One of the most common forms of Spam on the internet today are emails and web page ads that claim you can receive something for free. These supposed freebies range from hundred dollar gift cards, top of the line electronics, and computers. These offers sound too good to be true, and often, they really are.
Many of these offers are given by scammers who simply want something from you and never intend to deliver what they promise. However, it is possible to get these items free, as long as you fulfill the requirements. The trickiest part is figuring out which one is legitimate and which is not.
Why would these marketers offer you free stuff anyway?
The requirements for receiving your free item usually includes completing various offers from different companies. Essentially, these are high paying affiliate programs that the marketer belongs to. These can be offers for memberships to services, credit card companies, and other programs. The person who sent the free offer come-on wants you to click on the program and complete the required action. Some may require you to pay a fee.
When you complete the first requirement to receive your free gift, the person who sent the email will be paid a certain amount. Some of these affiliate programs can earn the marketer fifty or more dollars. This, however, may not be enough to cover the cost of the promised free item.
After you complete the first required offer, you will often be taken to another page where you are have to complete two or three more offers. Often, this page is populated by a dozen or more offers, and only a few of them count toward the free item giveaway. The marketer is gambling on the common practice of people not reading the fine print. It is a gamble that is often won.
The marketer succeeds in earning enough money, through the affiliate commissions, to cover the price of the free item. If this is an honest marketer, he or she will immediately procure the free gift card or prize and send it to you. If the marketer is more interested in profits, he may hesitate, counting on people considering that the whole thing is a scam and giving up. If contacted, some will end up delivering. Of course, many of these marketers are true scam artists and have no intention of delivering your brand new laptop computer or gift card.
It is close to impossible to discover if a free offer come-on is legitimate or not. In the end, they may cost you a lot more than your valuable time. You may lose money signing up for the services in the required actions, or may be assaulted by additional Spam email messages for months. It may be a better decision all around to seek out the high paying affiliate programs yourself and earn the money to buy your own gift card or expensive prize.
