Last Updated on April 19, 2025 by Eric Cantu
Looking for a Keala Kanae scam alert? Are Keala Kanae courses scams? Why does this affiliate marketing guru attract the big “scam” word so often? It happens so much that Keala Kanae himself is having to address it.
Are his training platforms and business launch challenges legit? Or are they hype machines packed with massive upsells and red flags?
Keala Kanae Scam Alert – Are Keala Kanae Courses Scams?
Although 100% legal, complaints of Keala Kanae’s massive upsells, unrealistic revenue promises, “done for you” systems that don’t pan out, and charging upward of $10k for training should raise major red flags.
Personally, I don’t think affiliate marketing training should cost $10k-$20k. I don’t think you should be upsold training module after training module with each one more expensive than the last. And I definitely don’t believe there’s any business that’s “done for you”.
In this article we’ll examine Keala Kanae’s beginnings, his training platforms, and the common thread that binds them all: massive upsells.
You’ve probably seen Keala Kanae’s “from zero to hero” ads all over your social media. That’s where I first found him years ago pushing AWOL Academy back in 2017. The free webinar I sat in on didn’t feel “live”. There was a lot of hype and plenty of guys with backwards hats talking about success, but what was the actual product here?
AWOL Academy fizzled in 2017 and Keala Kanae rebooted it years later with Fullstaq Marketer. You may have seen him promoting it via his Digital Freelancer ads on social media or his Freelance Affiliate Guide review he uses as a lead-in to his training courses.
Unfortunately, his latest platforms follow the exact same pattern that brought down AWOL Academy.
So is Keala Kanae legit? Is freelance digital marketing legit? Why does it end up costing upwards of 10K to finish his training? Are Keala Kanae’s courses worth the high prices? A deeper look into AWOL Academy, Fullstaq Marketer, and Digital Freelancer expose the obvious patterns.
What Constitutes a Scam?
The definition of a scam is “a dishonest scheme, a fraud.” In business, when there is an exchange of money without any product or service being delivered, this is a scam.
I’ve done many reviews on network marketing platforms and several other so-called “scams” that are 100% legal. Are Keala Kanae’s courses technically scams? No they are not. It’s important to understand that there’s a difference between businesses that aren’t a good investment and businesses that are illegal.
Personally, I don’t think Keala’s training platforms that routinely cost $10k-$20k to complete are a good investment, especially for a beginner looking to make a splash with affiliate marketing.
And that’s exactly what every single one of his platforms do, over and over again.
To go a bit further, I feel his platforms actually prey on that need for instant gratification. And before you know it, you’ve paid too much, gotten little in return, and you feel defeated.
Related Article at WorkFromYourLaptop.com!
Check out “8 Online Business Coaching Scams Exposed and How to Avoid Them” so you can understand why they work, what they’re after, and how not to get taken advantage of!
Keala Kanae – How It All Began
Keala Kenae shares his story all the time in ads like the one above. Very entrepreneurial minded, he’s worked his away out of coffee shops and minimum wage to founding major multi-million dollar businesses.
Unfortunately, this is the exact same story every single “guru” uses when they’re pushing their latest, greatest, ultra expensive training.
I’m not saying in any way that his story is a lie, but for those who have been duped by other high priced training platforms, it’s that feeling of “Here we go again” and that’s why Keala Kanae’s reputation precedes him.
In 2015, Keala Kanae founded AWOL Academy along with Kameron George. The acronym AWOL stands for “Another Way Of Life”. During that time it was hard to be on Facebook and not see one of AWOL Academy’s ads with either Keala Kanae or his businesses partner Kameron George walking through a million dollar mansion telling you all about AWOL Academy and how it could change your life.
Personally, one of the things that I feel is too gimmicky when I see an online business opportunity are the mandatory scenes of fancy cars and huge mansions.
AWOL Academy was definitely guilty of this.
Now, I’m not going to say these scenes looked staged, or point out that there were no photos on any of the walls, or how in one ad Kameron George says “Welcome to our offices…” and in another Keala says, “Welcome inside my home…”, because honestly, they both could be telling the truth.
Maybe AWOL operated out of Keala’s home and pictures were just removed for personal reasons, but yeah, you get the idea. But there was definitely a lot of hype around AWOL Academy at the time.
So what happened?
What Happened to AWOL Academy?
AWOL Academy was a VERY high ticket affiliate marketing training platform that ultimately didn’t have enough success within its membership to justify that high ticket pricing. Reports vary, but the common number online is that there was only a 3% success rate.
