Signing up to a sponsor using a free email account!! Why?
 

We are thinking of disallowing webmasters from signing up with free email accounts like yahoo, gmail, hotmail ect. I think that registrations with an email address corresponding with the domain name in order to verify site ownership is a good way to help identify legit webmasters.

What do you guys think? Let's discuss

I'd hate that, personally, because gmail is better than any e-mail client I've ever used.

I guess one could set up a POP3 with g-mail.

G-mail archive search rules.

I use a hotmail and a gmail account
I also push more traffic then your avg bear
if I went to sign up, and I couldn't due to my email, I would skip the program and move on

Just my 2 cents

I agree.

I don't allow free email accounts and it honestly has almost killed my Webmaster fraud.

With Gmail just add a second email from your domain and use that, duh... As if you need to use a @gmail for anything.

I use my gmail account for most everything.

I don't think it's a good idea, i like my gmail account. Instead, i would just have a field that asks the webmaster for his main url and another field for "how will you promote our program", And then just keep an eye on his account.

Just my 2c.

i'm using hotmail personnally

I use gmail as the spam filters are second to none.

gmail is awesome

for those answering gmail , you know you can always setup a forwarder from [email protected] to [email protected]

but i have to agree its a pain in the ass when sponsors ask for this,

I wouldn't block them.
Make them prove owner ship of a site perhaps, but nothing irritates me more than having to use my non gmail account for anything.

I use gmail 100% exclusively.

Exactly what I do

I use gmail. I stopped setting up @mydomain email addresses a couple years ago. It would be a mistake to reject a webmaster because he or she uses a free email account.

I know damn well I can set up additional @domains linked to my gmail but who gives a fucking shit. Honestly if you reject such emails, and excuse me Doc as I like you; your a fucking idiot.

Aside from the obvious spam filters and shit, and yes you can set it to go to your gmail account, whoopie. Now what about that stupid ass sponsors who like to send out mailers that remind you of your user name and password. Guess I better never ever sell a damn domain name again and keep every site I ever make on a domain. Then if people really thinks the barrier of 8.00 or so to get a domain is some proper threshold to show that someone is a legit webmaster, get off the crack.

Someone show me one single damn reason that this works as a valid form of fraud prevention at all. On top of that please show how not just asking them for a domain would not accomplish the same thing. Oh yeah people can block whois data or even enter in fake info.

Lastly I will usually some domain I own when I sign up. Very damn often it will not be the domain I will be promoting from. This often happens because I find a new site or sponsor and like what I see. I sign up to remind myself. Then I will go through my domains I currently have to see if any would work best, or I may buy a new one.

If you really want to stop most fraud, keep in only legit webmasters, and be safe then perform the following.
1. Get them to send in their proper tax form with option for non US webmasters.
2. Get them to send in a government issued photo ID and or passport.
3. Have them provide some valid proof of current residence.
4. Stop using anonymous payout systems.

That should weed out most of it now wouldn't it? Also would ensure that no minors are promoting and being paid by your program.

Agreed. I have many domain emails but prefer my gmail.

It's one of those good ideas in theory that turn to very horrible if applied.

In an ideal world it'd work out great. As we are, steer clear.

I usually signup with

[email protected]

so I can monitor when you got hacked or sold my email to spammers.

St0ned hit me up, we have a business agreement to wrap up. :thumbsup

Gmail + Labels = perfect organization.

Because after a few sponsors your spam goes up 100% - dirty bastards

I am happy to hear everyones point of view! We are going to keep things the way they are for now but do as Aftershock suggested about getting valid ID's! I do know that alot of webmasters complained when Quickbuck initiated this but I guess we would have no choice! thanks

I concur.

Marco Porno, it's like shooting your own leg. If you want to lose your potential webmasters - go for it.

Many of you are whining that you don't like the idea because you love gmail as a client. Simple solution, have google apps host your email for your domain, for free.

All my email for all my domains is hosted at google. Costs me nothing.

:2 cents:

Disagree with that policy.

GMAIL is the best email service, period.

Besides, anyone can register a domain name in a phony name if they wanted to.

I second what he said.

i would skip the program if i couldn't use gmail for example.

That's less annoying than adding a domain to your gmail account...? :eek2

Other than checking the US webmasters, your information is simply wrong and incorrect.

90% of fraud is not done by US Webmasters and almost all programs have at least half the Webmasters that are not American. Most have working Websites or at least put in Websites we can't verify they own or don't own. Actually, at least half the Webmasters don't send traffic from the actual site they signed up with, this is non fraud accounts.

