Fake Online Course Industry Is Out of Control

The fake online course industry is the subject of this video for coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs weighing an online course before they buy. I believe there needs to be a serious course correction on a lot of these online courses.

This video first went up on YouTube on April 4, 2025. The written post was added on October 20, 2026.

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Table of Contents

How Can You Spot a Fake Online Course?

In the fake online course industry, a template course can often be spotted by searching its title, outline and tagline to see whether the same template shows up somewhere else. Looking deeper into the person giving the course and the validity of the course itself can help you avoid getting scammed, in Loren Weisman’s view.

A course outline or tagline that shows up somewhere else may be one of the template models.
The person’s YouTube videos, podcast and blogs can show whether they share genuine information or whether everything is only a sell.
Many money back guarantees may be set up so the seller does not have to give the money back.
Reviews can be checked by looking for genuine reviewers you can reach out to who are not bots or tied to the course site.
Chat activity during a free demo may not line up, which can be a sign of a template.

Fake Online Course Industry: The Full Transcription

Why Online Courses Need a Course Correction

I believe there needs to be a serious course correction on a lot of these online courses. My name is Loren Weisman. I’m a brand communications and optics strategist.

And I have a little bit of a problem, or maybe a lot a bit of a problem with this fake online course hype industry, if you haven’t noticed yourself. And they’re out there and they’re sort of hidden because they’re aimed specifically at coaches and certain entrepreneurs, not at the whole of how easy is it to put together your own course to start selling this to people?

How Template Course Systems Work

You go to these different sites and they have, whether it’s AI or template systems where they can piece together a course, many different sizes. Here’s this. Put in these words, when you put up a page to sell it, here’s your series of call to actions.

Say that it’s worth this much, but they’re getting this discount. And if they act now, in the next 24 hours, they get this discount. They have this whole model of how to build an online course, but the one piece that tends to be missing in the majority of them is how to build something that’s authentically true.

These people that are building these companies, they don’t care. They’re not held liable, they’re not responsible, they’re not accountable. So they package these things to anybody that wants to try to build, build up a course.

Due Diligence Is on the Buyer Too

Now here comes the problem. Now, the average individual that comes across something, they buy into it. And in a way, that’s their fault.

You know, people say, oh, I got screwed over by this person. I got taken advantage of by this person. This person fooled me, this consultant, this coach. They may have showed the pieces.

However, if you didn’t do your due diligence and you’re vetting, you’re just as responsible. So that’s the core of this thing. How are we going to fix this fake course online course industry? I have no idea.

How to Vet an Online Course

The Internet AI, it’s still the wild West. However, taking the time to look into these people that are putting out these courses, one off, you can see the templates. So if somebody’s claiming, I’ve got this course, great, go look at that name. Go look at that course title.

Go look at that course outline, the course tagline, search it, see if it shows up anywhere else, see if it looks exactly the same as somewhere else, because it may be one of the template models in the same aspect, look at the individual that’s giving the course.

How to Vet the Person Giving the Course

So many have become experts overnight because they have the confidence to call themselves experts. However, they’re nowhere close to having the knowledge, the wisdom or the teaching ability to be genuine experts. So search that out, doesn’t matter.

And you’re not going to find that necessarily on their Constant sell of YouTubes. Look into their YouTubes. Are they sharing information in shorts, in long videos that’s genuine? Is everything only a sell?

Or are they gifting, stewarding and showcasing the information that they have? Do they have a podcast that isn’t just rambling, but it genuinely showcases authority, knowledge, authenticity? Do they have blogs? Do they take you to a website?

Or does it just feel like it’s an infomercial of an ongoing ad of so many promises to come and yet no sense that anything can be delivered? And it happens. People get taken advantage of. They get wired into something, they see something, they tie into it.

When a Free Demo Pulled Me In

I was taken advantage of about a month and a half ago. There was a guy and the way that he delivered it seemed a little hypey. A couple red flags went up, but it was about a topic on a personal level that I was very concerned about.

And he started hitting all the points that, oh yeah, oh, I’ve been dealing with that. Oh, yeah, I’ve been dealing with that. With the lawyers. Oh, I’ve been seeing that.

Oh, I see that. Oh, wow, wow. Maybe this guy does know what he’s talking about. I didn’t take it that next step.

It was surface level hype and relatability. He hit the optics pretty well. And so I dug in.

I went to the free initial program, and I’m glad that I didn’t pay for that next level because in that free initial program, seven promises, none of them delivered. This guy was a hype lawyer that was not telling the truth. And I thought, especially with lawyers, that’s something you’re not supposed to do. You’re actually to be held accountable in the middle of that.

