Bonus abuse · 6 min read ·
Bonus abuse: stopping signup bonuses and referral farming
Signup bonuses and referral rewards attract multi-accounting. Here is how bonus abuse works and which signals expose it.
What is bonus abuse
Bonus abuse is creating several accounts to claim a welcome bonus, promo credits or referral reward more than once. It is common in AI tools, fintech apps, marketplaces and gaming.
Referral farming
The farmer invites themself: one main account refers ten new accounts, all created on the same device or network. Each one unlocks a reward for the referrer.
Look at the invited accounts together. If referrer and invitees share a device, mailbox pattern or subnet, hold the reward for review.
Signals that help
Same device across accounts, mailbox variants of one inbox, numbered address series, disposable domains, very fast signups and data-center IPs. One signal is rarely enough; the combination tells the story.
Pay rewards later
Release referral rewards only after the invited account shows real use, such as a first project or payment. Farmed accounts rarely go that far.
See how much farming costs you
Upload past signup emails and Unfarm groups the repeat accounts with a clear reason for each.
Try Unfarm