Internet Marketing Scams 2

Find out the answers to all of these questions:

How long has the organization been trading?

Does the opportunity offer full training and support?

How full is the training and support, and who is going to guide you through it (is that flashy, sports-car-driving hotshot really going to have the time to coach you properly)? (Probably not!)

How much experience is required?

Do you have that experience?

Is there a genuine product that real people actually want to buy? What exactly will you have to do to achieve sales?

How much of the system is automated? (It can't be all of it,
or the opportunity wouldn't need your input.)

How much of your time will it take up?

How much money would you really earn?

How much money are others earning from it?

Are there other benefits- such as a vacation club?

How much will it cost - not just to join, but to be up and running?

What are the hidden costs - such as monthly subscriptions, payments to card-handlers, commissions to sales teams...?

How much time and money can you afford to put into it?

Scams are fraudulent business schemes which exploit your greed to separate you from your money. Examples include pyramid schemes where there is no real product, anything that promises that you will "get-rich-quick" including Ponzi schemes - characterized by the need for secrecy - and people from Nigeria inviting you to launder their ill-gotten money.

There are of course plenty of fully legitimate business opportunities available - where there is no need for secrecy. There are also quite a few in-between schemes that may be legal, but are essentially unfair, with you being the loser.

It goes without saying that you have to maintain a healthy scepticism when assessing opportunities you come across on the internet, and you must not allow your enthusiasm (which is easily manipulated) to dull your critical faculties. If something seems too good to be true, you can draw your own conclusion.

Read between the lines: is the seller really making money from the opportunity? Why do they need you? Why do they mention support and training if the system is supposed to be fully automated? Why might you need motivational training?

At the same time you don't want to be misled by the bitterness of people who have failed at a legitimate business (because of lack of knowledge, lack of time, lack of resources or lack of get-up-and-go). These people often regard themsleves as victims of scams and don't mind making a big noise about it in discussion forums.

This whole victim thing needs a word of warning: if you see yourself as one of life's victims, you are unlikely to succeed at internet marketing. It's okay to make mistakes and to learn from them, but don't allow yourself to be pulled down to loser level. To achieve success you have to build your confidence and expertise up, despite the efforts of nay-sayers!