176 | Don't Get Fooled: The Dirty Secrets of Podcast Scams and How to Spot Them

[00:00:00] Scams are everywhere. Targeting new podcasters with fake promises of growth and big sponsors. Today, we're exposing the red flags to keep your show safe and your hard work secure.

[00:00:20] Sound matters. Be heard. Welcome to the podcast where you get exclusive behind the scenes tips to make your own show sound truly spectacular. This is Podtastic Audio.

[00:00:34] What's happening? How are you doing today? Thank you so much for being here. I am Chris and yeah, this is Podtastic Audio.

[00:00:48] This show was designed and created to help you, yes you, make an amazing show for your audience. And that is what it's all about.

[00:01:00] You know, as a brand new podcaster or a fairly new, like a new show on the block, you come into this whole podcasting space and then you see other shows that might have like massive numbers, at least on YouTube because you can see the stats right there on the YouTube channel.

[00:01:18] But for regular podcasting, you might see like a bigger following on social media and you're thinking to yourself, man, our little show that just started, we want to be big too.

[00:01:33] We want our show numbers to be massive. And I totally get it. I truly do understand that we all want our show to be successful.

[00:01:42] And we want this quick and easy growth trajectory to get us to that success level.

[00:01:49] But as you may find out that not everything is as it seems.

[00:01:54] So just the other day, maybe three days ago, as I record this episode, my sister, my little sister was scammed out of $15,000.

[00:02:11] Yeah, you heard that right. She was taken for $15,000.

[00:02:17] So as the story goes from what she told me, she was on her mobile device looking at her bank account app to see what was going on in her bank account.

[00:02:29] Now, this is just what she told me. And on there, she had noticed that there were multiple charges from Netflix.

[00:02:38] Now, if you're not familiar with Netflix is, it is a mobile streaming platform.

[00:02:43] They have movies, TV shows. They've been around a while.

[00:02:46] If you don't know what Netflix is, you've been living under a rock.

[00:02:49] But anyways, they usually will bill you once a month on your Netflix.

[00:02:55] And she started seeing like a charge and then next day, another charge and the next day, another charge, like multiple charges in a row.

[00:03:05] So what she decided to do was go to Netflix and figure out what the problem was.

[00:03:10] Now, this is where things get a little confusing because she says like she Googled the Netflix number.

[00:03:17] But what I think she did is that I think she actually saw some kind of warning pop up on her device saying your Netflix has been hacked.

[00:03:28] Please contact this number immediately to verify.

[00:03:32] That's what I think happened.

[00:03:34] I don't think she actually Googled separately a Netflix number for customer support.

[00:03:40] I think she followed a bogus link or a bogus pop up on her phone.

[00:03:46] That's where I think the problem happened.

[00:03:48] So anyways, she clicks on that number, talks to who she thinks is customer support at Netflix.

[00:03:55] They're troubleshooting the thing.

[00:03:57] They ask her, who do you bank with?

[00:04:00] If she tells them and then the guy on the phone says, let me call your bank for you on your behalf.

[00:04:07] We'll have a three-way call and try to figure out the situation.

[00:04:12] Little did she know that the person she was talking to was not an actual Netflix employee because we think she dialed a number that went straight to a scammer.

[00:04:22] Now, that scammer promised her that he would call her bank for her and talk to their representative on a three-way call.

[00:04:31] This is where things get really, really fishy.

[00:04:34] And then she did that, of course.

[00:04:37] And then the bank guy at the bank department was saying, oh, I see all these charges starting to come through.

[00:04:45] You have all these upcoming pending charges hitting your account for thousands and thousands of dollars.

[00:04:52] Now, my sister, totally freaking out, thinking this is all real.

[00:04:58] This is happening in real time.

[00:05:00] The panic sets in.

[00:05:03] The anxiety is overwhelming.

[00:05:05] And they are always in a rush.

[00:05:09] The scammers are always trying to pressure you to do something right then and there.

[00:05:13] And that is how they strike.

[00:05:16] They prey on your emotions.

[00:05:18] And they prey on your feelings and your anxiety.

[00:05:23] And they get you really emotional.

