Google Adsense is one of the monetization options I use on my websites and blogs. While I can’t know every ad that is run all the time on all pages, I do periodically scan them to weed out any scams. A recent banner that was running peaked my interest. It was a site that was set up to look like a blog, but was in fact a landing page promoting two affiliate products; one about making money from Craigslist and another from Google. Because it is possible to make money from both these resources, I wasn’t immediately concerned about the site. But as I looked at the site, I noticed that it had a pictures of television personalities presumably discussing these money making options.

The first picture is of Oprah and a “Dr. Stern” who is supposedly saying, “”There is more work from home opportunities on Craigslist than all job sites combined … ” I’m not sure of the truth of that, but that’s not what bothered me about the photo. What bothered me is that I’m pretty sure the picture includes Dr. Oz not Dr. Stern. And why would either of them be discussing money making options with medical gloves on? While this appears to be taken from a show, there is no actual video to verify what is being said. But the picture, to me, is a fake. What do you think?

Screen Capture of Site using Oprah and Dr. "Stern" Likeness

Below it is another picture of a CBS News Team. Because the Oprah picture is questionable, I have to assume this one is too. Especially since there is no video or audio.

The result is that I put this site on the blocked list on my Google Adsense account. While I have no reason to think the products themselves are bad, I can’t in good conscience let it run using deceptive (and illegal) representations.

Unfortunately, I can’t catch every scam or questionable program, so I’m hoping that by sharing this, you’ll learn to evaluate programs on your own. Testimonials and third-party recommendations can be helpful, but only if they are real. Don’t assume that any organization or celebrity has endorsed the program just because its on the site. Instead, check it out! Go to the source and ask. Do some research to verify that what the site is saying is true. Any site that has to use decpetion to promote its product, even if the product is really good, should be avoided.