How not to do fake cpa/ppl signups
 

Our programs stats say that 4 out of 5 new cpa/ppl affiliates are cheaters.
That's ok, but, I miss the smart cheaters of years ago, I think they gone mainstream.

I am sorry not only for my own time banning them, as this is anyway my job, but for the time these cheaters waste in our and I suppose several other networks, given no one will ever pay them. I wrote everywhere in bold capitals: "WE DO NOT PAY FOR PROXY/VPN SIGNUPS", as an attempt to save the precious time of these guys, but, they try it the same.

But mostly, what's sad, is that even if they was paid, they would earn about $5 per hour, as checking the logs, they do all by hand and time between each signup is of 10-15 minutes. Further, some even pick wrong offer links, earning $2 or less per hour.

So for example I just got the following new affiliate, which is not exceptional but typical:

First of all in the notes he write he heard about us in "blackhatworld", which is always good to tell when you want not to be double checked for cheating. Oh well some add you in skype and they have mood messages such as "I live illegal, fuck the police", also best way to look legit :)

So the guy picks the wrong cpa offer that pays 50 cents (made mostly for south africa, cyprus and such countries), rather than the $3 per signup us, ca, au. Then, doing US signups, he earns the grand total of $18 for 36 signups made all with vpn/proxy 66.187.* of Privax Ltd. (USA!), after some 10 hours of hard work ($1.80 per hour earnings) across 2 days (yes, and we're on the 3rd now):

Davijc89 66.187.67.253
Whitepx 66.187.67.155
Thomaw34 66.187.74.40
Taylollbp 66.187.74.23
Moorlloxw 66.187.73.13
Newmllgu 66.187.73.91
Adwarbg 66.187.73.224
kenedicg 66.187.73.244
Kenedivb 66.187.73.157
walkerfnb 66.187.64.157
Brownfmk 66.187.64.163
Harrykklop 66.187.73.193
Adamfgtry 66.187.73.177
Aleendjjui 66.187.73.84
Cristkkiop 66.187.64.189
Wrighkkio 66.187.64.239
Mdsonllop 66.187.73.104
Woolfvvg 66.187.64.94
Woodbcd 66.187.68.166
olvingsx 66.187.68.213
singerdvr 66.187.67.205
Waynece 66.187.67.131
Webbfdxw 66.187.64.48
Hotcaqz 66.187.64.83
...

He seem happy to earn $1.80 per hour, creating new fake mail (this takes time, he did not used temp ones), changing ip (maybe he reboots pc each time? lol), clici own aff link, registering in site, which he does slowly, total 15 minutes / signup for 50 cents (he could for $3 but... will not read instructions page), this make me sorry for them, perhaps the issue it is we're too many billion people in the world lately with an internet access.

One obvious thing which seems to be done one purpose by some programs is:

PPS/PPL model is conceived to attract greedy affiliates which will do anything for small amount of monies - not people to make a steady stream of income in the long period.

So there you have it.

actually a lot if not all of it could be scripted....changing IPs for example is as simple as opening a new browser, several progams can fill out forms over and over with even randomly generated data...my guess is thats what is happening

The things are simple put a revshare offer on your program , and keep PPL and PPS for your old affiliates and for those who make first some sales on revshare ! PPS/PPL will always attract more scammers than legit affiliates , for example I make way more money with revshare than I will ever do with PPS ! But you know well this things after all you are a old wolf in the business and with all that work PPS/PPL is still more profitable for programs than revshare !

So Phucking Sad :(

That can be done , you can set script to randomly use other ip every time when connection is established. But that require some brain, which is believe this one do not have :1orglaugh

then he'd have more than 36 signups in two days

:2 cents:

adultmobile, do you check this shit by hand? Why not write up some software that would report to you same IP range signups.

that sound like idiot on board

Yes we get some cheaters with scripts and they generate 100 times more signups per day (also they don't have an 1:1 signup ratio, but instead are so smart to mix with traffic buy to look like 1:100 ratio etc.). I was pointing out that this guy not only is super easy to catch as fraud, but, he does all by hand and even if we paid him, he would earn $1.8 per hour, which is so low, and he is ok with $1.8 per hour. I believe he can earn more with those fill by hand or click things legitimate jobs you find online, no?

Yes you guessed, and I am fine with cheaters, just I am sorry they cheat for just $1.8 per hour. Revshare can be profitable for a program if there's "shaving" or some other "missed" tracking, or expiring cookies and limit of x months terms fine print... since that's not my style, and we pay the models higher % than a streamate or such so our revshare % would anyway not be attractive to affiliates, I don't give any revshare. Except to models, really, these so much like to move guys across sites with own affiliate id and so I allow them to bring in, to balance the many they steal out from us.

All automated. Every 12 hours I get an email with the list of cheaters sorted by a fraud score I ideated, which considers not only the same IP range, but the ratio and a dozen of other signals I am not going to disclose. Then I go check those new ">50% fraud score" guys in detail so to write them a "sorry" email, even before they ask the first payment or contact us (this saves them time). I let signup this guy for 2 days as I was cynical to see if he actually was happy with the earnings, and at 3rd day I figured $1.8 per hour is "ok" for some.

lol, nice

Good Job, and interesting read. We learn something new everyday...

Should be a good WEBTV series 'To catch a PPS cheater!' :)

Call the "internet police" :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

I will stick with offering revshare -- we have enough work to do ....

And by the way those affiliates generating real signups, often are doing fake profiles in other sites to get real guys, still some black hat or spammy way... that's more hard to figure (clean http referrals etc.), we rely on polite and detailed reporting emails as the one I've just received:

---
Subject: Important info about your website
---
That you're a bunch of scumbag cocksucking spamming pieces of shit and should stay off [site name, redacted]. Take your piece of shit website and go fuck yourselves.
I get one more of your piece of shit spams (yes through your sneaky little profileview bullshit ) I am going to barrage the fuck out of both in wait you're not going to like just like you do to other people you Scumbag cocksucker
---

Of course the gentleman does not know whatn an affiliate systems is. Now I'll have to convince the guy to give me info enough so I can get the affiliate ID and actually help him stopping his spamming (whatever the "profileview bullshit" is).

Give Dekembe Mutombo some credit though!