Being profitable after AWOL Academy’s training would have been difficult given the high pricing for the training. Just how expensive was it? Can you say $10k-$20k? Ouch.
The complaints poured in and AWOL got scrapped in 2017.
But Keala wasn’t done. He did a complete AWOL reboot and rebrand, and returned to his exact same patterns with an equally expensive Fullstaq Marketer.
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Fullstaq Marketer – How Closely it Follows in AWOL Academy’s Footsteps
Billed as “The World’s Greatest Internet Marketing Training” Fullstaq Marketer mirrors AWOL Academy’s blueprint with high ticket pricing and massive upsells, even using the exact same word for word training module descriptions as its predecessor.
Related Article at WorkFromYourLaptop.com!
Check out “Is Fullstaq Marketer Legit?” to see just how closely it mirrors Keala Kanae’s defunct AWOL Academy platform.
While updating this article, I noticed that Keala Kanae has created an ad posing as an “open letter” responding to scam allegations.
In this ad, Keala Kanae goes through Google’s top search results to find articles that review his platforms. He calls out articles about him that have “scam” in their title as click bait, saying that the authors of those articles are simply trying to make a commission on another product.
The problem is here is that searches for “Keala Kanae Scam” are popular because many, many, many people are making that search and filling the articles with valid complaints.
It’s also important to note that his own ad with the words “Keala Kanae” and “scam” in the title is aimed at selling his products.
Keala Kanae’s Latest – Digital Freelancer
It doesn’t take long for Keala to repackage and roll out another high ticket hype machine. Digital Freelancer ads are all over instagram and Facebook.
He’s showing off his balances at an ATM, getting in a fancy ride, calling his system “done for you” and making some ballsy claims and promises of income. And then like clockwork, it’s time for massive upsells, high ticket pricing, and unrealistic promises of revenue.
Haven’t seen the ads? Check out my full Digital Freelancer review and see the number of customer complaints all throughout the comments.
Want training that delivers? Check out my detailed review and full walkthrough of the affiliate marketing training platform I owe all my success to! The training is straightforward, affordable, and you can test drive it first to see if it’s a good fit. Click here to check out my full review!
Final Thoughts
Keala Kanae has a pattern with his training: low start up costs followed by extreme upsells. He pairs that with unrealistic revenue claims and it adds up to complaint after complaint of customers left feeling high and dry.
Were you an AWOL Academy member? How much did you end up spending? Were you satisfied with your results? Are you looking into Fullstaq Marketer and Digital Freelancer and can’t shake the “I don’t know about this” feeling? Let me know in the comments section below! Ask any questions you have!
I always respond and I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Eric
Thank you for the perfect review of Keala Kanae!
People tend to believe if they invest big into something, there will be returns and sadly there was none. And because of this people revolt and shout scams no matter whose program it is. In this case, I’d say it’s a ripoff.
Agreed. While legally it’s not a scam, I would highly recommend staying away from it unless you enjoy the feeling of being ripped off, lol. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Eric, I see you have updated a great review on Keala Kanae. I’ve been aware of his training since 2017 and have watched his journey with interest because I was never comfortable with the whole mansion, fast cars promotion. The cost is huge and it would be awful to find that you had spent all that money and didn’t even make it back with the training.
I’m still surprised that anyone would even look at a course like this as all the red signs are there for everyone to see.
Do you think he will finish those modules?
Who knows. I see he’s still advertising on Instagram, but from the comments left on those ads there are a TON of people who know exactly how his programs work and are warning others to stay away. Thanks for the comment!
I totally agree with your review. I’ve been researching this company and almost all of the reviews echoed yours. However, you point out correctly what a scam is and this isn’t one. It’s a ripoff! I truly despise companies, especially learning platforms, that have hidden costs and upsells and it looks like Fullstaq Marketer is a leader in this. Do you happen to know if those participating in AWOL Academy got reimbursed when that crashed or were they just left dangling? Thanking you in advance,
Darlene
I don’t believe AWOL had any kind of money back options. That’s why so many complained. You hate seeing people go through that, but more often than not it at least serves as a learning moment and they know what to look out for. I’m always preaching to STEER CLEAR of high ticket platforms when you’re a beginner. There’s just no point putting yourself in that deep of a hole when you don’t know the red flags to look out for. Thanks for the comment!
It’s not a scam, not illegal and yet it feels so wrong. It is making people part from hard-earned money to learn about something that you can learn about cheaper elsewhere. I can see why he is trying, it won’t take many people to dive in and pay towards everything he recommends in desperation to see their dreams come true, I’m glad you are hear to point out all the flaws with the system and help those who are doing the research before taking the leap.