[00:05:25] And there's always an urgent threat pending that you have all these charges coming through right now that if you do not do something right now, right here, then it's game over.

[00:05:38] You're going to lose more than you have already lost already.

[00:05:41] It's going to be a lot more.

[00:05:42] So somehow this is where things get really dicey.

[00:05:46] Somehow they convinced my sister that the only way to stop this is to take your money out of your savings account that right now, all you have, take everything out of it.

[00:05:59] And we're going to set up a off-the-grid account where you need to deposit this money so it's safe to where we can figure this thing out and sort everything out.

[00:06:11] That way, believe me, I was confused when I heard it too.

[00:06:15] When she told me this, I was like, what are you talking about?

[00:06:18] So then she takes that money and they tell her, you need to buy Bitcoin.

[00:06:23] This is going to be a Bitcoin account set up in your name.

[00:06:26] You're the only one that has access to this.

[00:06:29] Follow our link.

[00:06:31] We're going to send you right here.

[00:06:32] Click on this link and follow all of the procedures.

[00:06:37] Yeah.

[00:06:38] As an outsider, looking at this, you're like, how could she fall for all that stuff?

[00:06:43] And that's exactly what she did.

[00:06:46] She took her cash herself, took it out of the bank, and then she went to a Bitcoin place, a Bitcoin kiosk, and followed their instructions with their links and their codes and everything they say to do.

[00:07:01] And she took her own money and literally handed it over to the scammers willingly with this whole scam they had set up, thinking this was going to be the way to actually save her money, save her account from being hacked.

[00:07:19] That she had to follow these instructions, that this was the only way.

[00:07:24] And the reason why she fell for this is because when you are put in a situation where you are super stressed out, very emotional, very scared, and you feel like there's an urgency to act quickly and make a decision right now, you will always, always make the wrong decision.

[00:07:47] And that is exactly what she did.

[00:07:50] So if you're ever in a situation like my sister, you need to take some time to reset and actually think about things.

[00:07:58] That is one thing the scammers will not let you do.

[00:08:01] If you're being scammed at all from any kind, there's all kinds of scams out there, but the main goal of all these scams is to basically take the money out of your pocket and put it into their pocket.

[00:08:14] Now, however they do it, in whichever ways they like to put it together and all these different stories and scenarios and different things, at the end of the day, they're only there to get your money.

[00:08:26] And here's some quick things to think about is that if you're on the phone with them and they have a certain urgency about the matter at hand, they are rushing you to make a decision and they're pointing you towards a decision that they came up with and they are rushing you to make that decision.

[00:08:45] Red flag, totally a red flag.

[00:08:47] Another huge red flag is if they say the only way to fix the situation you're in right now is to pay us, red flag, of course, but also if they say pay us in Bitcoin or you have to pay with Bitcoin or buy Bitcoin or gift cards.

[00:09:07] And the reason why they use those two currencies is because they're untraceable.

[00:09:11] Once you buy the Bitcoin, it's unsecured.

[00:09:14] There's no backing on it at all from the governments.

[00:09:18] It's off the grid.

[00:09:19] It's basically the same as if you took your money and threw it off a cliff.

[00:09:23] It's gone.

[00:09:24] And the same thing goes for gift cards.

[00:09:26] Although, yes, you can have a receipt for a gift card, but the actual money on the gift card, you're not getting that back.

[00:09:32] So there's that.

[00:09:34] And it's pretty much why a lot of scammers rely on you using gift cards or Bitcoin to pay them.

[00:09:42] So if you see that happening, hang up.

[00:09:45] Don't fall for it.

[00:09:47] Delete it and report it.

[00:09:49] So as this just happened and I'm trying to process everything that went on, made me think, I wonder if this actually relates to podcasting.

[00:10:00] And how could we as independent podcasters look for things that might sound too good to be true or things that just could be scams all by themselves?

[00:10:12] So I'm going to go over some of these scams that target podcasters, what you need to look for and how you can avoid them.

[00:10:20] So the very first one I have on here is the fake listener boost services.

[00:10:28] Now, I've talked about these before.

