SOP #50 — "Bank statements prove the income" is wrong

SOP #50 — "Bank statements prove the income" is wrong

Myth: PayPal/bank deposits confirm earnings. Correction: deposits prove money arrived, not that the site earned it or that it recurs. Trace each dollar to its program:

1. Match every payout to a named source (affiliate network, ad provider) inside that network's dashboard — not just the bank line.
2. Get screen-share login to each revenue account and confirm the payee name matches the seller.
3. Check for commingled income — deposits from other sites the seller owns inflate the figure.
4. Verify the payments are recurring, not a one-time bonus, clawback-pending, or held reserve.
5. Confirm no pending chargebacks/reversals that will hit next month's net.

A bank statement can be a screenshot from any business. The network dashboard is the source of truth.

Save this — run it every deal.