Coming together is a beginning, staying together
is progress, and working together is success.
-- Henry Ford

 
=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*
The OnLine Exchange E-ZINE...
"Virtual Marketplace" Edition
http://www.marketingtrendz.com
ISSN: 1528-3992
(c)Online Exchange...June 11, 2001
=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*-=*
 
 
The OnLine Exchange is a Free Publication
of MarketingTrendz. We are an award winning,
top rated ezine, providing informative tools
and resources for all businesses.
Over 20,000 webmasters, opportunity seekers,
and small business owners depend on this Ezine week after week.
 
Please, forward this ezine to all your friends
and co-workers who might be interested!
 
Tune into Effective & Affordable Ezine Advertising Information:
http://www.marketingtrendz.com/advertising.htm
 
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
 
IN THIS ISSUE:
 
1. "Our Top Star Sponsors"
 
2. FREE-FOR-ALL
 
3. The Editors Note
 
4. HOT OFF THE PRESS: The Latest, Not-So-Greatest DotCon Game
 
5. MarketPlace "Interactive Classifieds"
 
6. MarketPlace Update - Is Your Business Credible?
 
7. Info Marketing Tool - Shopping carts
 
8. E-Zine Advertising Information- June ad specials
 
9. OnLine Exchange Information Data
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
1.) TOP STAR SPONSORS:
______________________
 
 
Our Top Sponsor:
________
 
 
"Find Out How Simple E-Storefronts Net $7500+Monthly"

Learn how to make huge profits with a simple e-store
within 7 short months. Unlimited income potential.
No experience necessary.This, step by step super guide
produces amazing results fast. Go to
http://www.inetstart.com
 
 
====================================
 
 
Our Top Sponsor:
_________
 
 
Computer, Internet People wanted to work online.  $25-75/hr. 
Full training and personal mentor.  Vacations, bonuses, incentives. 
Bi-lingual also needed. 
50 countries.  FREE E-Book:
http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R20085_oex

 
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
2.) FREE-FOR-ALL
_______________________
 
 
HTML TIDY

Take a look at Dave Raggett's HTML TIDY. This free utility
cleans up and edits HTML when possible and alerts you to
errors when it is not clear as to the proper solution.
Check it out here:

--> http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/

Even if you are an exceptional coder, it's a good quality
control tool and it's free!

 
______________________________________________________
 
 
 
3.) THE EDITORS NOTE
___________________
 
 
Hello Everyone,
 
 
I am confident you will get some vital information
from our ezine today.  I would personally like to
thank each and every subscriber for helping us make
The OnLine Exchange Ezine such a great success.
 
And I would like to welcome all our new subscribers.
Please take a few moments and visit our Profit Zone.
http://www.marketingtrendz.com
In The Members Only Arena
If you have misplaced, or forgotten your password
for The Profit Zone Members Only Club, please take
the time to email me and I will be happy to send it to you.
 
trendz@bellsouth.net
 
If you do not remember what the Profit Zone is...
It is an Exclusive Members Only Club that is FREE
for all OnLine Exchange Subscribers.  This club
provides you with top rated FREE Business Building Ebooks,
Freebies, Marketing Tools, and tons of other resources
to help you build your business.
 

I would like to emphasis the importance of marketing your business. 
And there is no better way then to advertise in
The OnLine Exchange Ezine.

We have Phenomenal June Advertising Specials at enormous discounts.
So if you would like to take advantage of these tremendous
discounts, then there is no time like the present.
 
http://www.marketingtrendz.com/advertising.htm
 
More detailed advertising information is provided
at the end of our Ezine.
 
Until Next time,
Debbie Solomon
editor of The OnLine Exchange Ezine
 
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
4.) HOT OFF THE PRESS**
 
 
==================
The Latest, Not-so-Greatest dotCon Game
==================


Affiliate Program Managers Beware!!


Last week I became the unwitting victim of the latest Internet
scam.

I own and operate 3 affiliate programs and as such am used
to receiving and filing order confirmation emails all day
long. I was noticing a recently registered affiliate (overseas)
for EZineMoney.net was really racking up the sales.

Much to my delight, I emailed to congratulate him on his
success. Next day, four chargebacks in the mail, all attributable
to his sales/reseller site. Two cards, both charged twice
with different Order Names. Then, the phone started ringing
with other people who did NOT order my ebook that had EZineMoney.net
charges on their credit card statements.


Now, what I *should* have noticed with each/most of these
orders was the following:

1. Order Name and Name on Card were different.

2. Email addresses of customers were *strange* and often
similar in nature ie: fmam@famfdma.net, fasdm@fmasdfm.com,
mfa@mfdamfai.com, or, this: juansmithjtiti@yajhin.com. Of
course, these don't exist.