[00:10:30] I'm sure you've seen them before.

[00:10:32] Usually the way it works is a scammer claim.

[00:10:35] Now that they claim, it's always a big one.

[00:10:37] They claim that they could honestly, instantly boost your podcast downloads, listens, or even ratings by thousands.

[00:10:46] I mean, they guarantee it.

[00:10:48] And they always will say something like, with a money back guarantee.

[00:10:53] Now, the reason why this is actually convincing is because newer podcasters, you know, they often feel pressured by low numbers at the start.

[00:11:03] And maybe, you know, they believe that, you know, boosting the stats will possibly attract maybe new listeners or maybe a sponsor or maybe that big time guest you're trying to get on your show.

[00:11:15] And I get it.

[00:11:16] These quick results is very, very tempting because when you start off, usually you have a very, very small audience.

[00:11:25] But you want to seem as if you have a big audience.

[00:11:27] You want to look popular, more popular than you really are.

[00:11:31] Now, what are some of the red flags when somebody comes to you pitching something like this?

[00:11:38] Well, obviously, when they say guaranteed results, there's no guarantee in any of this stuff.

[00:11:45] There's no guarantee anyone's going to like your show.

[00:11:48] There's no guarantee you're going to get a huge number of followers or downloads.

[00:11:53] There's no guarantee in any of this kind of stuff.

[00:11:56] If I said, hey, put $500 on this roulette wheel, bet it all on black, and I guarantee you're going to win.

[00:12:06] You'd be like, I don't know if it's a guarantee or not.

[00:12:09] All these other numbers and all these other colors are on the board.

[00:12:12] How are you saying it's going to guarantee land on black?

[00:12:15] You can't promise me that.

[00:12:16] The same thing goes right here.

[00:12:18] So the way most of these things work is they're filled with bot or fake accounts.

[00:12:24] You know, often these services inflate numbers using, you know, fake bots, of course, or bot farms or phone farms, whatever they are.

[00:12:32] And this actually can damage your show's credibility.

[00:12:35] And sometimes, not always, but it sometimes can ban you from certain platforms.

[00:12:43] Now, the way they make their money is they have upfront fees with no refund terms.

[00:12:49] If you see that written anywhere in the text that all sales are final, no refunds, you might want to be a little cautious before sending your money that way.

[00:13:02] Hopefully, some of the legit places will have some kind of upfront and clear refund policy or maybe even a contract.

[00:13:10] So what do you do if you feel like you fall victim to one of these, like, fake listener boost scams?

[00:13:19] Well, first things first, if you had spent money, consider that money gone.

[00:13:24] It's not coming back.

[00:13:25] Oh, you're going to write a strongly worded letter to their email department?

[00:13:29] Good luck.

[00:13:30] You're probably not getting the money back.

[00:13:32] But you have to realize that a lot of these quick audience growth schemes and scams that are out there, you should already realize that podcasting growth takes time.

[00:13:45] It takes years to build a, like, not even a massive audience, like a decent-sized audience.

[00:13:51] And as an independent podcaster, like we all are, our audience size is not going to be massive.

[00:13:57] We are not the NBC, CBS, NBC.

[00:14:02] We're not the big networks out there with millions and massive numbers of followers or listeners.

[00:14:08] We are just not that.

[00:14:10] Okay, moving on to the second scam that targets independent podcasters like you and me is the bogus sponsorship offers.

[00:14:21] Wow.

[00:14:22] Wow.

[00:14:23] I know.

[00:14:23] I've heard a lot of podcasters, especially independent podcasters, hobby podcasters with much smaller audiences than the bigger networks wishing for sponsorships and ads.

[00:14:36] So this is how the pitch all starts.

[00:14:39] The scammers, they'll pose as a sponsor offering high payouts to advertise their brand on your podcast.

[00:14:49] Ooh, that sounds amazing.

[00:14:51] They'll often reach out via email or social media because that's how they get a hold of you, claiming, quote, I love your show.

[00:15:01] And they'll think it's a, quote, perfect fit for their brand.

[00:15:06] Now, why does this sound convincing?

