Program Rules & Fraud Prevention
The Partner Program is built on trust. These rules exist to keep it fair for everyone. Read them carefully — violations can result in earnings forfeiture, payout holds, or account suspension.
What’s not allowed
Section titled “What’s not allowed”The following activities are prohibited and will result in action against your account:
Fake downloads
Section titled “Fake downloads”Do not use bots, scripts, automated tools, or any method to artificially inflate download counts. This includes browser automation, download farms, and coordinating with others to mass-download your files.
Self-downloads
Section titled “Self-downloads”Downloading your own files does not count toward earnings. The system automatically filters out self-downloads. Attempting to circumvent this (multiple accounts, VPNs, etc.) is a violation.
Bot traffic
Section titled “Bot traffic”Any traffic identified as non-human — crawlers, headless browsers, automated scripts — is excluded from earnings calculation. Deliberately directing bot traffic to your files is a serious violation.
VPN abuse
Section titled “VPN abuse”Using VPNs or proxies to make downloads appear to come from higher-paying countries is fraud. The system analyzes IP diversity patterns and flags suspicious geographic activity.
Click farms and coordinated downloading
Section titled “Click farms and coordinated downloading”Paying people to download your files, organizing download groups, or using any service that generates artificial downloads is prohibited.
Multi-accounting
Section titled “Multi-accounting”Creating multiple GolemDrive accounts to self-refer, self-download, or otherwise game the system is not allowed.
How fraud is detected
Section titled “How fraud is detected”GolemDrive uses automated monitoring to detect suspicious activity. The fraud detection system scores every payout request based on several factors:
| Factor | What it measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Download velocity | Unusual spikes in download speed or volume | Up to 30 points |
| IP diversity | Too many downloads from the same IP or suspiciously uniform IP patterns | Up to 25 points |
| Bot detection | User agent analysis, behavioral patterns | Up to 20 points |
| Account age | Very new accounts with unusually high activity | Up to 15 points |
| Violation history | Past flags, warnings, or violations | Up to 10 points |
These factors combine into a fraud score from 0 to 100.
What happens at each risk level
Section titled “What happens at each risk level”| Fraud score | Risk level | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0-39 | Low | Payout proceeds normally |
| 40-69 | Medium | Payout is flagged for manual review |
| 70-100 | High | Payout is automatically placed on hold |
If your payout is placed on hold, the GolemDrive team will investigate. You’ll be contacted within 24 hours. If the investigation clears you, the hold is released and your payout proceeds.
DMCA takedowns
Section titled “DMCA takedowns”If one of your files receives a DMCA takedown notice:
- The file is removed from public access
- Earnings generated by that file are forfeited — you won’t receive payouts for downloads of that file
- If a payout including those earnings was already processed, the amount may be clawed back
- Repeated DMCA violations can result in account suspension
If you believe a DMCA takedown was filed incorrectly, you can submit a counter-notice through GolemDrive’s DMCA process. If the counter-notice is upheld, your earnings are restored.
Clawback policy
Section titled “Clawback policy”GolemDrive can reverse payouts within 30 days of completion for the following reasons:
- Fraud detected — earnings were generated through prohibited methods
- DMCA takedown — file was removed for copyright infringement
- Terms violation — other violations of the Partner Program terms
Clawed-back amounts are deducted from your current balance. If your balance is insufficient, the amount carries forward as a negative balance that must be cleared before future payouts.
You’ll receive a detailed notification for every clawback explaining what happened and which earnings were affected.
Suspension and banning
Section titled “Suspension and banning”Depending on the severity and frequency of violations:
Warning
Section titled “Warning”For minor or first-time infractions. You’ll receive a notification explaining the issue. No earnings impact.
Payout hold
Section titled “Payout hold”Your pending payouts are placed on hold while the issue is investigated. Your account remains active and earnings continue to accrue, but you can’t withdraw until the hold is cleared.
Suspension
Section titled “Suspension”Your partner account is temporarily deactivated. You cannot earn or withdraw during suspension. Files remain accessible to downloaders but don’t generate partner earnings. Suspension is typically 30-90 days depending on severity.
Permanent ban
Section titled “Permanent ban”For severe or repeated violations. Your partner account is permanently deactivated. Remaining balance is forfeited. You cannot rejoin the Partner Program.
Tax documentation
Section titled “Tax documentation”Depending on your country of residence, you may be required to provide tax documentation:
- US-based partners — W-9 form may be required
- Non-US partners — W-8BEN form may be required
- Other jurisdictions — Additional documentation as required by local law
GolemDrive will notify you if documentation is needed. Failure to provide required tax documents may result in payout holds until compliance is met.
Your earnings reports in the Partner Dashboard are designed to help with tax filing. Download them as needed for your records.
Reporting issues
Section titled “Reporting issues”If you suspect another partner is engaging in fraud, or if you believe your account was incorrectly flagged, contact GolemDrive support. Provide as much detail as possible — the team investigates every report.
The short version
Section titled “The short version”Be honest. Generate real downloads from real people who actually want your files. Don’t try to game the system. If you’re creating good content and sharing it legitimately, you have nothing to worry about.
The fraud detection system is designed to catch bad actors, not to punish legitimate creators. The vast majority of partners never encounter any issues.