Hate To Burst Your Bubble: Identifying 6 Common Internet Scams
If you`ve been online for more than a week, you`ve probably already seen them. Ads that promise great wealth, in little or no time, for little or no work on your behalf. They then go on to tell you how simple and easy it is to work from home, being your own boss and setting your own hours.
Sounds great, doesn`t it? But is it actually true? Ok, so you get to decide your work hours, but let me tell you, there´s a LOT of hours involved here, and a LOT of hard work, and even then, you may not succeed in making enough money to quit your day job (IF any at all...)
There are tons of business opportunities out there to get involved with. Here´s a list of some of them, with their "TRUE" colours. I`m NOT saying every individual opportunity IS a scam, but a lot of them are, and you need to do your homework before you embark on the journey as an "internet marketer".
MLM, Pyramid Schemes etc:
Promise: You make money from sales, be it services or products. You recruit other sales people, and earn from their sales.
Fact: Most of the time, you`ll find that the people you`re trying to sell to are other distributors, and you`re all trying to sell to each other, which ultimately means no sales.
Holidays and Travels:
Promise: You get dirt-cheap or even free tickets, with tons of extras.
Fact: You could end up with no trip, or with a trip of a much lesser quality of services and accommodation than promised. Sometimes there are hidden charges and costs that you don`t find out about until you`ve paid.
Credit Cards:
Promise: Give us your credit card number, we need it to verify that you are over 18, then we can give you X, Y, and Z for free.
Fact: There are a lot of these that will run up charges on your credit cards
Health Care:
Promise: Our products can cure serious, or even fatal, health problems.
Fact: A lot of people will believe this one, without checking it out thoroughly. This can result in people not getting the neccessary treatment they really need for their illness.
Investments:
Promise: Make a huge return on your investments with us, and make it FAST!
Fact: A big profit always carries a big risk, which mostly means you stand to lose your investment.
Chain Letters:
Promise: Pass this on and you`ll earn a truckload of money.
Fact: Chain letters inolving money and/or valuables are illegal! Even the ones that tell you they`re legal and endorsed by the government. By starting, or passing these on, you are, in effect, breaking the law.
While a lot of programs truly ARE legitimate, there´s thousands more that aren`t. There are certain questions you need to ask the promoteur of any program/opportunity/offer before you make your decisions.
- What is the FULL outlay expected of me for membership fees, equipment and supplies?
- What will I get for my money?
- What exactly do I have to do (step by step)?
- Will I be paid a regular wage, or will my pay be based on commission?
- Who will be paying me?
Take your time. People promoting scams will likely use high-pressure sales tactics to get you to buy in to them. If the business opportunity is legitimate, it´ll still be around when you´re ready to decide.
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