[00:15:09] Well, because sometimes they'll say something when they say we love your show.

[00:15:13] They may even mention a single episode.

[00:15:16] But why does this sound so convincing?

[00:15:19] New podcasters that are probably just getting started are often eager to secure sponsors and validate their show's success and start earning from it right from the start.

[00:15:32] And when you see a sponsor reaching out to your show, you think, man, I really made it.

[00:15:37] Our podcast.

[00:15:39] Wow.

[00:15:40] We're getting sponsors reaching out to us.

[00:15:42] This is amazing.

[00:15:43] Yeah, we'll do it.

[00:15:44] We're super excited.

[00:15:46] Let's do this.

[00:15:47] Well, there are some red flags here.

[00:15:49] Now, the first red flag to be aware of if some bogus sponsorship reaches out to you is always check the email address.

[00:15:59] If the email address looks unprofessional or if it looks like some random weird name with about 50 different random numbers behind it at whatever.com, you see, legit sponsorships will use professional emails.

[00:16:16] Like whatever the tail end of the email will be will be that product usually.

[00:16:21] This is say Coca-Cola reached out to you.

[00:16:24] It would be SuzySales at Coca-Cola.com or whatever the email is for that person.

[00:16:30] So if they're using generic emails like Gmail or Yahoo, try to be aware of those things.

[00:16:39] Chances are they are not a legitimate sponsorship if they're coming from a free email service.

[00:16:46] Okay, that's one red flag.

[00:16:48] Like and another red flag is that if the brand itself is really vague, like they got really vague details about the company and about the actual target audience they're looking for or the actual product itself.

[00:17:04] Or even why it's actual fit for your podcast.

[00:17:08] If you cannot connect all the dots very easily, then it's most likely a scam.

[00:17:13] And another big huge red flag is that if they're asking for personal info or bank details.

[00:17:21] Oh, but we have to pay you somehow.

[00:17:23] So please give us all your information, your address, your bank information, whatever you have, Venmo, whatever it is.

[00:17:31] We need all that stuff so we can pay you.

[00:17:33] Actual legitimate places will not have you give them your bank information.

[00:17:39] They will do it through secured, verified platforms.

[00:17:43] And of course, another thing to look out for is what I said would happen to my sister is that they're always in a hurry to push you for a quick decision.

[00:17:54] You know, scammers know that there is a limited window of opportunity for them to get you to lock in this idea or the scam they have hanging over your head here.

[00:18:06] They know that once you start thinking about it twice or three times or take a few minutes to even process what's happening, they've lost their scam.

[00:18:15] So that's why they always push you to make a decision really quickly.

[00:18:19] So what do you do if this happens?

[00:18:22] Always, and I mean always, do your homework and do a little research on any brand or the person reaching out from that brand.

[00:18:31] Because if they're pitching you a brand new product that you've never heard of before, at least do a little research about that product and maybe do some research outside of the link they send you.

[00:18:45] They may send you a link, oh, check this thing out.

[00:18:47] But that also could be a scam.

[00:18:49] So just, you know, do a little research.

[00:18:52] And with any sponsorship, you should always, I mean always, have some kind of specific contract drafted.

[00:19:01] If they do not have a contract they give you that you can look over before you actually pay them anything or give them any kind of information at all, that's a big red flag.

[00:19:12] Okay, and the third scam we have here that targets new podcasters is similar to the sponsorship scam, and that is the guest booking scams.

[00:19:25] Now, as a new podcaster, especially those that do a lot of guest interviews, so this is kind of how the whole scam works.

[00:19:36] The pitch is this.

[00:19:37] A booking agent, let's call them a quote-unquote, yeah, pretend booking agent, reaches out claiming they can arrange an interview with a high-profile guest who aligns just perfectly with your show.

[00:19:52] Wow, isn't that so convenient how this big-time celebrity just randomly will be on my show and randomly that this big-time guest actually fits perfectly with my show.

[00:20:05] And this big-time guest is also a big fan of your work.

[00:20:10] They love your podcast, and they are dying to get on it.

[00:20:15] Wow, imagine the odds on that.

[00:20:18] As a new podcaster, you're living on cloud nine.

