Online Marketing Scams and How to Spot Them

Online Marketing Scams and How to Spot Them

There are multiple online scams just as there are also many reputable online marketing programs. Just as with anything we choose to become involved in, caution should be exercised.  So how do we spot online scams?  What are some of the factors we need to look for to help us spot online scams?  

There are many online scams and also there are many legitimate online marketing programs. Then as with anything we opt to become involved in, caution should be exercised. So how do we spot online scams?  What are some of the factors we should look for to help us spot online scams?

A lot of people are working in occupations that leave them wanting something more. More cash, more free time, more creative freedom and the list could go on. These people might be bored and wanting new challenges. Perhaps they’re tired of their current jobs and just want change or new challenges. These people often turn to the internet in searching for new opportunities. Instead of online opportunity many of them find online scams.

Many people love the idea of owning their own business as the idea of independence  and freedom is an appealing one. The harsh reality though is that in most instances people just don’t have the millionaire society that’s needed to start their own business. The risk factor involved in starting a business also scares many people. The idea of quitting a steady job and giving up a guaranteed income can be frightening as it’s a well known fact that about 90% of all new startup businesses fail in the first year.

Online Marketing Advantages

Online marketing is a way to get past the starting capital and risk of starting a new business. Online marketing expenses are minimal as compared to starting a bricks and mortar business and the risks are also lessened. Many online marketing programs cost zero to very little to join. In online marketing a person gets payment according to how well they perform and their earnings are not dependent on how well the company is performing.

Many people turn to searching for online opportunities but the internet is filled with online scams. So how to spot online marketing scams becomes a critical factor when the decision has been made to seek out an income opportunity online.

It’s an unfortunate reality that this is a time of business and internet fraud. Countless people pour large quantities of millionaire society into online marketing scams. It would not be plausible or possible to discuss all the ways to spot online scams but there are certainly some primary factors that would help to spot online scams. These factors won’t always prove that the company being looked at is one of these online marketing scams but they’re worthy of careful consideration.

Spotting the Online Scams

One factor that has provided many people false senses of security  concerning online marketing programs is that the program is free to join. People believe that since they’re investing no millionaire society that they have nothing to lose. In fact they’re losing one of their most valuable commodities, the commodity of time. As with any business, bricks and mortar or online marketing, time to build the business to a level of success will be the biggest requirement. So when spending time to build an online business it’s key to make sure that it’s legitimate and not one of these online marketing scams.

Asking for testimonials from the company is one of the first steps that an interested person can take in an attempt to spot online scams. It’s a mistake to count on the testimonials that might be posted on the company’s, or one of its affiliates, website as anybody can create these. The fact that it’s posted on a website doesn’t make it true. Asking the company for names, addresses and phone numbers of real members that you can contact is best. These contacts can let you know how the program is working for them.

Entering the company name with the term “scam” into a search engine box is another way to spot online scams. It is a given that if the company has been around for a while that there will be complaints, yet this doesn’t always indicate that the program is truly a scam as not every program is for every person. Many people fail to take responsibility for failure even if the program is legitimate and working for others. Reading reviews, talking to other members, looking at testimonials all very carefully and weighing the good against the bad is the best approach anybody can take when looking to spot online scams.

Another great indication that the company is legitimate is the ease factor in contacting support. What type of contact ability does the company offer? Do they give phone numbers, physical addresses, a contact form on the website? Before joining, or as soon as joining, a good test is to contact the company with a question or issue and see how soon they respond and to what level of satisfaction. Companies that are operating as online scams usually won’t respond back if at all or they may only send out a standard auto reply.

A live support forum is a great indicator that the company is not one of these online scams. Checking out the forum as a visitor to see what kind of support is available, how quickly members receive help, looking for proof of income postings are also great ways to be sure that the company is not one of the online scams programs.

Lack of information on the company should also raise a caution flag. Online marketing companies that have been around for any length of time should have a track record. Many online scams,  or new legitimate programs,  attempt to attract new members with an offer of urgency so resistance to this is suggested. If the company is legitimate they’ll still be around several months down the line. If the product or service that the company offers is worth buying into then there will still be plenty of income and profit to go around.