3. None of these *customers* bothered to register for the
reseller program after ordering. About 75% of real customers
do.

When the fraud hit the fan, I called a well-known competitor
for his advice, and I wasn't two sentences into my explanation
when he stated in no uncertain terms - fraud! He then told
me
to watch out for an email from this guy "almost begging"
for his commissions check. No more than half an hour later,
that *desperate* email graced my inbox! See, this astute
marketer had been hit with this scheme recently.

Now, what makes this all the more ludicrous, is this thieving
reseller was using stolen credit card information JUST to
receive his commissions a month or more later! I mean, how
low-percentage can you get?

Oh silly me, here I was congratulating an active reseller
and he must have been laughing his lyin' derriere off at
my naivety! However, last laugh was on him, as his site was
deleted, and, his HUGE commission check NOT written! Not
surprisingly, when I informed him of the deletion of his
site
and the withholding of his commissions, he had the parts
to reply with the following:

"all i can say that is not unfair and i will see a way to
get my rights and my money. Best regards".

Double negative aside,"Best regards" my butt!

The story gets worse though. Shortly after undertaking a
lengthy audit of orders, I came across my good friends friend,
who registered under him of course, and voila!, a ton of
fraudulent orders there. Migraine-bound at this point, I
discover a third and fourth participant!

When all is screamed and done, a LOT of innocent people had
their credit cards charged in my name (they will all be refunded
of course) and my bank account is going to be reduced by
an amount that would make most people's teeth rattle! There
will be endless hours of refunding these innocent cardholders
and adjusting applicable commissions (a notable affiliate
program directory is the innocent sponsor of the first culprit).
Plus, of course, my merchant account is in jeopardy due to
the sheer volume of fraudulent orders and chargebacks.

Valuable lessons learned here folks. I'm quite sure I will
be able to add to this list once I'm all the way through
this dilemma, however, I felt it best to let you in on some
good advice right now:

1. Thoroughly check each credit card order you receive. If
you see irregularities as per what I've listed above, refund
the card right away before they batch. The email address
will mostlikely be fake and you will not be able to reach
the customer by email.

2. You *may* want to consider blocking out some countries
from your program. Many third world countries are infamous
for credit card fraud. In this case, the cards were all domestic
but the resellers were from Europe and Asia.

3. If you use Authorize.net you may want to check out their
new FraudScreen.net service. If you use another gateway,
check to see what fraud prevention services they have in
place.

4. If you detect fraudulent orders, contact your merchant
account provider right away. They should be willing to work
WITH you on the problem. Remember, you will have a certain
*allowance* in terms of chargebacks/refunds and you may stand
to lose your account if you reach or exceed that threshold.

5. Lend a sympathetic ear to those victims whose cards were
charged fraudulently. Some, as in my case, will be understandably
angry and although that anger should be directed at the thieves,
they may lash out at you. Act on their refunds immediately!

6. Once you are *sure* a reseller is using this scheme, delete
them instantly but make sure to *Save* all their registration
and commission data before you do so. These documents may
be required in future investigations. I informed each reseller
with this notice:

"We have terminated your website and are withholding commission
 payment pending investigation of the fraudulentorders emanating
from your website. Authorities in all countries involved
have been given complete documentation."

This way, in the slight event they are innocent (my guyscertainly
weren't), you haven't technically accused them. You might
want to contact your attorney before officially notifying
them.

It's almost inconceivable to me that even the most desperate
thief would resort to buying (or hacking) stolen credit card
information only to use it in such a way as to expect a financial
reward 1-2 months later when there is a better-than-average
chance they will be caught, not paid at all and reported
to applicable authorities. These morons did however,cause
me great grief, which has only just started, and which you
can probably avoid altogether.

Just as I was putting the finishing touches on this article,
I received an email from a friend and fellow affiliate program
manager who was concerned about fraudulent orders and guess
what? She had the same thieving resellers as I had!

Considering that this appears to be a growing problem, it
is my hope that you will take my advice to heart before you
a victim of The Latest, Not-so-Greatest dotCon Game!


© 2001 Rick Beneteau

Rick is the highly acclaimed author of the new, top-selling
eBook, Branding YOU and Breaking the Bank.

Spend what he guarantees will be the most important few minutes
you'll spend on the Internet and Start Branding YOU and Breaking
the Bank:
http://www.brandingyourself.com


 
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
5.) INTERACTIVE CLASSIFIEDS
__________________________
 
 
 
FREE Pager & FREE Activation.
Sign up for Long Distance and then
sign up for your FREE Pager and
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How?  I'm a member of the Ez Ad Success System...
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........
 