[00:20:21] You think you have made it to the big time.

[00:20:24] Now, why is this so convincing?

[00:20:28] Well, as a new podcaster, you want to interview big-name guests on your show.

[00:20:34] The bigger, the better.

[00:20:37] The bigger the name, the more credibility your show is going to have.

[00:20:40] The more popular your show is going to appear.

[00:20:43] And it just sounds really cool if you, being the independent hobby podcaster that you are, get a chance to interview this massive, massive, big, well-known celebrity.

[00:20:56] And the fact that they actually are a fan of your show, oh my goodness, that's like the icing on top.

[00:21:04] Well, here are some red flags to be aware of.

[00:21:07] And like I said before, they all want money.

[00:21:11] And this is no different.

[00:21:13] They will request money to have this big-name guest on your show.

[00:21:19] Well, if you see this, big red flag, run away.

[00:21:24] Legitimate guests, especially ones that actually love your show, will go on your show for free.

[00:21:31] And most of them do.

[00:21:32] Of all the guests that I've had on the Chris and Christine show and on this show here, none of them, not a single one of them, was ever paid a single dime to come on my show as a guest.

[00:21:45] And I've never charged anybody to be a guest on their show either.

[00:21:49] I don't see the point in it.

[00:21:51] Now, these booking scammers will say or claim they work for a verified agency that books these big-time guests.

[00:22:00] But if you cannot find any details about the agency, like you look it up online and you can't find anything, then it's most likely a scam.

[00:22:09] And they will pressure you to make a decision right then and there before you have a chance to actually look up their fake agency and see that it doesn't really even exist.

[00:22:21] Now, another red flag is that you will have no direct contact with this guest.

[00:22:30] What?

[00:22:30] And I know there's a lot of PR firms.

[00:22:33] This is kind of how they do things.

[00:22:34] Their agent handles this stuff.

[00:22:36] Our PR director handles this stuff.

[00:22:38] The guest is only going to talk to you at the time of the interview.

[00:22:42] But you should still have direct contact either with that guest or that guest's representatives.

[00:22:50] This, like, booking agency company that reached out to you, you want to go beyond them and get closer to that guest.

[00:22:58] If they're stopping you from making that connection with their representatives or the guest itself, huge red flag.

[00:23:06] So what do you do?

[00:23:08] Well, what you could do is possibly research the guest's booking agency.

[00:23:15] If they have one or reach out to the guest directly through social media.

[00:23:20] I know that doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot.

[00:23:23] And as an independent hobby podcaster, never, ever, ever, ever pay anyone to be a guest on your show.

[00:23:34] And especially, don't ever pay them up front to make this happen.

[00:23:39] Okay.

[00:23:39] And the fourth scam that is out there targeting independent podcasters.

[00:23:43] Now, this is similar to another scam we talked about.

[00:23:46] But this is called the promotion and marketing scam.

[00:23:50] And the way this scam works is that basically the scammer will promise to promote your podcast to millions on social media.

[00:24:00] Wow.

[00:24:01] I like the sound of that.

[00:24:02] You know, boost it to all the top of the charts.

[00:24:06] Wow.

[00:24:07] Or get it featured on major platforms all for free.

[00:24:12] What?

[00:24:13] That sounds amazing.

[00:24:14] What do I sign up for this one?

[00:24:16] Now, the reason why it's so convincing is because, yeah, as a new podcaster, we want our show to stand out in a crowded space.

[00:24:25] We've all heard this is that podcasting is oversaturated.

[00:24:30] There's like millions of different shows out there.

[00:24:32] And how do you get your show to stand out and all this great stuff?

[00:24:36] Hell, if you think podcasting is saturated, go try YouTube.

[00:24:40] You let me know how many video shows are on YouTube.

[00:24:43] How many channels are on YouTube right now?

[00:24:47] And the reason why this scam is so convincing is because every new podcaster wants their show to stand out in this big, massive, crowded place.

[00:24:59] And the promises of going viral or getting fast recognition are all super exciting for a new podcaster.

[00:25:09] That's all we want to hear.