I’m glad I stopped at the point before paying, but I did get suckered in. At least it was his little free demo. And his free demo was clearly a template.

Fake Activity in the Chat

And inside of some of those templates that you’ll see, you’ll see things coming up the side in chats. Notice though, some of them don’t line up so well. So he’ll say, hey, hey, just give me a thumbs up or give me, give me a, give me a clap or write five in here. If you’re believing these five things, I’m sharing.

And then all of a sudden you see a whole bunch of fives. You see a whole bunch of people as if there are all these people in this live stream, pre course that’s not true. At one point with this particular lawyer, all of a sudden this shows up 555-5555. 30 seconds later he goes, you know what, man put a five in the chat.

Checking the Claims and the Money Back Guarantee

If you’re vibing on this point, being in the middle of this fake online course thing, the entire funnel system to get you in from the emotional, volitional, intention, perception, subjective to objective, and then all the hype claims, stand your ground to see if this person has the genuine authority from that foundation of where you’re standing, look to different points to see if it’s that genuine.

See if you can gain knowledge of learn aspects, get seeds of information, of pieces that are genuinely helpful for what you want to know. Or does it all seem like promises and then when they state, oh, you know, guarantee money back guarantee, check the money back guarantee, check that liability thing.

Because a lot of those money back guarantees, they’re set up very nicely so they don’t have to give you your money back. Oh well, you did this to this point, so you took advantage of this. So I don’t have to return this. Watch out.

Accountability and Real Reviews

I don’t see an answer in sight right now until liability and accountability come into what’s being put out online. I don’t know how many of you have seen that ad about the guy going, I share all my trades. Yep, but you’re an AI bot and you make all these claims, but then it’s everything’s gonna go through a WhatsApp kind of, kind of iffy to me.

Look deeper into that individual, look deeper into seeing the validity of that course. Look beyond the reviews, see if there’s anything where there are genuine reviews of can reach out to that aren’t bots or aren’t tied to that site. Take those extra steps so you don’t get scammed.

Because right now, until this stuff changes, many people are making money off of telling people that shouldn’t be putting out courses how to do it. They’re helping them do it and they’re framing the optic and the message to make it look like they know what they’re doing. So be careful out there, dig deeper.

Before You Put Out a Course of Your Own

And for those of you that are thinking about putting out a course, pause for a moment. Are you putting out a course because you genuinely have information to share that you would be a profit at the expense of no one, that you would be gaining as someone else would be gaining equally, or you just out there to try to make the next possible buck on the Internet, have some morals, have conviction that stands on truth, and take it to the next level, even if many people aren’t. That’s all I got.

Vetting Coaches and Experts in My Talks

Examining the claims: vetting a strategist, consultant, coach, trainer or expert.

Questions and Answers

How can you check an online course before you buy it?

In Loren Weisman’s view, you can check an online course by searching its title, outline and tagline to see whether they show up anywhere else or look exactly the same as another course. A match can mean the course is one of the template models, in his experience. He also suggests looking at the individual giving the course.

What can show whether a course creator is a genuine expert?

A course creator’s free content may show a lot, such as YouTube shorts, long videos, a podcast and blogs, in Loren Weisman’s view. Looking at whether that content gifts, stewards and showcases information, or whether everything is only a sell, can tell you more. He says many people have become experts overnight because they have the confidence to call themselves experts, so he suggests searching that out.

Can a money back guarantee on an online course be trusted?

Loren Weisman suggests checking a money back guarantee closely, including the liability part, before you buy. In his experience, a lot of those guarantees are set up very nicely so the seller does not have to give the money back. He gives the example of a seller saying that you did something up to a certain point, so there is no need to return the money.

Why do so many online courses look the same?

Many online courses may look the same because, as Loren Weisman describes it, sites offer AI or template systems that piece together a course, a sales page and calls to action. In his view, the piece that tends to be missing from the majority of them is how to build something that is authentically true. He also says the people building these companies do not seem to care, since they are not held liable, responsible or accountable.

How can you tell if course reviews are real?

Loren Weisman suggests looking beyond the reviews for genuine reviewers you can reach out to, who are not bots and are not tied to the course’s own site. Taking those extra steps may help you avoid getting scammed. He adds that he does not see an answer in sight until liability and accountability come into what is put out online.

What can you ask yourself before putting out a course?

Before putting out a course, Loren Weisman suggests asking whether you genuinely have information to share, where you would profit at the expense of no one. He suggests having morals and a conviction that stands on truth, rather than chasing the next possible buck on the Internet. He also says to take it to the next level, even if many people are not.