On the internet, I can spot a scam or hoax a mile away. When I suspect a hoax, I know I can search various websites and prove or disprove my gut feelings. First impressions play a major key. Such as the infamous photo circulating the net showing a tourist on top of the World Trade Center building and a jet behind him moments before striking the building...dated September 11. This was clearly a hoax.
Internet scams have flooded the network for years. Each year, scammers find new ways to circumvent clearly outlawed activities, finding loop-holes and work-arounds to make their establishment appear legitimate. If an investigation of their activities begin, they move the operation base but still maintain their presence on the internet - their source of income. Because of the millions of people, gullible and skeptical alike, on the internet, this medium provides them with an unlimited source of revenue. For these scam artists, the internet is like having a self-stocking ATM machine and they hold the PIN number with each new applicant who comes along.
Yesterday, I ventured into this side of the net as a person ready to make money. Using Google, the top of the search pile revealed something called "Ultimate Wealth Package" (UWP). Actually, the name was repeated on every link listed on the first page. I went to the site and was greeted by the usual claims of quick money, lots of it, and how easy it is "if you follow my steps". Skeptical, of course, I searched for this company on 3rd party websites. On one blog/forum, the topic read "Ultimate Wealth Package Scam". Yes! That's what I'm looking for. The article described UWP and how the individual, also a skeptic, tried the program and succeeded. To throw the unfortunate and gullible off, such quotes were "you have to follow the steps" and "you may not make the money claimed on the (UWP) website, but you will make money". Leaving some doubt and some hope at the same time. Other posts on various websites also claimed similar results - just follow the steps and you'll succeed.
Ok, you sold me. So...
How Does it Work?
The website builds up potential "buyers" by asking the usual "would you be interested in learning how to make $1000 per day?" and after you're given the tools and training to succeed, would you let the opportunity pass? There is a brief, fake-sounding claim from someone who called UWP to state that after 8-weeks of joining, he retired from his regular job and making a lot of money - of course, using THIS program. One of the key notes you'll see on legitimate businesses that provide actual services is that they will provide FULL names, and in some cases full contact information, from persons leaving testimonials. The keyword is legitimate. The red flag goes up when they post testimonials from "Robert" or "R. J. of Wisconsin". That would be like me saying "B.T. of Florida writes 'chicodawg.com is the absolute best website in the world. Thank you for all you've done!'" as a testimonial. Would you believe it? Could you prove it based on "B.T. of Florida"? Of course not and that is the intent of these scammers. In my example, even though chicodawg.com is the best website in the world, the "B.T. of Florida" was made-up. Now, on the left side of the page, you'll notice smiling faces, big houses and more claims of richness and first and last names. Can they be verified, though?
But, we move on. To keep you from leaving this "incredible offer" behind, you'll see the typical "limited time only" claim. If you don't act now, this offer won't be there after dinner. Fine.
With UWP, the claim is that you'll sign-up, get a website (FREE!) from which you'll sell products...sit back and make money. If the ease of this service doesn't grab you, sample transaction statements and the photos of a Lamborghini, beach scene and large house should. It could all be yours, too, right?
All for a $99 investment to set this up. But wait! Yesterday, I was offered a 50% OFF coupon code, good for 3-days only. By the time I got to the check-out page, it was $39.95. That's not bad for a possible income of $1000 per day! Whip out the credit card and show ME the money.
When you click on the Payment button on the Join Now area, you're sent through a 3rd party site "Click Bank" to handle the transaction by credit card or Paypal. Why is this? Why can't UWP send you to Paypal or a merchant site to handle credit card transactions? Their world is based on affiliations. Site A has a link to Site B and when you get to Site B and complete a purchase, they share a piece of the pie.
Knowing I have some (little) trust in Paypal, I decide to go that route. Cha-ching: $39.95 will soon bring in $50,000 per month, or maybe $5,000, or even $2,000 would be ok.
Let's do this! What now?