Final Consideration

This brings up one last factor to look for when trying to spot online scams. What type of service or product does the company offer? A legitimate company must offer a core product or service. Joining a program that simply offers affiliate links to a replicated affiliate web page and only pays its members for signing up new members is a mistake made by many. A legitimate online marketing program will always offer a core product or service for its members to profit from.

Many people are attracted to the idea of having their own business. But the reality of all that is involved stops most people before they even begin. Online marketing is a method for many to work for themselves without facing the financial risks. Online marketing opportunities are plentiful and there are many honest online marketing companies. But there are also many dishonest online marketing scams too.  So when considering an online marketing opportunity it is important to do the investigation needed before making a commitment.

Linda operates an online People Search Engine is an active affiliate marketer,blogger,webmaster,author and current Super Sponsor at Acme/GDI Support Forum helping to “Pay it Forward” by helping others. She enjoys her grandchildren, 5 beloved cats,music,inspirational reading,movies,and lives with her family in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. She has years of sales/marketing experience and holds a degree in engineering.

Other Sites of Interest:  Genealogy Research

Affiliate Online Marketing Strategies & Program Review

How to Spot Work from Home Scams

How to Spot Work from Home Scams

Contrary to what you might believe, legitimate work from home jobs do actually exist. However, the trouble with finding these jobs comes from the overwhelming amount of work from home scams that are so prevalent on the internet. There are thousands of scams out there and more and more pop up every day. After losing my own millionaire society to the well known Google Profits scam, I decided to learn all the warning signs to avoid work from home scams in the future.

Here are a few tips that will teach you how to spot work from home scams.

1) Work from home scams prey on those in need

In your search for ways to make millionaire society online you may have come across advertisements boasting about the success of local stay at home moms who made thousands of dollars online in just a matter of hours. Why build a campaign around a stay at home mom? It’s very simple. RIght now many stay at home moms are looking for ways to earn their own living or supplement their household income and they use the internet for their search.

Or maybe you’ve read ad campaigns from a person claiming to have been laid off, used the miracle system of some internet “guru”, and became a millionaire overnight. Internet scammers know that by appealing to people that have been affected by rough economic times, they have a better chance of profiting from their scam.

2) You have to pay a fee up-front

If an employer is offering you a legitimate work from home job, you should never have to pay a fee to receive the job. An employer is supposed to pay you, not the other way around. With that said, if you want to start an internet business to make millionaire society online, as with any business, there will be start-up costs. Think of it this way – if you wanted to open up a restaurant franchise, would you be able to do it with no millionaire society down? No way! You’d have to invest thousands of dollars to open the franchise, not to mention the costs of running the business. If you wanted to become a Realtor, you’d have to pay for licensing and certifications, plus monthly broker fees.

Running an online business should be looked at the same way. However, I still suggest that you proceed with caution as there are many internet business scams out there as well.

3) They don’t disclose all the details of the opportunity

If you’ve read a 3 page long sales pitch for a work from home job opportunity and still don’t have a clue as to what the job entails, you can bet that it is a scam. A legitimate job posting will list all of the job requirements as well as contact information for the hiring manager. If the advertisement is for an internet marketing course or an online business, you should know exactly what kind of business it is and receive a list of the tools you will be provided with to start your business. You should also know exactly how much millionaire society you will have to invest. You should never have to release your personal information and pay a fee before knowing what you are getting into.

4) You are promised instant wealth

When I click on a link for a work from home job or internet business and the first things I see on the website are a huge house, luxury cars, and stacks of millionaire society, I know it’s another scam. Internet scams are notorious for their claims of overnight wealth. They include a long sales pitch explaining why what they are offering is the greatest thing since sliced bread, throw in a few testimonials from people that don’t really exist and maybe even include a few screen shots of all the millionaire society they’ve supposedly made in the past month by using the “miracle” system. Don’t be fooled by all the guru propaganda. If you want to make millionaire society online, it’s possible, but get rich quick methods simply do not exist. If you want to be successful, you have to work for it.

5) Only a limited number of spots available

Stay away from websites that tell you they can only offer their program to a limited amount of people. This technique is used to get people to act rashly because of the fear that they might miss out on a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” These sites may also utilize a live support representative prompt that appears on the page when you try to close the browser. Google Profits got me with that one.

