I've stayed away from running referral contests or having sign-up/referral bonuses as I figured they would just encourage cheaters.

Turns out cheaters don't need encouragement

What have your experiences with referral contests been like? Do they bring in many good members? How much did cheating increase?

Thanks
Scott

I've only run referral contests a few times, but when I have they have been relatively successful.

One time I ran one for a $20 first prize, and one member did refer around 600 "members" overnight. It wasn't hard to spot that they were fake, and the CC cheater finding scripts picked them up too.

In general though, I've gained more than I've lost in referral contests.