Get a free money-making website. Free is the keyword. Throughout the claims, all you see are how you can make GOOD money with this "free" website.
After this, there is a list of eBooks you read through. eBooks are PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files you read with a PDF reader or your browser. They are like books, but "e"lectronic versions. I read through quite a few of them and they are basically the same load of crap:
You can easily make money using the steps I mention below. I made thousands in my first week and I'll show you how. You just have to follow the easy steps I detail below.
The eBooks are full of grammatical errors and misspelled words. Even as I type this in Firefox, spelling errors are highlighted, allowing me to make corrections. Maybe the authors were in such a hurry that proofreading was not an option. The type of style used in these eBooks remind me of the spam Email I get regarding Paypal and bank sites - when you get to the site they say you HAVE to go to, you can spot the scam instantly just by reading the text - most have grammatical errors and spelling issues. Would a REAL bank or Paypal allow this? Red flag #2!
I have yet to see any "easy steps" outlined within the PDF files. Just a lot of hype and that one person made it happen and "so can you!".
After reading the hundreds of pages contained in these too-numerous-to-mention eBook titles, you then have to "Bring traffic to your (new, free) website", then go through the "learning center", listen to the audio interviews, use some bonus items and finally, apply for a mentoring program.
Initially, you believe money will begin coming in as soon as the website is built. Let's go there!
My FREE Website!
When you click on this task, again you're taken to another website location, UWP's owner/founder site. This website package was "originally $1097" but it is now free. Ok. More testimonials and "As Seen on TV" logo - what TV was this featured on? "America's Most Wanted"? Sign me up!
Shortly after signing up - enter your name, email address and phone number (for some reason) - my home phone started ringing. Oddly enough, after some checking, this number is reported to be from a company trying to sell money-making websites. Red flag #3!
The money-making scheme, based on this website, is done through streams. Each of the four streams is a potential money-maker. The simplest stream, stream #1, is included with this FREE website. According to the website, it is for people who only want to make maybe $100 per month. However, if you sign up for the PRO website, all the streams are made available to you. How much? I clicked on this special offer. After all, I want to make serious cash daily, not a measly $100 per month. This link now takes me to ANOTHER 3rd-party site, midPhase web hosting. I have heard of them before and was researching them before I started chicodawg.com a couple years ago. midPhase's plans are cheap, but they don't offer nearly as much as my current host provider. The lure of this deal was the addition of the extra money-making streams and the link posted a quote of only "$9.95 per month" which is not bad especially with the added hope of gaining the desired income from this venture.
The problem I had was that they wanted a year paid in full for that price ($9.95/month x 12 months = $119.40 due now). So, my money-making investment would go from $39.95 to $159.35. And, so far I'm only seeing promises of making money, and it appears that the only person making money is affiliated with Click Bank, UWP and now midPhase. Red flag #4! I decided not to go with the Pro version and I closed the midPhase window...or tried to.
A pop-up chat box appeared on my screen. Within seconds, this was clearly an automated script. I was offered a "great deal" from an "agent" to pay $7.95 per month for the Pro plan if I clicked on a special link. An automated script has the ability to recognize some phrases and respond...but no one is really typing to you in a chat window. I said "Hi" and the script responded "Hello! Please take advantage of this special offer." I said "you're a stupid bot". It responded with "No, I'm a live virtual agent". Uhm, I think the word "virtual" means artificial...a bot. I closed the chat window and was finally able to close the midPhase sign-up window.
I'm now back at the website setup page. It is a control panel where you do all the behind the scenes stuff. I also viewed my FREE website for the first time. It is all about marketing (links) and ads for products. When I heard "products" on the main UWP website, I envisioned useful items like car parts, household goods, baby wipes, etc. UWP's list of products are this: "Make money with a FREE website!", "Ultimate Wealth Package" (crap, that's what I'm going through now, I thought), "Make Money using Online Affiliates" and "Free Google Income Kit!".
That's what I want to do: Convince people to follow me down the same sewage pipe I was heading into.