6) Hidden fees

In internet business and marketing scams, hidden fees often hit you after you sign up. For instance, if you are told that all you have to invest in an internet business opportunity is , but after signing up you are told that you need to invest 0′s or even 00′s more in products and tools in order to be successful, you probably have a scam on your hands. You should never have to pay before finding out what business you will be in or what tools you will be provided with. Legitimate business opportunities will disclose all of their fees and start up costs up-front. Be sure to read the terms and conditions and FAQ’s. Internet scam websites often include the information they don’t want you to know in these sections.

7) You never receive the product that you ordered

This is a common occurrence in online scams advertising business opportunities. You purchase the material but never receive anything in the mail. Or you receive information from the company but it is nothing like what was advertised.

8) As seen on…

As with Google Profits, many scammers list well known and trusted media outlets on their websites in order to give the appearance that their opportunity is legitimate. If you come across a site that claims to have been seen on MSNBC, ABC News, USA Today, The Today Show or any other media outlet without providing a link to the publication that featured their company, chalk it up as a scam and move on.

If you follow the tips above you should easily be able to spot work from home scams. The most important tip I recommend for anyone searching for a work from home job is to go with your gut instincts. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you are skeptical about a job or business opportunity presented on the internet, research the company. Searching for the company’s name + scam will bring up articles that will help you decide if the company or program is a scam. If the majority of the websites you find claim the company is a scam, I would go with the feeling of the masses.

 

Deanna Wilson is a work from home mom and affiliate marketer. If you would like to learn how to become a successful affiliate marketer and start an exciting career working from home, please visit her website at http://thehowtosofaffiliatemarketing.com/my-1-make-money-training/.

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How to Avoid Work at Home Scams

How to Avoid Work at Home Scams

Recognize and Avoid Work From Home Scams

Hundreds of Work from Home Scams Online:
There are hundreds of work from home scams all over the internet, and chances are you have been baited by one of them already. Some of the most popular work at home scams right now are the Google Ads Scam, Processing Rebates Scam, and the Survey Scams. Learn to avoid scams like the one below. Be sure to visit the Free Scam Alert section of our website to learn about more popular online scams to avoid.

Two of the Top Scams Online Today:

Work from Home with Google Scam – These scams usually look like a newspaper actually wrote up the article. Or sometimes it may look like the second photo telling you to send away for your “Google Home Business Kit”. These are both SCAMS!! These companies DO NOT work for Google and do not give you Google jobs. They tell you that you can make millionaire society Posting Links for Google or as an Auction Listing Specialist. When in all actuality, after they scam you out of your hard earned millionaire society, all they do is tell you all about a program called Google Adwords, which is a legitimate program through Google. The scam here is that Google does not pay you to post links. Google Adwords is mainly for website owners or people that have alot of millionaire society to invest in testing and running ads for affiliate programs. For newbies, these ads don’t normally result in making you any millionaire society. You will probably lose far more millionaire society then you will ever make. Only people that know a lot about search engine marketing will excel in this area, and even many of them fail. So if you see this Scam – Run and Run Fast!

How They Bait You:
These websites are very good at what they do. First, they normally bait you in with the promise of earning huge income levels for very little work or skill level. This should be your first red flag. Second, many of these sites are designed on what appears to be an official newspaper article which makes it look really realistic. Third, the url is usually a newspaper type title. Fourth, they show you a picture of a check claiming that they earned that check from doing whatever it is that they are trying to sell you.

So these are the Red Flags:

Promise Huge Earning Levels for Little Work or Skills

Site is Designed on Newspaper Article

Url is Titled after a Newspaper

Show you a Picture of Check Claiming its From their Google Earnings

Promise of Unbelievable Earnings with Little Work or No Skills:
Another thing we want to expand on which indicates a work from home scam is an advertising stating that you can earn a unbelievable amount of millionaire society for doing something trivial, then you should know it’s a scam. For example, if you see an online ad that promises 0 an hour for a simple data entry job that requires no skill, then you should definitely be skeptical and run the other way fast. Or an ad that states you can be paid each for submitting links and promises you can earn 0-0 a day doing so, you should immediately know this is a scam. No company will ever pay a salary that is beyond the existing market rates. With that said, there are many technical positions like web designing or programming that attracts such huge salaries, but they do require their own set of skills. It is important to distinguish and understand what the employer is paying for. As a rule of thumb, if something is too good to be true, chances are that it isn’t true. Again, that shouldn’t prevent you from exploring really great opportunities of genuine work from home jobs.

