One of the biggest issues I have with any in-house affiliate program is the fact that 9 out of 10 require a SSN if you are a US resident. I dont have a problem giving my SSN to the big Networks, ie, CJ. Is this a problem I should not worry about so much? I understand they are used for reporting purposes, however, where can I look if I am not sure to trust a company who handles thier affiliate programs in house, as well as my sensitive information? It would not be too time effective to look up every single new program I am interested in on the BBB for example. I usually follow my own rule of, if someone else signed up for this one, then they have to be trustworthy of handling my personal information. Thanks for reading the post from the newbie.

Thank You

While identity theft is a big concern these days, there's not a lot you can do here. These companies are required by law to have your SSN for taxation purposes. Unless you are really out to try some new merchants that have no history, you should be able to find enough to fill your needs within the networks, and the proven indies.

Running each prospective merchant through the BBB is a waste of time as far as I am concerned, since most complaints would be consumer related, rather than affiliate related.

Thank you for your response. Yes I have thought of the consumer related issues with the BBB. As far as giving my SSN to any guy who says he will cut me a check for putting a link on my website, that time has passed for me. I think I am a little smarter about that area of this field. I mean, would you give your SSN to the new guy down the road from you if he said he would give you a check if you cut his grass? Of course not. I think people are getting a little knowledgable as far as what to do, and what not to do on the internet, and with that same thinking, it can also limit peoples thinking in regards to affiliate marketing. Spyware, a household name. I think people are also scared of what they can and cant do on the internet. I, yes, am one of them. That is why I follow my own rule of, if Joe Schmo did, it must be good for me. Youd think thered be something like that as a referrence out there somewhere, who not to give your SSN to.

Yep, unfortually the Social Security number is required for Tax purposes. Even though Identity theft is a big concern these days. Though I haven't had any problems with that issue since I'v been doing Affiliate Marketing for a long time.

Hello Valiant,

So would you say then that if unreputable companies were taken out of the equation, all there is left to worry about would be the users computer in which they are subscribing from? You know what I'm talking about here, Spyware, parasites, whatever. Aside from those concerns which can be controlled by subscribers, have you heard of any case where this has happened to anyone? I mean cooking stuffing and stealing links is a whole other beast which I am not even educated enough on to speak of, but issues like this can be made aware of if they have happened. Assuming the average subscriber is new to the field, such as my self, would you say this can be a problem for those people that are looking to subscribe to any and every program they can find out there?

Hello bryson, I have heard storys and read articles about computer users being a victim of Indentity theft. It can happen from some adware companys that record your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files and even the problem with keystroke logs is a threat. I do know of people who were victims of spyware, stealing people email addresses and spamming them using adware. I have several programs I use that will block these threats if you would like the resources feel free send me a private message as I haven't had any problems with my computer and or anything related to personal information being hijacked. Anyway the best way to figure out in the indy programs are reliable is to check at BBB and also check the news archives for the companys, and of course never give out your credit card information unless that company has a good record based on customer service, etc, also another thing you can do is if you sign up for accounts online, paypal, ebay, etc make sure that if you get email related to changing your information for such company always check the email heading and also go to the companies site and login as I never login or follow a link in a email that I think may be suspicious.

Im terrified of giving my SSI.Does any body have a TIN#.I looked at the IRS site and its a little confusing.Im not sure if I qualify as a store.Im starting an online store but I will be the only employee.Can any body give me a tip on what i can and can't do as far as the TIN# :grinning:

I think with that type of stuff, you can submit the fictitious name stuff. say you wanted to be called websitesforpaul, youd go to a lawyer and have him do the documents needed to start you up. im pretty sure you have to public notice as well, then after that you can roll with it. dont hold me to this statement though, i heard it through my chamber of commerce.

I Recently downloaded an SS-4 from the IRS. Is this the form I need if I wanted to start a business under an assumed legal name, i.e, widgets incorporated. The name I am looking for is obviously not my legal name. Also, what is an SS-4 good for? If I wanted to have a "partner" is this form for that stuff?

If you do not want to give your SSN, I suggest that you get either a TIN (Tax ID Number) or create a corporation for yourself.

Now about SS-4, that is the form to request an Employer Identification Number and you can only use this form if you have a corporation already.

Identity Theft can happen anytime and when you least expect it. If you want to protect yourself, just watch your credit report and finances. While I was going to college I worked for a bank and I had a case of identity theft but the customer was able to get a new Social Security Number and erase all the bad records on her credit report due to identity theft.