Top five online money making scams

2009-01-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

Guarantees of effortless income are very tempting. Most of us are smart enough not to fall for the old promise of overnight riches. However, fraudulent companies are always coming up with new ways to lure people into believing their scams.

Here is a review of the top five lies these companies will tell you.

You Can Quit Your Job and Stay Home

Envelope-stuffing and craft assembly offers have been around for decades, long before the internet made them popular. Even though most people have heard about the scam, the allure of making $2 by simply putting brochures in an envelope still proves too tempting for many.

To get started, you are asked to pay a startup fee. Most of the time, the only thing you receive by return mail is basic information on how to send the same envelope-stuffing ad to others. In short, a how-to guide to scamming. Craft assembly companies require a higher fee. They usually do send the materials promised, only to refuse to pay you later because your work isn't up to their "quality standards."

The Internet has brought a new dimension to this phenomenon, with new scammers popping up all the time. A new version of the envelope stuffing scam asks you to forward a number of email ads for a sales commission. Needless to say, the ads are so obviously fake, that nobody ever buys anything, so you will never see a penny on commissions.

Keep in mind that it is possible to make a living working at home, but, as with any other business, it requires time and dedication and it holds no guarantees.

You Should Invest For High and Quick Returns

The most common scam of this type hunts for investors to help form an offshore bank. Ponzi schemes are also popular, where early investors are promised high returns from money contributed by future investors. This is a typical pyramid scheme.

Pitches for scam investments always promise you high returns. This should be a red flag for you, since no legitimate company can vow for the fluctuations of the market. Other common claims include their exclusive access to “inside information” and a promise to buy back the assets from you after a certain period

Let Us Show You the Way to Effortless income

Offers of boundless profits without work always require a hefty investment on your part. Products are usually ridiculous, such as a perfect sales letter that will bring you millions, exclusive information on how to exchange money on world currency markets, or details on how to buy real estate even if you are bankrupt. Although some of these ideas can work if applied correctly, they require a time investment of months before you can even dream of seeing a penny. The work required is so exhaustive that most people simply give up before they even have a chance of seeing results. Effortless? Of course not.

Write For Money

Another old, classic scam that has experienced a rebirth in the last few years, thanks to the Internet, is the chain letter. In this scam, you are asked to send a small amount of money ($1 to $20) to the top names on a list, add your name at the end of the list, and then forward the email or letter to other people you know. A variation of this includes a product (a special recipe, a money-making report, etc.) given as a reward to those who actually send the money. The product is, of course, worthless. 99 percent of people will discard chain letters without even reading them, so there is little chance your name will ever make it to the top of the list.

Log On For Money

From companies that promise to pay you for reading emails to companies that require a large minimum of clicks on their websites before they pay you half a penny, online scams are plentiful and diverse.

Many legitimate companies do offer internet-based work, but they usually do not charge a fee to sign you up. These include websites like eBay or half, where you can sell your own products; established companies that pay for product testing; and a few marketing corporations that pay for regular people to fill out opinion polls. Do your research and always remember that legitimate businesses will never charge you for the “privilege” of letting you work for them.

by Diana Bocco

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How to avoid online money making scams

2009-01-15T02:21:00.000-08:00

Supposedly, there are opportunities on the Internet for the average person to become a millionaire overnight with little or no effort. I have spent time and money "investing" in some of these opportunities and I want to help you avoid spending money on something that will offer you no return.

Step1

The first thing to consider when reading an article about making money online is, does the article sound believable? Does it sound legal? Does the program or system that you are buying into produce anything tangible or of any real worth to anyone? Does it offer a guarantee or trial period?

Step2

If everything seems to be legitimate at first glance, then it's time to do some investigating. Does the website offer contact information? Is there a phone number listed? If so, call the number and try to speak to a living human being. If you can't get through to anybody now, imagine how hard it will be to get a refund later if needed.

Step3

Visit the Better Business Bureau's website (www.bbb.com) and search for the website address (url) for the company that you are considering paying for services. Are they registered? If so, do they have any complaints against them? Do a whois lookup on the domain name. (ex. makelotsofmoneyovernight.com) Web sites like register.com are useful in performing a whois lookup. What name is the website registered under? If you search on this name, what information can you find online? If you find other web sites associated with the original website, search for them with the Better Business Bureau as well.

Step4

If you decide to make a purchase from a website, check to see if the "check out" page is on a secure server. If you are using Internet Explorer, look for the yellow lock symbol at the bottom of your web browser. Also be sure the web address begins with "https". When making a purchase, use a credit card rather than a debit card. Credit card companies usually cover fraudulent spending if someone obtains unauthorized access to your account.

For a comprehensive look at current money making scams online and for some advice and reviews of the genuine money making opportunities check out this review site:
http://curjam.netsalaries.com/