Beware of fake ad networks

[scott567]

There is so many fake ad networks being created lately. Don't be taken in by them! I'm not talking just about this forum, they are everywhere.

It's hard to spot sometimes because they have good looking websites.

Easiest way to find out:

1. WHOIS the domain. If they have any kind of privacy guard on the contacts, it's dodgy.
2. Does the website have a phone number? If no, dodgy.
3. Does the website have an address? If no, dodgy. If yes... check the address, is it real? Is it just a fake virtual office? If so, dodgy.
4. If a company claims to be US, check spelling, language, tone. You can normally tell if they are native English speakers or not. (This might not always be the case though). Also check if the company is even registered.
5. Check their social media accounts. This is where they usually slip up, maybe the admin of the page accidentally posts a picture to the feed and it just so happens they live the other side of the world from where they claim, according to their profile pictures and interests.
6. Terms and conditions, legally binding terms should always have a physical address. Any serious ad network is going to want to protect themselves. If the terms are not legal then they certainly don't care about you. If they do have an address in the terms, check it is not fake, sometimes they will even create a separate fake holding company website.

Don't waste your time, these networks have no plans to pay you anything in the long term. They are usually just using your apps to show their AdMob account ads.

Just a couple of examples that I have seen on this forum:

AlphaGravel.com
HyperAdX.com

[damponting44]

Thanks for the information.

[vinner]

good information..

[asoguy]

Thanks for this awesome information !

[matt.alphagravel]

There is so many fake ad networks being created lately. Don't be taken in by them! I'm not talking just about this forum, they are everywhere.

It's hard to spot sometimes because they have good looking websites.

Easiest way to find out:

1. WHOIS the domain. If they have any kind of privacy guard on the contacts, it's dodgy.
2. Does the website have a phone number? If no, dodgy.
3. Does the website have an address? If no, dodgy. If yes... check the address, is it real? Is it just a fake virtual office? If so, dodgy.
4. If a company claims to be US, check spelling, language, tone. You can normally tell if they are native English speakers or not. (This might not always be the case though). Also check if the company is even registered.
5. Check their social media accounts. This is where they usually slip up, maybe the admin of the page accidentally posts a picture to the feed and it just so happens they live the other side of the world from where they claim, according to their profile pictures and interests.
6. Terms and conditions, legally binding terms should always have a physical address. Any serious ad network is going to want to protect themselves. If the terms are not legal then they certainly don't care about you. If they do have an address in the terms, check it is not fake, sometimes they will even create a separate fake holding company website.

Don't waste your time, these networks have no plans to pay you anything in the long term. They are usually just using your apps to show their AdMob account ads.

Just a couple of examples that I have seen on this forum:

AlphaGravel.com
HyperAdX.com

Hi Scott. I cannot speak for HyperAdx but I can speak for Alphagravel Thanks a lot for your constructive comments. What better way to prove that we are real than to have a one-on-one phone call with you from our New York or California number, and discuss our product with you ? Please PM me so we can schedule this. Not sure what part of the world you are...but better still we can catch up for coffee in NYC or San Francisco. PM me and let me know if my offer is up for the taking. My Skype ID is: matt.alphagravel
As a side note, a good percentage of start-ups that have raised under $10million in capital are virtual offices...just an FYI.

Thanks,

Matt Brown
Alphagravel Developer Relations
Skype: matt.alphagravel

[scott567]

Hi Scott. I cannot speak for HyperAdx but I can speak for Alphagravel Thanks a lot for your constructive comments. What better way to prove that we are real than to have a one-on-one phone call with you from our New York or California number, and discuss our product with you ? Please PM me so we can schedule this. Not sure what part of the world you are...but better still we can catch up for coffee in NYC or San Francisco. PM me and let me know if my offer is up for the taking. My Skype ID is: matt.alphagravel
As a side note, a good percentage of start-ups that have raised under $10million in capital are virtual offices...just an FYI.

Thanks,

Matt Brown
Alphagravel Developer Relations
Skype: matt.alphagravel

Thank you for the reply. That's a nice offer of you to be willing to travel to either location. For first impressions, if you already have the two phone numbers, putting them up on the website would be good. If a company had raised under 10 million, 1-10 million would be well enough for an office in my opinion.

Is there somewhere we can check if your business is legally registered? If it is not, who are the terms applying to? Who is Alphagravel if there becomes a problem?

Thanks