One of the challenges for affiliate managers is recognizing when an affiliate account has changed hands. This will usually accompany a change in tactics and usually for the worse. The same can be said for new accounts or newly active accounts. There is actually a very developed market for the sale of affiliate accounts. One [...]

In a recent, controversial blog post Shawn Hogan has alleged that eBay program managers manipulated him into employing “grey area” techniques by assuring him there wouldn’t be consequences for breaking their terms of service. After agreeing, he says managers then began suggesting different fraudulent methods he could employ, and even ways to hide from internal compliance [...]

Techcrunch has a good article on the latest conundrum facing affiliate managers: Izea (formerly PayPerPost) has begun introducing affiliate links to its network of sponsored bloggers. While bloggers inserting affiliate links into their posts is nothing new (and not even necessarily bad), this particular incident is troubling for brand owners. The FTC has become increasingly [...]

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the very recent rise in online fraud. It certainly suggests that fraud rises in the downturn. The bear economy is creating a bull market for cyber-crooks. Experts and law-enforcement officials who track Internet crime say scams have intensified in the past six months, as fraudsters take [...]