With the age of the internet came not only limitless prospects of starting an online business, but also just as many online business systems scams. Today there are more just as many website scams as ever. In fact I could probably say there are more scams than there are legitimate websites. Website scams take on many forms online from Online Data Entry, Paid Surveys, and Envelope Stuffing, ready made Adsense sites to that Digital Download promising you riches beyond your wildest dreams through it’s incredible tutorial.
Read the following example:
If I told you that I could set you up with a business, website hosting, business email accounts and make sure it is SEO friendly and it would already be built with Google Adsense so it would in effect pay for itself with minimal effort on your part. All this, PLUS ongoing support after purchase for the minimal price of $300. In fact when I first sold this product it sold for $700 and it sold 4000 units in the first 48 hours of release AND if you were to purchase this package individually it would cost you anywhere between $1000-2500 anywhere else, would you buy it? Alot of people say "Of course not it's a scam!" Or you would be a little suspicious.
Now if I was to ask you the same question but have all the flash fonts, background, flashing images showing you the finish product and add a few words like this offer is only till Midnight and let’s not forget the REAL TESTIMONIALS by REAL PEOPLE who have purchased and succeeded and are now rich beyond their wildest dreams, could you still say "no"? In fact, some people reading this have already fallen victim to a scam or two in the past from websites that seem like legitimate businesses offering products which promise all or some of the above.
The simple plan truth is this, when you first start up your internet business, it’s going to take time and effort on your part. Nothing comes from nothing, in fact none of those internet gurus turned on a computer one day and within a week thousands of dollars. It all takes time and effort on your part. One of the easiest ways to scam a person is to promise them everything for practically nothing. A great question you should always ask yourself “Why would a person who has uncovered the holy grail of product and website marketing need to sell his secret?
I’ll be perfectly honest with you, if I was making thousands and thousands of dollars a week through a process I had figured out, I wouldn’t sell it. In fact I would keep it to myself as long as I could. Why would I do something silly like that? After all, if this great secret of mine is the main reason for me making money, would I want other people copying it and in effect cutting into my profits?
I would be more inclined to advertise a product which someone else has taken the time to write about which I have used to reasonable or great success and then try to sell I to other people. After all, the product's already in circulation.
Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true then there is a very good chance it could be. Any website that tells you that building an online business is easy and requires no work is lying . BUT it doesn't have to be impossible.
Fortunately there are articles and websites specifically set up to better help you avoid being a victim of a scam. By providing valuable information on how to spot one in between legitimate businesses and questions you should be asking yourself when purchasing products to reduce the risk to yourself and your wallet.
Two websites you want to book mark specifically:
1. Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Better Business Bureau is set up so you can see if there have been complaints with a particular company and whether the company has a shady record with the Bureau.
2. Scam.com
Forums designed to provide people with information on work at home scams and registered users can post questions about scams. There's also a MLM/Pyramid Scams bulletin board.
Note: There are many other websites which also provide information pertaining to online scams which also provide valuable information.
Never feel pressured into buying anything you’re unsure of. It's better to have missed a product special by taking the time to investigate it than to go ahead and purchase a product and be out of pocket with nothing to show. In fact with the competition within affiliate marketing providing products to would be entrepreneurs, "specials" will never be in short demand.
"Your business is your investment. Invest wisely."