Treachery in the GPT Industry
Welcome back to Part Two of Treachery in the GPT Industry. To recap, last time we discussed a couple of the reasons why affiliates started pulling out of the industry. We ended with the revelation of a certain GPT site that engaged in these very activities. I was notified by several vigilant GPT members to some suspicious activity on GPTFreebies. After some investigation, I found that what they said was true – there indeed was some underhanded behavior.
Using a deflection technique, the owner of GPTFreebies was carefully and quietly defrauding the affiliates he worked with. Disturbed by what I had discovered, I hoped that maybe it was just all a misunderstanding…maybe he didn’t realize what he was doing. I emailed him that very evening, first introducing myself, and then explaining what I had heard, and what I had discovered. I explained that if what he was doing was intentional, then it would be my duty to place him on my site’s Scam list, and to notify others of his business practices. The response I received shocked me.
Re: Hello from GPTReview
thank you for contact me
Putting my site on Sam site list it up to you
I only want to tell you that I do some non incentive . Both member and webmaster have some great profit
Some other webmaster don't do that and they complain me with Affiliate network. It suck. they Spy my site and complain it, just because they can't risk.
In one email, he not only admitted it…but he stated that he did it for the money. He claimed that he was the only one willing to take the risk by “playing around with offers”. Further still, he accused other site owners of being spies.
We exchanged several more emails, in which I explained what he was doing was wrong, no matter which light he tried to present it in. He laughed at me, and dared me to do something about it. Emboldened by his dare, I sent a last email accepting his challenge, and said I would do what I originally told him I would do. Gathering the info I had accumulated thus far, I clicked my way over to the WAHM.com message boards (a popular website for work-at-home mothers). I created a forum thread, warning my fellow WAHMs and WAHPs about what he was up to.
Little did I know…he was watching my every move.
The thread received a lot of attention, garnering almost a hundred views within the span of a few minutes. Many of the replies were of the same thing: “I saw those, and had my suspicions. Thanks for pointing this out, since he won’t fess up.” Quite a few of the viewers messaging me, stating they themselves emailed him, and that he would not respond.
Later that day, I got a frantic instant message from one of the thread posters. She told me that he had come to WAHM.com, registered, and posted a nasty response to my thread. I went to the site…sure enough…a vicious reply from GPTFreebies was up there for everyone to see. He responded first to my note about how he was already banned once before from an affiliate network. His post follows.
I told you my account was banned by doing some offers from datamark
not get banned by doing some non incentive offers on my blog
please read it carefully.
and I did said I put some offers on my site and link it to some Non incentive offers on my blog. Does it clear to you. I never refuse what I have done. Event it wrong.
I just want to say : I do what ever I want , so please don't bother me.
What you will do if somebody even you don't know come to you and said , you can't do that , you can't do this etc.....
For me I will say : shut your mouth , and go ....your self
….
I am very nice to answer all of your quetion: but you make me angry. By they way who the hell are you . You are my boss? my Account manager , My mother . So you can taught me a lesson? You have your website and you can do what ever you want with that. I have my website too , I can do what ever I want with my website .
Shocked, I stared at his venomous response. Interestingly enough – many of the WAHMs quickly stepped in to defend me. One of these was a GPT site owner. She pointed out that he had no right to attack me like that; especially since he even admitted what he was doing was wrong.
Angered, GPTFreebies lashed out by banning anyone who posted in the thread, off of his site. His responses started becoming more unbalanced and paranoid, as he started accusing me of posting under different accounts…and then accused everyone who supported me of being people who lived with me. Clearly, he was becoming desperate.
In a last ditch attempt to save his crumbling business, he removed ninety percent of the non-incentives he was running on his site. However, an observant member of his site noted that he tried to hide the few that remained, and reported him to his affiliates. The affiliates were pointed to both the forum thread, and to my article.
You can guess what happened next.
This week, a site-wide email went out to all of his members:
Dear All,
Due to some problems, We Decided to close Gptfreebies.com permanent . Our site will shutdown on October 22 . Please Request all withdraw before this day. After October 22 , you will not be able to connect to the site , and we will NOT make any payment after that thanks
GPTFreebies…was banned from every affiliate network without pay.
WAHPs rejoiced, GPT owners breathed a sigh of relief, and members of his site scrambled to try and get their money. As for me…I can breathe a little easier as well. After the posting of the first article, I received a threatening email from GPTFreebies, and I had to block him to prevent further harassment. Hopefully, with the passing of his site, he will leave the industry alone.
To the members of his site, I extend my sympathies – you were taken advantage of, and you may be still in for a rough ride. Hopefully, on the 22nd, you will get the money you so rightfully earned.
We can only wait and see.