Out of my 80 banned fraud webmasters, 5 signed up with a US address. A client, I will not say who.. Has 120 banned fraud accounts, less than 15% are domain email accounts. Most are free email services with the others mostly be .country - and 14 are US based.

While some of my fraud accounts do have legit domain email accounts, the majority do not. Several actually use toss away email services, use an international free email services, or a .country email.

When I put this policy into place my Webmaster fraud went down from 1-2 per period to 1-2 per 3 months. That's how many thought they had no chance on my program so they went to yours instead.

I'm also clear about my policy straight on my signup form and the reason why. In 4 years I have never had a complaint (but have had people ask and be approved) and I have some of the biggest webmasters in the industry. My numbers have been posted here by others and I continually make the top income earnings lists for Webmasters.

So what's the issue now?

Considering the amount of programs that have sold our wm email addresses over the years there are arguments on both sides.

I never said it would be less annoying, it just would work better.

My biggest issue with using @domain emails which even doc really did not address and instead just covered his issues with fraud (where most is US based unlike what he claims). I already get way to many sponsors who send emails with username and password reminders to my email address. Sure lets say I set up some @domain address and it goes to my gmail, great everything is nice. Now I sell that domain, let it drop, or whatever. Next owner starts to get my username and passwords.

Other issue is many sponsors will give, yes give you a domain. Ok what then?

Then those who still were against the idea, how effective is 8.00 as a fraud barrier in reality? Specially with a few dollars or cents more they can also block who owns that domain or just input fake info (for free).

The time of $70.00 domains has long since passed. The value then was at least 1 to 2 or more sign ups before a payout anyways which caught the fraud often. $8.00 is not going to cut it.

Oh and a note on fraud. Check some real stats and not what you just think you personally see. I can not count the number of times I swore some Russian was scamming me until after much digging I found out it was some US webmaster acting as a person in Russia. Now I am not about to say international fraud does not happen, nor is it a sizable chunk. It just is nowhere near the size of US fraud. Then those who really are organized and perform fraud as one of their many income sources, again the cost of a domain is not a deterrent.

With everything there are exceptions to the rule. Yes there are certain domain extensions that just send up red flags, there are certain countries that do the same, and then a few other things that I shall not mention in public that places people in the watch list.

While it is a good idea to assume someone owns a domain just because they have an email there is on the right track, it is not always correct. Personally, I use Gmail as one of my primary email accounts. If you disallow me signing up using that account it's your loss, not mine.
My suggestion which works for a corporation I program for, only disallow from specific outlets, like anything from .ru, ip address neighborhoods, etc. Banning a huge provider like that is just shooting yourself in the foot.

From my client, they have 3 US webmasters using .com's and one using .net, and 4 using .info.

We have plugins created to help combat webmaster fraud and report the data back into nats for us.


Why would use a mixture of email accounts/domains? Just like you said, you may sell the domain. Then how are you going to change your user/pass details? That is an illogical argument.

I have more than 300 domains, I only signup using free email accounts

i use gmail also for my personal things like signing up to sponsors.

Absolutely agreed! I wish all sponsors would ask for this, although some people are maybe a bit shy if they run some offshore business for "tax optimization", but 4. alone would stop loads of the the fraud.

Noone who is running a real business can't cash a check or doesn't have a real bank account for a wire.

Even worse, it's not the affiliates only, just have a look at all the programs offering epassporte, webmoney, fethard, etc. payouts only and have a 2257 link at the bottom while residing in asia or russia. :1orglaugh

Yeah, thats a good idea.. Wish Id thought of it myself a long time ago, bit now, with so many diff accounts its a bit late :)
I wouldn't base approval on an email address anyway... Its just as easy for a 'surfmeister' to grab a $5 domain... BlahBlahBlahProdudction.com or whatever to try and look professional... At the same time those who are professional will be making the best use of therir time and using the most efficient email client around... GMail....


:2 cents:

I'm a gmail kinda guy too - if a sponsor doesn't want to accept my email addy, I move on to the next one who does. It's not as if there is a shortage.

Keep in mind, a lot of people are using free accounts to stop being carpet bombed with spam mail from irresponsible sponsors leaking (sharing) lists. Pretty bad when my domain email gets 500+ a day in spam when it was ONLY used for sponsors. So I can understand why people would use free emails.

too many domains....I use only gmail. for everything, thier spam filters are great. If a program dont accept gmail well I'll just move on. and im a small fish, imagine what the big fish would do.