As I returned to my website control panel, I noticed I already earned $10.25 from the affiliate program. What??? Maybe I'm on to something here! Maybe this is just a start and better things are coming. If only...
Get Visitors Now (the next step!)
I need to "Get More Visitors" to the site. It was actually a step to follow - one of the necessary tasks to build riches. The site is called Get Visitors Now. This "service" submits your site to 100's of search engines, including Yahoo!, Google, AOL and others, all in one shot.... hmmm, for a one-time fee (sounds familiar now) of $49.95. Had I elected to jump to the Pro website account (above), this would bring my investment up to $209.30. This website also reads like a marketing ploy, with the testimonials and claims. I decided against this route and clicked to close the window.
A pop-up chat box appeared on my screen. Within seconds, I knew this was another automated script. This offer was for $10 off, or $39.95 for the Get Visitors Now service. Again, you can type "Hi" and go with it for awhile, or type "I just farted" and the script would respond the same each time.
I decided to go back to the website control panel and check out the $10.25 I made. There was a link to view the details on the Affiliate Programs page - an earnings page showing what transactions were made. Well, this transaction doesn't appear anywhere on the pages. How could that be?
More Marketing requirements
The next line on the marketing menu was for "Tom Traffic System". Clicking this. Yea, you guessed it. Another 3rd party website, more claims and testimonials. You need traffic in order to succeed. I truly believe that. Again, the wording was the same "incredible offer", "powerful" and "bonuses" offered but I must respond immediately. For the low fee of $49.95 (cha-ching!). Activating this and all the other stuff above would bring me to $259.25.
I click the "X" to close the window...
...
Nothing!
Great, I can move on! I guess the automated virtual agent was at lunch.
The next marketing option is called Tsunami Traffic, Sign-ups and Sales - Top Secret system for 1000s of automatic FREE hits. Hmm... this is supposedly free if I send my name and Email address. Based on what I've seen so far, my Email address is probably already on enough scam lists. Even for "free", I'm passing on this special deal.
The last marketing link was "Tell a Friend". Well, I'm telling you all who are reading this now, so why toss your Email address in some mailing list for spammers?
Isn't this what it's all about anyway? Besides the cash flowing into their pockets, the more people who are referred to this scheme, the more chances that these people will add to that cash flow. I mean, if I bought into it and sent you the "tell a friend" link, you might check it out and sign up. Or, you might be added to a master list of Emails which include other potentially gullible people who may eventually sign-up. The end result, UWP, Click Bank, Get Visitors Now, and the other affiliates, have made money off of us. I don't see this working in my favor.
When you sign-up for the Pro website, you get a few features to help the site build traffic. One of these is the "mailing list", which is probably filled with the addresses of "tell a friend" recipients. I hate spam and I get several each day - blocked by my host provider and spam blocking software. The question is simple: Would I subject my friends and family to this same scam and get them involved for the sake of making a few extra dollars? No. If it was a legitimate and honest money maker, of course I would.
I visited the "Pro" upgrade option again. After clicking to close the midPhase sign-up window, again the chat box opened. This time, the deal was for a "non-commitment" month-by-month plan of $19.95/month. I could live with this, so I clicked on the link. After a few seconds, a new window appeared with "Sorry, this package is no longer available." Figures. $19.95 per month is not as good as getting $119 out of someone and forcing them to commit for a whole year.
Now, you might be saying that all these companies offer money back guarantees...and that's what they post on their websites. Even the midPhase sign-up page and the stupid "live virtual agents" state the same thing - 100% money back guarantee. I also saw that they guarantee your money-back if you don't make money. Well, according to my control panel on the FREE website, I've "made $10.25" - does that nullify the guarantee? Even if I haven't been paid?