[00:25:10] We want our show, even though we just started yesterday, we have one episode out.

[00:25:15] We want our show to be amazing.

[00:25:17] We want a big audience.

[00:25:19] We want all these great, wonderful things.

[00:25:22] We want millions and millions of downloads.

[00:25:24] But like with any of these, there are some red flags to be aware of.

[00:25:29] Now, the first one is kind of obvious because if anybody ever approaches me about how we can promote your podcast and how we do it and all these wonderful promises they promised me on my show.

[00:25:43] The first thing I want to know is, well, how do you do that?

[00:25:46] How are you doing that?

[00:25:48] Because if you do doing something that I can just replicate and do it myself, well, I'll just do it myself.

[00:25:53] So the problem is that usually these places do not have a very clear promotional method.

[00:26:01] The service does not explain how they do this or how they promote your show really at all.

[00:26:07] Yeah, I'd be a little cautious about that.

[00:26:10] Another thing to really worry about is if they promise you, obviously, the millions of followers claim.

[00:26:16] Like I said earlier, with the guaranteed downloads, millions of followers downloads.

[00:26:23] These are often inflated numbers.

[00:26:25] And they may use bots, obviously, or fake accounts, obviously, bot farms, obviously, to generate a temporary spike in engagement.

[00:26:36] Now, like all scams, there's always a quick rush to get you to pay for these services.

[00:26:45] Scammers might use techniques like special pricing or limited time offer.

[00:26:52] If you book now in the next five minutes, we'll throw in an extra 2 million followers to your channel.

[00:26:59] So what do you do?

[00:27:02] You actually have to stick to proven promotional strategies such as maybe guest appearances.

[00:27:09] You, beyond somebody else's podcast, promoting your show is a great and fantastic way to get your show out to different listeners that don't already know you.

[00:27:22] Being a guest on other people's podcast is a great way to promote your show.

[00:27:26] That is one way to do it.

[00:27:28] And that costs you only your time, not actual money.

[00:27:32] And another great way to promote your show is to be active on social media.

[00:27:37] And when I mean active on social media, I'm not just talking about hosting.

[00:27:43] New episode out.

[00:27:44] Here you go.

[00:27:45] Here's the link.

[00:27:46] Check it out.

[00:27:46] Come look at us.

[00:27:48] Yeah, that's fun, too.

[00:27:49] But more importantly, you want to be social on social media, meaning that you comment on other people's posts.

[00:27:58] You repost other people's things.

[00:28:01] And also, you probably could post other things on your podcast social media platforms other than your podcast.

[00:28:11] I'm talking maybe, you know, you, your personality, maybe your pets, maybe things you're going on.

[00:28:16] Just other things that will attract an audience.

[00:28:19] Because one thing about a podcast is that an audience, yes, they're drawn to the content.

[00:28:27] And yes, they're drawn to the topic and the subject line of what you're talking about in your show.

[00:28:34] But they stick around for you, the host.

[00:28:38] They come in for the facts.

[00:28:39] They stay for the personality.

[00:28:42] So if you can showcase more of that personality on social media, it's a great way to promote your podcast.

[00:28:50] But if your heart is set on using some of these promotional services to help promote your podcast, well, then maybe ask them about, you know, specific details or examples of past success.

[00:29:04] And I know screenshots can be faked and past success things can be faked.

[00:29:10] And perhaps maybe another fake thing was used to generate this fake thing.

[00:29:15] And you see the third fake thing.

[00:29:18] So the whole thing could be just one big fake thing.

[00:29:21] Okay, so here are some general warning signs for any scam, especially targeting an independent hobby podcaster like ourselves.

[00:29:31] Here are things to watch for when it comes to pretty much any offer that comes your way.

[00:29:39] Now, the first thing you really have to think about and look for is their lack of transparency.

[00:29:46] An actual legitimate, like real company or business, they're usually incredibly happy to share and answer any questions about their product that you have.

[00:29:57] So if this company or business is being very vague and not giving you any kind of details, or perhaps maybe they're getting very defensive, like why are you asking us those questions?

[00:30:08] That's a huge red flag.

