Learn how not to be the next online scam victim

Did you know….

There were 565.7 million Internet users worldwide at the end of 2005, and there were 633.6 million at the end of 2006. This amounts to 67.9 million per year, or 5.66 million per month (in 2006). Given the current rate of internet growth and the world population this translates into a new person going online every .45 seconds! Online Shopping is exploding NOW! According to Forrester Research 2007 Market Projections say E-Commerce will produce $10 Trillion. As with all opportunities and growth there will always be those scam artists and the e-commerce world is no exception to the rule.

Everyday Yahoo, AOL and MSN filter over 90 percent of all email sent because it is considered spam or a scam. Unfortunately if you are looking to start a internet business you will quickly learn that the same statistics apply to that industry. In Newsweek December 1999 issue the cover story was “In the Internet age, the GREATEST risk is being left behind." If that was the case in 1999 it is even more so today.

With the explosion of opportunities online and the increase in thieves also trying to make money online where do you go to avoid the scams?

Here are some general rules to follow:

The basic rule to follow is if the sales pitch sounds a bit unbelievable then it is probably too good to be true But don’t be too quick to pass everything online because there are legitimate money making programs online that will make you wealthy, just be guarded. Watch out if a company promises large profits for little or no work.

Reputation is a key indicator of a good online company. Try to find at least 3 positive and negative reviews on the program. All companies will have negative reviews. When you read a negative review make sure to read between the lines to see if the person giving the negative review really tried the program or is simply disappointed because they expected returns for no work. Positive reviews need to be watched as well. Often a company will post positive reviews about itself so if you see the same things being said by different people question why.

Make sure there is an out. Before you sign ANYTHING, find out what the procedure is to cancel if you change your mind and what, if anything, it will cost you. If you have to pay start-up fees, pay with a credit card rather than cash or check. That way if things go awry you can cancel payment or dispute your credit card charges.Before you join any program make sure to read the “fine print” Make sure you understand the agreement you are about to sign, if you don’t have a lawyer or accountant review it before you sing on the dotted line

Be mindfullof programs or sales pitches that use a hard sell to get you to sign up right away. Take your time to think about opportunities. Before you join any program that interests you make sure to check them out first. Easy wawys to check them out is to sign up to a newsletter that they offer. This will give you a feel for how they do business. Their newsletter should clearly demonstrate how to work the program to make money.

It can be challenging to go through all these steps. For this very reason many work at home directories have poped up. These directories are great resources to help you find the companies that best fit your needs without the fear of being scammed A good work at home directory will have gone through a rigorous evaluation process to validate that the opportunities in their directory are not a scam.

The internet has created opportunity for anyone to be successful. When you find the programs that is right for you go for it and don’t be left behind.