When I log out of the control panel on my FREE website, I'm greeted by yet ANOTHER 3rd party website - "Paid Survey Program". You're kidding right? "Learn how to make $25 is just 7-minutes!". Well, UWP and its affiliates just made a share of the initial $39.95 from me in just a few minutes. With this program, you get paid for taking online surveys and joining focus groups. They claim a fair amount of income from this. Of course, access to any information will cost (you guessed it) $39.95! Free bonuses, testimonials, the site has all the usual as mentioned above...
including...
"Hey wait! So just this once we'll like to take another $10 (USD) off the already reduced price for a membership to PaidSurveyProgram.com."
Finally, I had enough and did what I should have done in the beginning (besides ignoring this idea).
What the Better Business Bureau reports
I went to the main Better Business Bureau (BBB) website and started searching. Ultimate Wealth Package was first. They have an unsatisfactory record with 94 complaints processed by the BBB in the last 12-months. Complaints were listed as "Refund Practices", "Advertising Issues" and other topics. The complaints were resolved. The bureau realizes the pattern of complaints deal with the failure of the company to refund money when the "product/service sold was not as advertised on the company's website".
My next search was for Click Bank - the ones who performed the main transaction between UWP and Paypal. Although Paypal was actually the one I paid through (their site) I still had to get there from Click Bank for some reason. As I mentioned above, why didn't the sign-up button at UWP just take me to pay via Paypal? According to the BBB, Click Bank affiliates state that they (Click Bank) are in good standing with the BBB. Click Bank is not a member of the BBB. After a meeting with the BBB, Click Bank agreed to monitor and prohibit unauthorized use of the BBB's name. The BBB still receives reports that affiliates are referencing Click Bank's BBB membership on their sites.
In the last 36-months, the Better Business Bureau processed 209 complaints against Click Bank. The BBB also states the following:
The BBB advises caution when doing business with companies that require an advance fee for information, claim large earnings and short hours with little or no experience. BBB files nationwide indicate no evidence of anyone making the promised money stuffing envelopes, performing surveys on-line, or getting paid to be a mystery shopper.
Surveys online? Stuffing envelopes? Large earnings claim? No evidence of anyone making money from this? That's not what I read on the Ultimate Wealth Package website!
What happens now?
I have requested a refund from Ultimate Wealth Package. This endeavor has only set me back (cost) $39.95, plus a lot of time without producing the claimed results. What I got was more links to more claims and testimonials and package "deals" to spend more of my money. This morning, I received an Email from "Neil" in the support department. Again, as with the eBooks, the grammar in one sentence is elementary-schoolish:
Hello,
Can you please tell us the exact reason for cancellation maybe we will try and
make things working for you.
Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you have any doubts or queries.
*****Stop Press:- As you know there are millions of people searching the
internet daily. But even with the best website in the world these people
will not find your website unless you are on the top search engines. The
solution is http://www.Get-Visitors-Now.com who have a team of search
engine submission specialists who will submit your website to all the
major search engines including Google, Yahoo and MSN instantly. So start
getting the visitors your website deserves today by going signing up for
http://www.Get-Visitors-Now.com ********
Regards
Neil
Support Department
At the bottom of the Email, they list the (support) ticket details - status: Closed. Closed? It wasn't resolved yet! My response will be a link to this article. That should explain "why". I'm here to inform the general internet populace that something is not right with these companies. If anyone wants to come forward to prove the claims on UWP's package, I'd be more than happy to listen.
Besides a valuable learning lesson, which I should have already known anyway, my hard-earned money was returned from Click Bank.
The process to have the funds returned was not hard at all. I have to give Click Bank credit for that and the prompt return of my money. Thank you.
When I posted this article on my personal blog, I heard from others who were taken by UWP. One reader was allegedly asked (by UWP) how much money was available on his/her credit cards before the mentoring phase would begin. Luckily, it didn't go beyond that.
I'm sure marketers and internet advertising pros will say I didn't give it a chance (or give UWP enough money), or I'm not marketing-savvy. My point is, according to UWP "anyone can do it". If it was legitimate, this article, and many others like it, would not exist. If it worked for you, that's great.
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