Clever of him to address the scam articles in a way where he can upsell his work again. Do you think he’ll ever finish his Fullstaq work, or simply start fresh under a different name? Do you think it would help his name and branding if h lowered his prices to a more acceptable means?
I’m not sure what his plans are. I don’t think he’ll ever drop his pattern of high ticket pricing and upsells. I just hope more and more people realize that they don’t have to go through this to get affiliate marketing training. There are so many better options out there! Thanks for the comment!
I bet you’ve been told this before, but what a great idea. I like the Scam Alert. You are a real pro at this. I have seem this website and some of your invites have come across my searches. Great job. I’ve enjoyed reading your articles and I’ve learned a lot from your tips on building a business. Your website looks great!
Thanks so much for the kind words. I wish I could take more credit, but all the info I pass on is what I learned from the training platform I owe all my success to. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for sharing this review. I jumped into AWOL Academy and ran after getting my “coaching call” It was all about making me spend more money. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that it’s creator has started another training academy using the exact same pricing strategy as before. Just because he isn’t technically taking peoples’ money and giving them nothing, doesn’t necessarily mean he still isn’t robbing them. The fact you can find high quality affiliate marketing training at a fraction of the cost anywhere else should be a testament to that. This new business will probably fail just like the last.
Agreed! Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for the comment!
Here we go again. I had heard about AWOL some years ago. It looks like Fullstaq Marketer is no different. I would be angry too if I jumped in and later discovered that this training is way more expensive than I can afford. Thank you for warning us from the start.
Thanks for the comment!
Hey, Eric!
I’ve had my history with AWOL Academy. It’s not a fond memory, but it’s not as bad as it could have been because I thankfully never ended up paying for anything.
I just remember signing up for an “exclusive” webinar where he would disclose the secrets of his success. After attending it and thinking it was the best thing ever, I saw an ad for another one. I then figured out that these things were happening multiple times a day and were pre-recorded videos with robot chat members who would respond to questions (I know because I attended it a second time and saw the exact same comments). That was a bit of an eye-opener, as you can imagine.
Anyways, I didn’t know Keala Kanae was back with more nonsense, but I’m glad you’re taking the time to inform unsuspecting people about it. I’m glad I never fell for one of these and I hope no one else has to either.
Isaac
Yeah the fake webinars are just so bad. Like, people would be willing to understand and accept that it’s prerecorded and not live, but the fake chat and acting like it’s live just seems so shady. I hate it when platforms seemingly go out of their way to lie. Just doesn’t make sense to me. Thanks for sharing your AWOL Academy experience. I’m glad you got out of it without emptying your bank account. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Eric,
It’s hard to believe that people pay lots of money for an online training program like AWOL Academy or Fullstaq Marketer, especially when you have many complaints about the programs online. People tend to ignore the cost of their online business. If it’s too high, recouping all the investment will be difficult, let alone turn actual profits.
Cheers,
Matt
Agreed! Thanks for the comment!
The prices are incredibly high, and I wonder who pays so much money for these courses. My thoughts are that if you can spend this much money on some internet courses, then you don’t really need to work much on increasing traffic or anything else you want to learn. On the other hand, while your success cannot rely on a course and depends on your own hard work, when you pay such steep prices, it is normal to expect some positive results, so if they don’t come … I can understand why people complain. Calling it a scam doesn’t seem right, though. I think people do that because they’re angry or disappointed that the program didn’t work out for them.
Well said. Thanks for the comment!
I always get a kick out of marketing ‘gurus’ that have an initial program that gets a ton of bad press then they decide to relaunch the program under another name with almost the exact same program. It is usually pretty obvious, especially when they change one word in the title, like conversion class to conversion lab, etc.
Yeah, I was surprised to see the exact same AWOL Academy content just being pushed out under a different name. Way too many red flags. Thanks for the comment!
You are right, too many people use the word scam for everything without actually thinking about it. Bad investment and scam are not the same thing. I definitely have seen that Kaela video ads on youtube mansion for sure. That mansion and his hat lol, it played very aggressively. It seems to me that Fullstaq marketer can have a bit of AWOL, just my assumption.
I do not mind high ticket selling course but in order for them to sell that price, their success rate that to be up par as well. I was almost signed up with Dan Lok at one point (another high ticket selller) but I feel that I need to learn the basic first then move up to high ticket selling strategy.
We all will just have to wait and see what fullstaq has to offer.