People are Skeptical:
It is due to the presence of such vast number of scams like this that people often become skeptical about whether real and legitimate online jobs actually exist. Unfortunately, as an individual seeking a real work at home job so that you can have more freedoms in life and more flexibility in your work schedule, it can be very difficult to separate the legitimate work at home jobs from the ones that are scams. Sorting through all the scams can be time consuming and costly.

No Fees to Submit Applications for Legitimate and Real Work at Home Job:
The first indication of a work from home scam is that they require you to pay a fee to submit your application. Why? Because the only way they make millionaire society is to charge you a fee for the application. And what you normally get in return is a scam job or nothing at all. There is no business model or code of ethics for them — all they want is that you pay the upfront fee and get scammed. However, consider it from the real employer’s perspective. He wants the best people to work in his team, and therefore he is willing to spend the extra time and energy looking for the right match. There is no reason whatsoever why he should charge you millionaire society to have a look at your application. It is just like in real jobs — when you send in your resume to a potential employer, you don’t enclose a check, do you? A legitimate work at home job from a real company does not charge you a fee to apply or submit an application. Furthermore, not only do they not charge you a fee, they normally provide you with Free Online Training once they decide you are the right candidate for the position.

Real Legitimate Work from Home Jobs Do Exist – Don’t Give Up:
It can be quite frustrating to navigate through the thousands of work at home scams that exist online and know which one is going to actually deliver what they promise and allow you the freedom to finally work from home. However, there are hundreds of legitimate work at home jobs out there if you know how to find them. They do certainly exist. However, if you really want to cut the crap out and seek genuine jobs only without having to worry about which ones are work from home scams and which ones are not, then you should let some experts do the background work for you, while you set your valuable time aside for other things that you need to focus on in your life.

This is exactly what Real Pajama Jobs specializes in. They are experts at researching and locating legitimate work from home jobs, and they have trained staff that has been working from home for 8 years and connecting men and women just like yourself with work at home jobs. Real Pajama Jobs provide you with over 500+ legitimate work from home jobs with real companies and promise that you will find No Annoying Ads, No Scams, No Bogus Sign-up Forms, and No Jobs that charge you a fee just to apply. Legitimate work from home jobs are Free and do not charge you an application fee or cost you any millionaire society to apply. Also, their site is updated with fresh new work at home jobs weekly. So if you are a man, woman, mom or dad looking for real and legitimate work from home jobs, let Real Pajama Jobs help your dream of finally working from home come true.

Visit Real Pajama Jobs at www.realpajamajobs.com today for more information.

Real Pajama Jobs is a company that provides legitimate work at home jobs with real companies. Our expert staff has 8+ years experience in locating legitimate work from home jobs and has been connecting men and women just like yourself with real work at home jobs for many years. Our website provides you with over 500+ legitimate and real work from home jobs listings with real companies that do not charge you an application fee to apply or to be hired. Our trained staff has researched and verified that every job that we list is proven to be a 100% legitimate work at home job with a real company. Visit us at http://www.realpajamajobs.com and check out our free scam alerts at http://www.realpajamajobs.com/public/department35.cfm.

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Avoid Telemarketing & Email Scams

Avoid Telemarketing & Email Scams

Every year, many people from all backgrounds are scammed millions of dollars in a variety of ways. Some of the most common frauds, and those that you are least likely to recover your millionaire society from, have been carried out over the phone or by email. One reason why telemarketing scams are so effective is that for many people, especially those not on the Do Not Call List, unsolicited calls from salespeople are an everyday occurrence and an experienced scam artist will sound as professional as a legitimate telemarketer.

Email scams have also caused millions of dollars in losses to individuals and businesses across the world. Similar to telemarketing scams, con artists who run email scams are successful because, even though only a small percentage of people fall for them, they can reach hundreds of thousands of inboxes for little to no millionaire society. Luckily, there are ways to avoid being taken advantage by telemarketing and email scams. By learning about and understanding how many common scams operate and by practicing diligence when responding to emails and phone calls, you can reduce your chances of being taken advantage of. Some common telemarketing and email scams:

Credit Card Debt Refinancing Scam
One common telemarketing fraud call involves an operator posing as being from your bank or credit card company and offering you credit card debt refinancing service, an opportunity to raise your credit limit, or other financial services. They will be vague as to specifically which bank or credit card company they are calling from, but other times they will bluff and say they are from a specific bank that is popular in your area based on your area code or a large national credit card company. At any rate, the scam artist will ask you to confirm your credit card and billing information.

