Perhaps technological advancement has made human beings more unethical and has drained them morally. But I don’t want to blame science or development for that, rather, it is the very human beings themselves who are responsible for bringing about their own catastrophe. These online courses and their increased probability of being ‘fake’ have made me almost skeptical and lunatic about these courses.
Then I gave it a thought with a cool mind. After doing a lot of research, I have found out that not all the online courses are run by Fake Gurus, rather many courses are there to be really helpful for people. So just because some people are cheating or making fools of others, we cannot blame the entire community, right?
So, the primary skill that we have to develop to save ourselves from the grip of these fake gurus is the skill of identifying them. Now, identifying them might seem easy to you, but trust me, even after doing lots of research and observing them for quite a lot of time, it took me months and years to detect them easily.
I thought my readers might face a similar kind of problem in their lives as I have seen people suffering from these kinds of fraud. So I made a list of ten red flags that can be your guideline for detecting fake gurus. Today, I have come here with these ten red flags, which will help you identify and understand if an online course is being offered by a Fake Guru.
One thing I would like to clarify: these are only my observations. I am not claiming that these work for everyone with a 100% success rate, and I am not saying that these red flags are fixed, mandatory rules. I have made this list to detect fake gurus, after my prolonged observation, extensive experience, and detailed research.
You can follow it or not, but trust me, unfolding some of the hidden secrets of these fake gurus would be beneficial to you. So, from now on, do not get fooled by them; be smart with these smart red flags. Without delaying more, let’s get started. I hope you will find something useful in it.
1. Mastermind
The most alluring term used by fake gurus is “mastermind”.
Now you must be thinking, what is wrong with this word? Nothing is wrong, but it is the most popular term used by most of them to attract the public.
Let me give you an example. Suppose you have painted a beautiful picture of an elephant. Now you don’t need to mention that it is a picture of an elephant at the bottom of the painting because that is obvious. Likewise, when you are providing a genuine idea or content to the masses, you don’t need to mention it as a “mastermind” and you don’t need to call yourself a “mastermind”.
It is just the keyword they use to popularize their content. It has nothing to do with their idea.
But again, those who use this term may not necessarily be fake gurus, but it is a notion that I’ve observed fake gurus using.
2. Luxury Cars
Cars! Yes, you heard right. Most of them always try to use beautiful, expensive cars in their videos.
I do not know where this beguiling idea of using expensive cars in your videos came from – perhaps to define the level of living. The more the car costs, the richer you must be. As if the level of a car defines the level of living life. If you look at Warren Buffet or Bill Gates or any other great and rich personality, do they need to show off their wealth on public or social media platforms? The answer is a clear NO. To prove yourself rich, you don’t need to show off.
So, from this perspective, the more luxurious cars there are in the videos, the chances are higher the guru is are a fake one. Again, this is a mere observation of mine. In some cases, the reality may vary. But most of the time, as I’ve perceived, they tend to be a fake one.
3. Dis a 9-5 Job
My readers, I am guessing you have also noticed that some YouTubers or social media influencers have a tendency to deny the value of a regular 9-5 job. Many of the online-course providers talk at length about how 9-5 has become a chain for them, and their major success mantra is for you to quit your regular job.
I mean, are you serious? If I quit my job and have no primary source of earning, where the hell would I get the money to buy your ridiculously priced course? No one can start a business or anything by being penny-less. It would prove to be disastrous and it would have high risk, not any calculated risk. At least talk some sense! Or have your footing grounded in reality.
I would like to keep this topic wide open for you all to think and reflect on because for some, this might seem just a calculated risk that any business requires. So, they might be skeptical about it. After all, it is your career and your fortune. Think rationally and only then make a massive decision.
4. "Welcome To My Live Webinar"
Live webinars packed with tons of advice, inspirational quotes, ideas, motivations, and plans are simply a gimmick, another way of fooling you. They are actually never live. Yes, they are pre-recorded with the intention of alluring you.
In live webinars, nobody puts so much effort into deceive you or to divert your mind to the track of selling their products. Live webinars are not live anymore. That sounds ironic, I know. But after all, it is the truth in most cases. I can give you big names like Dan Locke, John Christiani, and many more. Don’t be disappointed by these names.
But one thing I would like to mention too is that not all are fake gurus, not all live webinars are pre-recorded. Some are there genuinely trying to help you out. So, generalizing everyone would be stupid. Hence, we need to do a lot of research on this before judging. For this, my advice would be the same as in previous sections: do your own research, keeping in mind my observation, and then judge.
5. Paid Course
In life, whenever you are paying for anything, be it trivial or expensive, think twice and reflect on the worthiness and then go for it. This advice is not only for online courses but also for all the things in life after which you are going to lighten your pocket.