Well said. I think if you’re seasoned in marketing, but haven’t been able to get the traction you’ve wanted and are ok with those extreme price points, then more power to you. But you have to understand that when something costs $20k that means you’ll need to MAKE $20k just to be even again. Hard doing business that way right out of the gate when you don’t need to. Thanks for the comment!
I remember AWOL! Cost me $300 before I realized it was going to keep taking and taking. Dumped it quick! If Fullstaq is their reboot people better watch out! Hide your pocketbooks!
Cheers!
Haha, thank you for your experience! I’m sorry you had to experience that, but I’m glad you got out before it got too bad. Thanks for the comment!
Wow, that was an eye opener. Normally, High Tickets formula don’t usually work well.
Let’s see how Fullstaq gains traction with TIME.
Thanks for sharing your valuable review. The online world needs such useful reviews and information.
All the best.
Thanks so much for the comment! And yes, time will tell with Fullstaq. Thanks again!
I know what that is like, I was a sucker of another high ticket program, It was called MOBE my online business entrepreneur, That classes were top notch the live events were good to but only the very few were making the money because you simply had to have a good business head to use it. Matt Lloyd was finally shut down for bilking. So definitely be careful
I’ve heard of many who had that same experience with MOBE. It’s a shame because it leaves people with a sour taste on online business when it is otherwise such a lucrative industry. Great comment! Thank you!
Hi Eric. I do remember AWOL Academy. And I also remember the high ticket offers. I would give this product a pass once I discovered it was a re-branding from AWOL Academy. Why can’t they lower the price? Probably they spent way to much building the training. Or probably that’s their marketing strategy. Less people purchase, they’ll have to deal with less complaints.
Apparently the high ticket pricing is a core part of their marketing. I helped so many people come out of AWOL who were frustrated and looking for actual training that didn’t break the bank. I can’t imagine just starting out and spending thousands for training when there are platforms out there that deliver so much for much less out of your pocket. Thanks so much for the comment!
Hi Eric,
This is a very interesting article. I wonder how the company has been going through launch up to today? I like that you were able to compare it to an older online product that he co-produced earlier in his career. I do remember those videos. Thank you for the heads-up on this program and I will be on the look out for more of your great information.
I’m looking forward to just how high the pricing is on the remaining modules. Will he bring it down some or skyrocket it up higher than before? I think he’ll find a middle ground somewhere. Only time will tell. Thanks for the comment!
I’m glad someone can break down the price of Awol Academy. No one is going to tell you the complete truth, you’ll have to discover it yourself.
I think that’s the one major downfall of AWOL Academy. It was a major turning point for myself as well when I found out just how much of an investment was truly involved. I’m glad you enjoyed this review. Thanks for the comment!
We’ve never lived in a time where so many options existed to build something online. There’s plenty of solid affiliate marketing courses available online. Find one that fits and get started. This is the training I recommend above all others. Thanks for the comment and questions!
Wow, your article was very detailed. I appreciate the time you must have taken to put this all together.
The one thing that I kept thinking during my coaching call was that it was all about getting me to spend way more than I was comfortable with spending. Thanks again for your great article.
Angela
Sorry you had to go through that. You’re not alone. So many red flags pop up during that coaching call and that’s the real point of putting this AWOL Academy / Keala Kanae review together. I feel people should fully understand just how much money it costs to complete AWOL Academy, especially when there are solid, much more affordable affiliate marketing training courses that deliver. Thanks for the comment!
Eric, I fell for a similar so called training program and $2500 into it I realized that they would continue to milk me dry if I would have had additional money to invest. So I got out and chalked the $2500 up to a lesson learned the hard way. I joined the affiliate marketing community that you recommend and could not be happier.
Wow. I’m sorry you had such an expensive lesson but I’m glad you’re much better off now. What was the name of the $2500 program? I could do a review on it…
Thank you for the thorough article exposing the upsells system of AWOL! Their coaching call IS A COMPLETE PRESSURED SALES TACTIC. I went through it myself and wanted to hang up! The first training of 99 dollars may be worth it, but the rest of it simply doesn’t make sense as you said. I will definitely not tap into this overpriced investment.
I’m sorry you had to go through that. That’s the point many people complain about and exactly why I put this together so people have a better idea of the pricing of the full AWOL Academy training 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Hi Eric,
Thanks so much for the honest and detailed review, You saved a lot of time of researching it myself.
