Suffer from anxiety? Depression? Or any another of the psychological aliments common in our society?
If you do and if you have a computer, chances are that you've tried to find out how to deal with these problems by finding a cure for them on the internet. You put in your one or two words into the Google search engine and--voila!--you get pages and pages of links to sites that promise to offer what you are desperately searching for--a cure for your particular ailment.
The problem is that many of these places you will be directed to are going to be money-making schemes, costing a bundle of your hard-earned dollars. All of them will probably help in some way, as they are sourced from common psychiatric knowledge or therapies surrounding the problems you wish to alleviate, but they are still money-making schemes whose planners are crafty indeed.
Let's say you suffer from panic attacks and find a site, which we shall call "Speedy-Zone Panic Attack Lifetime Cure." You read through the testimonials and the money back guarantee, but you are still not convinced and wish to find out more about "Speedy-Zone Panic Attack Lifetime Cure." So you put Speedy into your Google search and come across numerous links that mention the Speedy Lifetime Cure. You even find some panic attack forums that contain testimonials of how Speedy is the best panic attack system out there. Yes, the price is high, but you are an idiot if you don't go for it. Just consider how much medication and traditional therapies have cost you. Getting Speedy to do the job, even if it costs $500, will prove cost-efficient in the long run. So go for it!
Well, maybe it will prove cost-efficient or maybe not. But you should be aware that the guy who is behind the original Speedy site probably has other sites that speak glowingly about Speedy, sites that seem independent of the original site, but are linked to it not only by promoting Speedy but by ownership as well. Also, Speedy probably offers affiliate programs. What are affiliate programs on the internet? Well, they are offerings to webmasters to link to the Speedy website, and if any sales are made from someone who follows the link, the webmaster gets a cut of the sale. So if the Speedy panic attack program costs $500, a webmaster whose link provides a sale may get a nice share of that, say $50 or $100, or even more. Not bad for just putting up a link or even creating a entire site with numerous links to Speedy-Zone Panic Attack Lifetime Cure!
Now, what about those message boards and forums? Well, the original webmaster of Speedy and his affiliate members know that a lot of people check on medical message boards and forums for cures to ailments, so what better place to post that, yes, the Speedy-Zone cure works and that you should definitely go for it!
So buyer beware. Try to find out what you are getting for all the money you may be paying. If you are just getting a pamphlet for a couple of hundred dollars--well, it's kinda obvious what's going on there. If you are getting a full program that includes CDs, workbooks, phone access to counselors, etc., then that may tell you something positive about the intention of the person or company behind the program.
It is difficult at times to find out the truth on the internet when it is being used so much for quick-buck schemes, but the truth is out there. The internet is a great resource if you know how to use it and if you can spot the warning signs of a scam ready to be played on the unsuspecting cyber-traveler.
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