Just think: Why do people who are already millionaires need to sell courses to earn money? Doesn’t it sound a bit absurd to you?
But does that necessarily mean that all paid courses are scams? My answer is NO. But most of them tend to be. So, my readers, you have to be wise enough to understand the value of the course and its worth.
6. Young People (Mostly Below 35)
Just from the heading, you must be thinking: what rubbish is he talking about?! Can’t a person younger than 35 be a guide? Yes, certainly one can. But think rationally. I mean, to be a coach, you have to have it all, meaning you have to have all the experience in that field, and you have to have come across the hurdles of that path. Now think open-mindedly, is it really possible to have it all just under the age of 35?
As we all want to achieve success in life as early as possible, the younger the coach is, the more alluring he is to us. But practically speaking, our adult and mature life starts from the age of 20. So when you reach 35, you have had barely 10–15 years of experience. Is that sufficient for being an expert? For me, it is not.
But honestly, two gurus that I personally like are Gar Vee and Grant Cardone, and the biggest reason behind that is that they have two businesses which are totally outside of their guru-ship, and they are both over 35. So they have a little bit of extra experience under their belt. You are not 20 years old listening to another 20 year old.
For me, experience does matter and that comes with age.
7. No Verifiable Financial History
As you are also regular users of YouTube, I assume you must have come across online course providers who do big talks about how they have earned a huge amount of money from ground zero. Their specialty is that they will not stop talking about their big earnings and having started from scratch, but they are never going to tell how – I mean the exact procedure with EVIDENCE.
If anyone makes wild claims, he or she needs to provide some wild evidence too. Evidence or proof talks louder than words. But what they lack is evidence.
So if you cannot retrieve some verifiable solid financial history, they are a big NO.
8. Runs YouTube or Facebook Ads
If you see ads running between their YouTube or Facebook videos, be sure that your guru is earning some passive income from those ads too. Just think: your guru is so rich that it is not enough for him to earn by selling products to you. He also needs some passive income from those ads.
Let’s put aside the sarcasm. But seriously, name a rich person who needs to earn from Facebook or YouTube ads. It is a crystal-clear sign of being a fake guru and it’s high time for you to RUN!
9. “Free Book”
Often these gurus say, “Go, get my free booklet.” Readers, this is alarming. It is actually called Lead Funnel. Let me explain.
Fake gurus are experts in playing with human minds. They are great with psychology as they need to understand their potential consumers in order to hike their sell. So, they know when you are given something, according to general human tendency, you are more likely to go and buy the higher products. So tactfully, they give you something for free with the number one intention of getting your email address, and they know you are already interested in their product. And number two, they are now going to pursue you and your business relentlessly and will try to upsell you on these crazy fake products.
Just beware of these kinds of traps and whenever you are sensing a fake one, just walk away without wasting more time.
10. Repeated & Frequent Mentions Of Mentors
Here comes the final red flag. From the heading, you can assume that I am talking about the endless and repeated mentions of mentors in a single video.
But is there anything wrong with mentors? No, nothing is wrong. Rather, at some point in life, we all need a mentor to guide us. But the difference is – if coaches themselves talk at a huge length about mentors, it is not at all about showing gratitude, rather they are trying to position and pitch themselves as mentors before you.
But a little loop is there. This red flag is tied to another red flag (no. 5). If they are relentlessly talking about mentors, and they are offering a paid course at the same time, bang! It is certainly a red flag. They are clearly trying to set themselves up as your guide or guru and certainly tying a handsome amount of money to it. For this, Dan Lock is a great example.
As long as someone puts his mentorship over your head, you come under his radar. He knows what is best for you. He understands which course goes well for your business or requirements. From that moment onwards, you know nothing about your well-being and your mentor fixes you right up. I hope you understand what I am getting at.
So mentors are certainly good, but fine ones are never looking for profits only. And anyone can be a mentor in your life, not necessarily from the internet. It could be from your life, your relatives, your colleagues or from anywhere in your life. But the moment they attach money or put a materialistic outlook on it, the term mentorship gets disgraced.
So no. Number 10 coupled with no. 5 is a BIG no.
Conclusion
So this is my curated list of ten red flags that will help you detect fake gurus. But one thing you always have to keep in mind that you, yourself have to be very wise and investigative. These are my observations; yours can differ.
A person with one or two or three red flags is probably not a fake one. But if it crosses five or six, it is alarming. And if anyone has all the ten, you already know what you have to do – just run.
I hope this article will help you identify fake gurus. Never forget to use a little extra effort. Thank you for being with me until the end. Let me know if you have encountered any such fake guru or if I have forgotten to add any red flag. Till then, stay secured and stay connected.