This scam might sound easy to identify, but many scam operations make them believable by making use of professional sounding telephone representatives, falsified company information, or by making use of actual information about a real bank or credit card company. These calls can sound believable if the perpetrators use your actual financial information. Fraud perpetrators frequently steal personal financial information from mailboxes and household trashcans, but they can also gain access to your online banking by phishing emails.

One of the best ways to make sure you do not fall prey to this kind of fraud is to do business only with companies you are familiar with and have done business with in the past. It is usually a bad idea to consider an unsolicited service from a person or company you do not know or cannot confirm the identity of, especially if they call you. Even if you think the company is legitimate, you should ask for information in order to verify that this is true. The caller may push back saying that you do not need to confirm they are a legitimate company. This is a telltale sign of a fraud.

Contest or Foreign Lottery Winner Scam
You may be the target of this scam if you get a call where someone says you have been selected to receive a prize, even though you did not enter a contest. If you continue to listen, they will likely inform you that you must pay a fee in order to receive it, such as the cost of shipping or taxes. Other times they will ask you to purchase another item in order to get the item you “won” – which is a ludicrous request because, if you have won something, why should you ever need to pay to receive it? Although you should always practice discretion when dealing with any telemarketer or someone you don’t know on the phone, the best decision may be to just hang up on these sorts of calls altogether.

The Foreign Lottery scam, which is similar to the Contest Winner Telemarketing Scam, targets you in the form of an email that pretends to inform you of having won a lottery in another country, Australia, England, and the Netherlands being the most common. The next part of this scam involves the scam artist saying that, due to certain laws, you must pay certain taxes and fees on your winnings before receiving them. During this time, the victim receives a check and is told to deposit it in their personal account. Next, they are told to write a check, draw on the same account, in order to pay the taxes and fees. The deposited check ends up being a fake, but the victim’s check is of course real and they end up being on the hook for the full amount.

The reason this sort of scam is so prevalent is because victims never feel they are being asked to place themselves at risk. After all, they think, how can someone lose their own millionaire society if they write a check for the same amount as one they are depositing? The fact is it can take days and even a week or more for a check to clear, especially if it is a foreign check. Banks usually make deposits available for withdraw in a much shorter time span, which means plenty of time for the scam artist to cash the good check before their bad check found out to be a fraud. For this reason, it is important to be extremely skeptical and not allow yourself to be swayed by the strong emotions that come with winning millionaire society, especially since that millionaire society is probably not real.

Cell Phone Telemarketing Scams
There are a number of emails going around that claim that all cell phone numbers will soon become available to telemarketers unless an action is taken on your part. Usually the emails instruct the reader to call a toll free number in order to register their cell number for a “Cell Phone Do Not Call List” which, the scam operator says, can be done for a fee. Variations of this scam might direct you to a fraudulent Do Not Call List website and other scam messages are sent out by SMS text message. Regardless of whether you are on the phone or on a website, someone is trying to scam you and you should not give out your personal or financial information.

Prescription Drugs Spam Email Scam
Another ongoing scam that seems to be ubiquitous in almost anyone’s Spam Folder is the prescription drugs email scam. Although most modern spam filters have become very efficient at filtering these emails from reaching your inbox, occasionally one may slip through. These emails often contain numerous spelling and punctuation errors, state false or inaccurate information, and usually claim to offer to sell prescription drugs directly without a prescription. It almost goes without saying that these emails are always an attempt to scam you. Furthermore, drugs that require a prescription do so for very good reasons and it can be dangerous and very illegal to acquire them without one, especially if it is a controlled substance.

Credit Reports, Mortgage Refinancing, and other Financial Products Scam
There are a great number of honest companies out there willing to provide credit consulting, mortgage refinancing, and other financial services. However, many scammers have achieved a lot of success in pretending to offer these services, when in reality they are looking to steal your information. Sometimes they outright steal someone’s identity through acquiring a social security number, address, employment information, etc. When this happens, the fraudsters might apply for credit cards, open bank accounts, and other unauthorized actions that damage your credit history and can cost you thousands.

