Internet Business Scams - How to Avoid Them

Internet Scams have become big money to the people who are looking to
make a quick buck on the internet. Who out there hasn't won the Irish
lottery, been asked to be a representative for the widget corporation
collecting money to keep Ten percent or been sent an email by your
secret admirer. Three not so nice sounding characteristics will go a
long way toward protecting you from internet "work at home" scam
artists: cynicism, skepticism and gut instinct. Put those together with
a little knowledge and add a sprinkle of common sense, and you are not
likely to bit by a dirty rotten scoundrel. Here are five rules to help
you avoid internet scams.

Money won't come easy despite what
they tell you. Either it isn't money or it isn't easy. Anybody who
tells you that you will get rich sitting by your pool side sipping Pina
Coladas is lying. Think about this, if it were that easy would they be
advertising it to you? And if they want you to send them money (or your
credit card number), they are lying. Again, why would they allow you to
use their process which could potentially cut into their profits. They
wouldn't and you can take that promise to the bank.

Look for how
they are making their money! What is the vendor doing for his income?
If you are the source of his money, there is an excellent chance that
you are being cheated. Here are a couple of meaningless or nonexistent
products to be on the lookout for when looking for an internet business:

·
An ebook that tells you how to make money. If the book is so great, why
is it not on the New York Times Bestseller list? Not everybody who
sells an ebook is trying to rip you off, but let's look at the facts
here. Anybody can write down anything and sell it on a website. They
can charge as much as they want for it and they get to keep 100% of the
profit-no risk and all reward. Also, are they offering you a money back
guarantee? If not you should be running in the other direction. Now, I
am not saying that all ebooks are scams but you should investigate
before you buy.

· Anything that begins with, "I can teach you
how to make money..." That goes for those seminars that promise to
teach you how to make millions, too. You know the old saying applies
here. Those that can do and those that can't teach. Look at the gurus
background before committing any sum of money to a training program.

Look
through the hype. Sometimes it seems like those hyped up sales letters
are everywhere-they're in your mailbox, your inbox and on the websites
that want to sell you a chance of a lifetime business opportunity. When
you think about it, most of them are trying to get you to buy some kind
of product or program. Why do they need so many bells and whistles?

Half
the time, it's to confuse you and disguise the fact that they want you
to send them money but you won't get anything in return. Here's a test
for you to try: Print the sales letter out and cross out everything
that is in bold type, colored type, italicized, underscored, or large
type. Next, cross out all adverbs and adjectives, so that you only have
nouns and verbs left. Whatever is left is the real truth about the
product. And if nothing is left, then you have your answer.

Never
buy a list. Some work-at-home business opportunities give you the
opportunity to buy lists of people. This is a list that they sell to
you for a nominal fee. They are people who are looking for crafters,
envelope stuffers, typists, free-lancers, and so on. Half the time the
lists are full of dead ends, filled positions, or even fictional
companies. Even when they are legitimate email address, you can find
the same sources all on your own without paying a dime. Job lists are
never a good idea.

Be very cautious about Multi-Level Marketing.
Some multi-level-marketing businesses are legitimate, but there are
many variations on a scam in the MLM world. In Fact, MLM's are not even
legal unless the money you make is from a product, not from the
recruitment of other people. Before you spend your hard earned money on
an MLM, have a lawyer check the contract to make absolutely certain
that it's both legitimate and legal.

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