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
6.) MARKETPLACE UPDATE
______________________
 
 
(( IMPORTANT ))
 
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE SOLO AD?
PLUS A FREE YEAR LISTING IN THE HOMESOURCE ARENA?
 
Then Read this Notice and see how you can
get a FREE Solo AD published to over 20,000 subscribers, plus
a free one year listing in the leading work @ home directory.
 
Do you get concerned and even discouraged because people
just aren't buying from you?
 
They are not buying because they don't know if they can
trust you or your product.  So give them a reason and
the reassurance!
 
In efforts to bring trust and credibility back to the internet,
we have devised a program that will take your business to
new levels of success.
 
The main problem these days with people buying online is
the lack of trust. What is it that you can do to gain their
trust and show them you are honest and legitimate?
 
What's more, how can you do it for less then $10 a month?
 
Become of Member of C.O.B.R.A.
-Council of OnLine Business Relations Associates-
 
By becoming a member, you will have the SEAL of
C.O.B.R.A. on your site, which shows people that you
are a High Standard Business, providing proper business
etiquette, integrity, and credibility. This builds trust quickly,
and the consumer is more apt to buy from you.
 
Whether it is a product, service, or business opportunity,
holding this Seal on your site will PROVE your legitimacy.
Even better, your business is listed in the members directory
of C.O.B.R.A. which proves your credibility
and gives you a lot of positive and productive
exposure for your business.
 
Please, let us show you the value this Seal holds for all businesses
big and small:
 
http://www.homesourcearena.com/cobra/membership.htm

 
Legitimacy is a BIG ISSUE on the internet. Relieve any doubt in
the consumers mind by becoming a member of C.O.B.R.A.
YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LET THIS ISSUE GO ANY LONGER!
 
In fact, to show you to value C.O.B.R.A. offers, we would like to
offer you a FREE Solo ad publication in The OnLine Exchange Ezine,
with your C.O.B.R.A. membership. That is a $100 value for FREE.
 
It won't hurt to fill out the application:
 
http://www.homesourcearena.com/cobra/membership.htm

 
          
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
7.) INFO MARKETING TOOL
_____________________
 
 
If you sell a product and need a shopping cart,
check out some of these sites:

http://www.gta-tech.com/
http://www.freemerchant.com/
http://www.bigstep.com/

 
 
 
______________________________________________________
 
 
8.) ONLINE EXCHANGE ADVERTISING INFORMATION
__________________________________
 
 
Do You Have a Business or Website?
Then you NEED ADVERTISING!
 
 
If you want to have a successful business --
You Need a Successful Advertising Campaign.
 
Without Targeted Exposure your business has no
chance of making a profit.
You can have the most Informative Service, a Quality Product
and a Dynamite Website ,but without advertising, you will
be wasting your time.
 
YOU NEED... Successful Advertising, The Cutting Edge
kind and Plenty of it!
The OnLine Exchange is here to assist you
with Advertising that gets results!
 
Your success starts right here:
 
http://www.marketingtrendz.com/advertising.htm

 
Our team of publishers work around the clock to give
you the best possible exposure online.
Take advantage of our Established Ezine and YOUR AD
could be seen by over 20,000 Subscribers as soon as
this week.
Start YOUR Success Story Today!
 
http://www.marketingtrendz.com/advertising.htm

PHENOMENAL JUNE ADVERTISING SPECIALS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!
Only a limited amount of space is available for June,
so reserve your AD spot NOW!
 
For pricing and details:
 
http://www.marketingtrendz.com/advertising.htm


___________________________________________
 
9.) ONLINE EXCHANGE INFORMATION DATA
____________________
 
 
PRIVACY POLICY-
 
ONLY subscribers who have personally and voluntarily subscribed
to this Ezine will Receive it. We are 100% Opt-In.
We will NEVER provide our subscriber list to ANYONE.
We respect the privacy of our readers.
 
______________________
 
 
CONTACT INFORMATION-
 
Editor: Debbie Solomon
Publisher: Sara Hardy
http://www.marketingtrendz.com
MarketingTrendz
1640 West Sandpiper Circle
Pembroke Pines, FL 33026
trendz@bellsouth.net
 
_______________________
 
 
DISCLAIMER-
 
THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
The information contained in this document represents the current
view of MarketingTrendz on the issues discussed as of the date of
publication.
Because MarketingTrendz must respond to change in market conditions,
it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of
MarketingTrendz and MarketingTrendz cannot guarantee the accuracy of
any information presented after the date of publication.
Information provided in this document is provided "AS IS"
without warranty of any kind, either express or implied,
including but not limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose
and freedom from infringement.
The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy
and the use of this document.