Home Based Business Center

The internet is chock full of scam artists, schemes that make no money, and those who just want to steal your money and leave you with empty promises.

It’s sad that, in this day and age, we have to worry so much about being swindled out of our money. But we do; and there is more chance then ever of being scammed online while looking for legitimate home based businesses.

Don’t give up your search - there are good chances out there! Here are six sure fire tricks to spotting a scam.

1. Is the Company Asking For Money Upfront? For What?

Be on guard with any company asking for money up front. Try to discover exactly why they need the money - are they sending you a course? If so, what kind? How many pages?

Is it simply a ‘down payment’ for some greater scheme, or for their ‘help’. These are sure fire signs that it’s a big, fat scam. Some companies will ask money for large books, courses, or mailing fees to send you out information, but this will rarely be over $100. If it is, take a step back and think hard about it. Chances are, you won’t ever see that money - or the product - again.

2. When Spending Any Sort of Money, Use a Credit Card

Never pay for anything with cash, period! Many business scams will deal in only cash, saying that can’t accept a credit card or that their system is down… convenient, right?

No legitimate business opportunity would not take credit cards, for one thing - and another is that cash is untraceable. If you give someone cash, there’s no record, and no way to get the money back. Credit card companies now offer refunding for any scams, as they search down the person responsible. This takes a huge weight off of your shoulders, and means you don’t have to use any extreme measures to track down anyone.

3. Never Invest if You’re Not Sure

Are you not sure about the company? The details? Are you nervous about starting, or not sure that this is for you?

If so, don’t! Don’t invest a dime! Look for another chance that you’re sure about - if you’re not 100% dedicated, 100% confident, and 110% willing to put your all into it, it won’t turn out well at all. Your gut feeling is often the best of all, and if you feel uneasy, skedaddle!

4. Headlines that are Vague and Unhelpful

“So-and-so made $5,530.96 their first month… and you can, too!” But do you ever hear how much money they made after that? While you presume they made more, do you ever hear about it again?

Real opportunities won’t have to give you vague headlines, over-pumped sales marketing, and promises without any proof. It’s easy to get excited reading a good letter, but when you finally start, you might find that you’re not doing what you thought you were - or worse, that there’s nothing to do at all.

5. “We have an oral contract.”

Stop! Did he just say you have an oral contract, that he’s trusting, and he doesn’t feel the need to sign anything because he knows that you’re a good person who won’t steal his ideas?!

If so, turn and run!

The biggest mistake that those searching for a great home business make is not signing a contract. It may seem silly, but if you’re going to go into any venture, put it down in black and white. I don’t care how trusting you are, how great it seems, and how sure you are that nothing bad is going to happen.

Make a contract first!

6. Always Look Before you Leap

Are you about to sign a document and jump into the deep end? Before you do, look down so you know where you’re landing.

Get everything you can in writing from the company, from their policies about refunds to their restrictions on how much you can get paid. If they skirt around any issue, especially dealing with payment, back them into a corner and make them talk. If they refuse to give you specifics, threaten to walk away altogether. This will get them in gear - and if they still don’t offer information, you need to get out of there. Chances are, it’s a complete scam, with you making little money and them taking the rest.

You can make money online - avoiding scams isn’t difficult, if you read between the lines, and doing what you love from home isn’t a pipe dream. Being rational, and looking closely before you go into anything, is the only way to really make money.
After all, the very best business men are extremely cautious!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS