will look it up with a map Web site ? I always made sure the industrial park was real ? don?t give them an actual address yet though, because some of them will drive out there to find nothing.) I?ll send you the exact address once we set a pick-up time. I?m usually available Sunday afternoons, and Wednesday and Thursday evenings, but I can be available other times, or have someone meet you there. I could also deliver it if you absolutely need me to, but I?d prefer to have you come out, or at least pay me back for the gas to your place. Other notes: I want to concentrate on getting the furniture out first, but I?ve also got three laptops (newer, but not brand new) that won?t be free, but I?ll be willing to work out a good price. I?ll show those to you when we meet if you?re interested. Thanks for helping me to get rid of all this stuff!!! Regards, FAKE NAME WEB ADDRESS TO YOUR CPA OFFERS == End == Final notes . . . If you do this, you?re going to piss off a bunch of people. Including, but not limited to: 1. CL, who will do everything they can to shut your ads down. Mix up your ads/proxies/etc. and keep the ?selling? in the emails. 2. The people you?re scamming. You will get nasty emails that call you all sorts of mean things once people figure out they?ve been had. Take comfort in knowing that, even though they?re right when they call you a toilet breeder, turd eater, or a groin sack, that at least you?re not dumb enough to fall for some crappy CL scam, like they were. 3. Affiliate managers at CPA networks ? scale this slowly and over multiple networks. If you?re stupid, you?ll promote only one offer, and you?ll send some merchant 50 leads the first two days, many of which will say ?I?m not interested, I was only trying to get free furniture.? If you think that will go over well with the merchant or the CPA network, you?re wrong, and you won?t make it as a black hatter. 4. Your version of a supreme being. If you do what I?ve outlined above, you are a bad person, and a liar. My mother told me that bad things happen to liars in the afterlife and I always had some remorse running this angle. But it did work, I had to keep on my toes, but that?s part of what made it a challenge. Final, final note . . . be prepared to get caught at some point, somewhere. You will get kicked out of CPA networks. CL will be angry at you. Someone may actually show up at your door (this never happened to me, but I always worried it might). If you don?t want to run the risk, I don?t blame you. Don?t yell at me later when you weren?t smart about how you executed this plan and you?ve been banned from 30 networks and had thousands of dollars in commissions reversed. Final, final, final note . . . have a good time and make some money. That?s what this is all about, right?
hmmm..... interesting. I thought of doing something like this to once. I'm with you on this one, that's too black hat for me.
Why go through that much trouble when you can easily get them to do a cpa offer without doing all of that and they can do it from the comfort of their home.
Seriously, something must be missing from the the scenario that's described. Why would someone that responded click on the CPA offer linked at the end of the email? What's their incentive?
I think for information on the product if I am not mistaking. Just have to make the website your sending them to, seem very legit on them getting the information after completing the offer.. It's a method. I would feel pretty bad though, but to each their own.
Ummm... I don't think this is going to work very good. A link under your name? Why would they click this? They are interested in the free furniture... Not who "you work for" or anything of that sort. Weird... I don't understand really. Maybe I am missing something?? Cyp
I think I'm right there with you bro. Huh? A link under your name is the only way to the cpa offer? Why don't you jut tell these people you'll give them you stuff free if they join your opt in list for your "new company", and your opt in list is just an iframed email submit?
Make them register to a site to check inventory. Hell, I'll point you right to an offer and a scenario. Go to CJ. Sign up with GoToWebinar (make sure to hide your referring page). Tell them we require that you attend a webinar just so you can chat and make sure they don't plan on reselling the furniture, and find out how they'll use it. If you really want to get attn, give out old PCs or similar. Say your from XYZ school board distributing our previous model PCs which are no longer up to par blah blah. Just make sure they sign up for goToWebinar, you get $50 per CC registration, which most ppl will do for the free trial. Make sure you tell them the free trial will be enough. Oh, and be careful not to do this over a long period of time or commissions will get pulled because your traffic won't be converting. There ya go, fortune in a box. Oh, and whoever said this is "too blackhat", whats so bad about it Since when do people feel bad about things here?
I don't exactly equate blackhat to scamming people...or being souless but like Keedev said; to each his own.
Hey, don't collect money and in most places it won't equate to fraud so your good. @ cypionate Thanks