[00:30:10] Next is the pressure tactics.

[00:30:13] Now, they've been talking about this entire episode that they will always create some kind of urgency and make it seem that you absolutely have to act right now before you have a chance to think.

[00:30:26] Before you have to take a few beats and think about it.

[00:30:29] Before any of that can happen.

[00:30:30] They want you to make a decision right there.

[00:30:33] Don't think.

[00:30:34] Act now.

[00:30:35] And if you don't, bad things are going to happen.

[00:30:37] Or you're going to miss out on the deal of a lifetime.

[00:30:41] You better act right now.

[00:30:43] Another warning sign is that if they have some kind of like sketchy payment request, like they say, you know, pay with Bitcoin or something goofy like that and don't use an actual legitimate place.

[00:30:56] You know, Bitcoin is untraceable.

[00:30:58] So that is a huge, huge red flag.

[00:31:01] I could care less about Bitcoin and I don't care about crypto at all.

[00:31:06] I personally stay away from it, but I know a lot of people love it.

[00:31:09] There are lots of podcasts about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.

[00:31:13] Great.

[00:31:14] You guys do you, you keep on doing that.

[00:31:16] Fantastic.

[00:31:17] But just remember, if you're trying to look out for scams and scammers, they most likely are going to use like Bitcoin and services like that.

[00:31:28] Cryptocurrency because it's untraceable, which means you will never get your money back.

[00:31:33] And finally, if you're going to do business with anybody at all, always verify their contact information.

[00:31:41] Check the emails, the phone numbers, the website links, the addresses.

[00:31:46] Do they even have an address?

[00:31:48] If something looks off, trust your instincts.

[00:31:51] It's usually too good to be true.

[00:31:54] Now, if you're looking for a safer alternative to growing your podcast and maybe some promotion along the side.

[00:32:02] Now, try these other methods.

[00:32:05] But I got to warn you, these methods take time.

[00:32:10] And as a new podcaster that's just starting out, that might have a few episodes under their belt, and they want to look big fast, this usually doesn't work that way.

[00:32:21] Podcasting is a long, slow progression.

[00:32:26] So keep that in mind when you're trying to grow your podcast.

[00:32:30] Try community-based growth.

[00:32:34] What I mean by that is try joining some podcasting groups, maybe on Reddit or Facebook or even on LinkedIn.

[00:32:45] Yes, LinkedIn has got a ton of these groups on there.

[00:32:50] Try some of those.

[00:32:51] And that way, you can possibly connect with other podcasters and share advice and promote each other's shows organically.

[00:33:01] And that's the thing.

[00:33:02] Nobody wants to hear the word organically when it comes to growing your podcast.

[00:33:07] That's how it really works.

[00:33:08] And just like social media, I just said, you can build a following on social media.

[00:33:15] Engaging with actual real listeners, not bots, but actual real people.

[00:33:21] Maybe use some hashtags to help promote your show.

[00:33:23] Not just the generic ones, but try to find other ways to promote your show.

[00:33:27] And of course, you always can do cross promotions.

[00:33:31] You know, recommend reaching out to a smaller indie podcaster for guest swaps or shout outs.

[00:33:37] This is a proven scam-free way to grow your audience.

[00:33:42] Hey, I totally get it.

[00:33:44] I get the idea of having your brand new independent hobby show that may not get massive download numbers.

[00:33:54] I get the idea of figuring out a quick and easy way to achieve success.

[00:34:00] I totally get it.

[00:34:01] But you should always use some caution when these promoters come reaching out and trying to promote your podcast or give you a big name guest for your podcast or find ways to market your show to, quote, millions of fans and listeners.

[00:34:19] Always be a little cautious of these things and realize that true organic growth takes time.

[00:34:26] So just be a little cautious if some of these companies or people or scammers reach out to you and offer you these things.

[00:34:36] Have you been a victim of some kind of scam related to podcast promotion?

[00:34:42] If you have, reach out to me.

[00:34:45] My website is podcasticaudio.com.

[00:34:48] You can contact me right through there or on social media, however you want to do it.

[00:34:53] And until next time, happy podcasting.