Beware of New Link Scam!

[NPM]

Hi all!

Just wanted to make a post as a warning for those who are buying and perhaps selling guest posts etc.

We have now started to receive a bunch of invoices in our company name from sites and businesses that we have no relation with. The whole mechanics works like this.

1. Scammer contacts Affiliate A via email or Skype

2. Affiliate A buys a guest post to Page X

3. Scammer will sort the placement with Page X and requests an invoice with using Affiliate B´s invoicing details.

4. Page X generates the invoice with Affiliate B’s details and publishes the post with Affiliate A's links.

5. Scammer shows Affiliate A that the post is published and Affiliate A pays to the Scammer.

6. Page X doesn’t receive a payment in time and demands the payment from the Scammer. The Scammer disappears and Affiliate B is contacted for unpaid invoice.

So basically the fraudster takes the money from the buyer, gives the link page wrong invoicing details and gets the link placed. The whole thing comes up after 2 months or so when the site posting the guest post contacts the company whose details have been abused. In the end Affiliate A's links are removed, Affiliate B faces debt collection, Page X is not paid for the services and the Scammer vanishes with Affiliate A's money.

These are the names the scammer has been known to use so far:

Ben S
Carl C
Adriana G
Robert H
Julian B

Please be aware of this scam! Today we got contacted by local attorneys collecting debt from another company that has been scammed with our stolen details. We are absolutely fuming and beginning to file a police report.

 

[AussieDave]

This is why you should never purchase links from untrusted/unknown person(s)/companies etc.

 

[marcu$]

Indeed you should always think twice before buying links from straight contact on email or skype. Seen similar scam, but you have to pay to learn

 

[NPM]

I have to update this topic as this piece of shit has clearly made a comeback and elevated his game. Now he is scamming casinos pretending to be an affiliate himself with fake portfolio of sites. He takes listing fees for well-known sites and uses other companies' details for IOs and invoicing. For payments he uses crypto or details not matching the company obviously.

So be alert when you buy links or if you represent a casino and buy exposure with flat fees!

Apparently these are his most common aliases:

Julian Beck
Carl Chaple

It is nice to start a conversation with a new possible partner when they tell that we actually owe them $10k because this guy took listing fee from them previously using our company details. Really breaks the ice...

 

[Amelie69]

It's important for people to be aware of scams like this, especially when buying and selling online. It's always a good idea to be cautious and verify the authenticity of any offers or requests, especially if they involve payments or personal information. If you suspect that you may be the victim of a scam, you should report it to the relevant authorities and take steps to protect your personal and financial information.

 

[MaryJack]

Thank you for providing this information. I also agree with the previous comments that it is not necessary to buy links in this way because it is easy to come across scammers. But as one user already said, people will continue to do it anyway until they learn from their mistakes, for which, unfortunately, they will pay money.