How did someone sign up as my referral?

[HoveringWombats]

I got a notification that someone signed up as my referral. Only problem is, to my knowledge, I haven't referred anybody. How would this happen? Is it something I need to worry about? (Mainly just hoping that a referral isn't somehow considered me vouching for the person, because I have no idea who it is or where they came from.....)

 

[Megnut]

I got a notification that someone signed up as my referral. Only problem is, to my knowledge, I haven't referred anybody. How would this happen? Is it something I need to worry about? (Mainly just hoping that a referral isn't somehow considered me vouching for the person, because I have no idea who it is or where they came from.....)

Tagging @Fraize because he knows all this hard stuff.

 

[Fraize]

I got a notification that someone signed up as my referral. Only problem is, to my knowledge, I haven't referred anybody. How would this happen? Is it something I need to worry about? (Mainly just hoping that a referral isn't somehow considered me vouching for the person, because I have no idea who it is or where they came from.....)

Imagine you're a new Websleuths visitor, and you found us by clicking a link you found on the internet (could be social media, could be another forum, could be an email, it could even be a link on another post from within Websleuths!) with a particularly interesting factoid about a case. You browse and you read and suddenly you're compelled to join!

The person who shared that link gets credit for bringing in a new user.

But don't worry! You're not at all responsible for their behavior. We just want to give credit to those of you who are actively helping make Websleuths grow. Guardians help by becoming paid members, but some folks who may not be in a position to help financially can help by sharing links and bringing in new faces.

Referral links are automatic – no special steps required to create one. However, if you'd prefer to not receive credit for your referrals, you can click on your user-preferences here, click the checkbox next to "Remove referrals," and press Save. Your links will no longer generate referrals.