I really do not like upsells and yes AWOL academy is a bit expensive for most of us
Geni
Agreed. It was eye opening for me when I realized just how much money the whole AWOL Academy program was going to cost. That’s exactly why I wrote this article. 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
I wonder how many people have that kind of money available when trying to start a business? And the huge mansion without any personal items? I’m not sure about this at all. Even if it isn’t a scam as in they still teach you their knowledge, I think it might still be talking people out too much money. Question is: Is the information they give out really worth that kind of money? I’d expect to be earning a huge amount of money after having paid that much… Anyway, thank you for all of your insights. I think I will stay clear of this. Especially if there are cheaper options to get the same kind of information. And you seem to have built a business without having to use AWOL.
All good points 🙂 And yes, I couldn’t be happier with the training platform I found. It’s straightforward, it delivers, and it didn’t empty my bank account. That’s 3 for 3! Thanks for the comment!
Hi Eric, Thanks for your post – I feel AWOL Academy is similar to a lot of other programs that we see out there. It tends to be even more prevalent in the dropshipping sector, but there seems to be a common thread of overpriced courses that offer good content, meaning that while they’re not scams, people are way overpaying for a product that they could probably get elsewhere for 5-10% of the price.
I find Udemy is often a great resource for taking quality courses under $50. Also, YouTube tends to have a lot of fantastic (and free) information out there. Thanks again for you post.
Best,
Nick
Thanks for the comment, Nick. Udemy is actually a solid spot to find affiliate marketing training. It’s a part of my list on best affiliate marketing training courses. One point I’d like to make with regards to free information is that if the problem was acquiring information then we’d all be millionaires with 6 pack abs because free information is literally everywhere. We have public libraries and the internet at our fingertips. However, it’s not availability that is the problem, it’s direction. We need someone to organize the information and put it on a linear track we can follow to success, and that’s why we invest into ourselves with paid training. Otherwise, especially in online business, you end up with a scatterbrained site that doesn’t convert. Would I pay $20k for that direction? No, lol. Better options are definitely available! Thanks again for the comment!
Hi Eric
Very interesting review. These guys certainly present as a legitimate organization, but also has elements of real dodgy-ness. The price tag is HUGE! Gah! WHAT! $20K PLUS $39/month!!? I wouldn’t
Spot on review. This is exactly what I was looking for. I too felt pressured during the coaching call. Thank you for this.
Cheers,
Dave
Thanks for the comment! The coaching call is definitely the “what exactly am I getting into” point with AWOL Academy. You’re not alone. Thanks again!
Firstly, thank you for this honest review about AWOL academy by Keala Kanae atleast my view has been changed concerning the meaning of scam and why a product could be called that. But $20000 to learn how to generate income that others are learning for less than 300$, thats an outrageous demand. Even though you were able to convince me that this is not a scam, I cannot but be bemused at such an asking price for upsells. If I have the $20k, would I be earnestly searching for how to make money online..lol, NO.
thanks for the review
Great points 🙂 I’ve often wondered the same thing. If I had $10k-$20k lying around then maybe I’m doing something right already and should continue it, right? And yes, there are many solid affiliate marketing training courses that are much more affordable. Thanks for the comment!
Hi! Thank you for your honest review of the Awol Academy. Awol Academy is really very expensive and I wonder if their price is really worth it. I mean, will I get that money back if I invest it in their program? I am so glad I read your article.
All the best!
You hit the nail on the head. For me, investing $10k-$20k just to get started means I will have to make all that money back just to break even. There are solid affiliate marketing training courses you can take that are much more affordable. Thanks for the comment!
Hello, I really appreciate your time and effort on writing about Keala Kanae.
From your review it’s obvious that this program is only ideal for people who have a lot of money to spend. One of the issues I have with Keala Kanae is that although you can get the $99 Pro Academy it just seems like they’re giving you enough to keep you on their hook to buy more
For a program this expensive I’m not sure they’re offering you enough value. Thanks for the review.
It’s definitely a very high ticket item. Their training is solid, except you can get it for so much cheaper with Wealthy Affiliate. Thanks for the comment!
Dear Eric,
Thanks a lot for the very thorough and comprehensive review post.
I have came across ads and posts about AWOL and wanted to do some research and your helpful review saved my time. I personally hate upsells. The worst part is with some products even before entering the products members area we keep on getting OTO’s claiming that it will make money fast, reduce your work load, save your time, done for you system etc. In my personal opinion if there are too many upsells it means the front-end product is not a complete one.
I loved how easy the review makes it for readers and you explained it everything in detail. After reading your review post AWOL is a NO NO for me.
Much Success!
Paul
Well put, Paul! Thanks for your comment. In doing research for this I found many who were completely shocked to find out the total amount of money they’d have to spend to get all the training. That’s the exact reason I put this AWOL Academy review together. Glad to help!