OK, so we've all seen them; banner ads, emails, messages on forums claiming to help you get free stuff. Some offer free ipods, others offer a free playstation3, and some even offer free gas. Most people think they are scams; spam designed to steal your information or get you to buy something. But when you look at certain sites, they have pictures and testimonials of people who have actually received their free products. You may even know someone who has. Maybe it was a college friend or someone at work. If people are actually receiving these products, then it isn't a scam. But how exactly does it work? How can these companies give away these products for free? It's actually very simple.

It's called CPA or Cost Per Acquisition. The advertisers on these websites pay for the acquisition of new clients. Every time you complete an offer the advertisers pay a finders fee to the website for bringing them a new client. Because the cost of marketing can be so expensive, these advertisers gladly pay for the cost of the free products in exchange for new clients. What kind of offers do you have to participate in and what kind of companies advertise on these sites? You might have heard of a few of them. Companies like American Express, Blockbuster, Netflix, Columbia House, and Direct TV to name a few. Legitimate companies like these would never participate in online scams or allow their company images to be tarnished by less than kosher online activities. So how exactly do you get your free products?

Let's take a look at www.freeradardetectors.com that offers a free radar detector. There are three simple and easy steps to follow and once you're done, they send a complementary radar detector to your door.

1. The first step is to sign up for the program.

2. The second step is to complete an offer from their advertisers.

3. The last easy step is to refer your friends to the site and have them sign up too.

Once you and your friends have completed your offers from the advertisers, you get your free radar detector. And so will each one of your friends when they refer the offer to their friends. The best part is that the offers you participate in are ones you would probably do anyway. Such as signing up for Netflix or Blockbuster Online DVD rental service, maybe getting a new credit card, or even signing up for DirecTV Satellite service. The only difference is that now you get credit for it and get free stuff in the process. So go out and grab the free stuff while it lasts.