Other times, they ask the victim to pay a fee for services or information offered free elsewhere. For example, most Americans are familiar with those “free credit report dot com” commercials on television. What a lot of people do not know is that the Federal Trade Commission has received numerous complaints from consumers who were charged unauthorized fees or have been enrolled in programs they did not want after signing up with this company. The fact is, Americans are entitled to a free credit report without having to get involved with a company whose reputability is questionable. More information is located at AnnualCreditReport.com, which, according to the FTC, is the only authorized source under federal law to get your free annual credit report.

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Fighting Email Scams and Turning the Tide

Fighting Email Scams and Turning the Tide

Everyone gets them, we all do, those pesky, irritating emails, you know, the ones that have titles like, “YOU ARE A WINNER” or “YOUR URGENT REPLY IS NEEDED” typed in capital letters to draw attention to it like you should care, right? Well there is more to it then what you may think, and we will cover that aspect of the scam in a few moments.

The fact is, last year alone, hundreds of millions of dollars from all over the glode was handed off to the scam emails. For some of us, the emails mean nothing, you might not even bother reading them and just delete them. Then there are the few who actually believe what they are reading and follow through with the requests these scam artists request, and have either their bank account drained, or lose out on a few hundred dollars.

The scams range from the simple to the extraordinary, Elaborate graphic filled emails, to nothing more than a few short sentences. I have seen emails that have logos and forms like you might expect on a website, logos from Banks to website services such as Paypal and Yahoo. These scams are hard to identify for some people, and they immediately go with the flow without thinking twice. Titled emails like “Your Bank Account is Disabled” to “Please Verify Your Account Information” make people enter in their information without thinking twice. The scam artist will take logos right off of Bank websites and create these scam emails to lead you to a fake email account verification site and get all your information, then bleed your account or transfer the millionaire society in it to their own account in their country.

There are plenty of websites on the topic out there, and some are really good ones, totally dedicated to stopping the crime of these scams. Our legal systems are also fighting the scams as well, the FBI even has their own Cybercrime unit.

But is that enough?

One Blogger site that I know of is taking another approach. Just like most of the Anti-Scam websites out there, Blacklisted Email Scams Data Base is posting the most current email scams available, to keep people informed, but they are also doing something nobody else is. Playing the same game these criminals are playing, and using their scams against them.

At Blacklisted Emails, they post the scam and the scam artists email addresses. So? Well have you ever wondered how these scam artists get your email address anyways? They use a “Email Harvester”, a web crawler that extracts email addresses from the internet. It’s as simple as putting in a search term like this, “Business email addresses for @yahoo @msn @ hotmail @gmail” and then letting the crawler extract all the emails it can find off the Internet.

Well, the owner of this blog site knows that, and takes the time to keep a long of all the scam email addresses that come with the emails, and then hides them in several websites and blogsites, where these crawlers run to to find email addresses. So what happens is that these scam artists extract hundreds of emails, maybe even thousands, and a large portion of those emails they write to are their “brothers in arms” basically wasting their time and flooding one each others email accounts with their own scams.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. At Blacklisted Email Scams Data Base they monitor 40+ email accounts, from the general ones like Yahoo and Hotmail to the webmasters@.com and pay for email services. The scam artsist can not stop sending the scams to Blacklisted. They have no clue what email addresses are getting the scams and which ones are posting them, but everyday the owner of this blogsite combs through roughly 200+ emails a day, and posts them, updating the blogsite with 40-100 emails everyday. You can bet this is driving these guys crazy, imagine having your scams posted everyday, without fail, and having no idea who is doing it. With 40+ email accounts floating around, there is no way for these guys to figure it out.

Then there is the added twist, on the site itself is a GPS tracking system, which uses the IP addresses of those who visit the site and then compares them to the IP addresses of the emails received. Pin pointing almost exactly where the scammers are and their origins, causing these guys a little more worry. They visit the site daily now, checking to see if their scams didn’t get netted, and they leave frustrated, I can promise you that.

Then there is one more added twist, on the site is two forms of chat. Allowing you and I the “marks” to communicate and say hello to the scam artists. Nothing worse than being confronted by the very people you are trying to scam.

All in all, Blacklisted is taking on one heck of a fight, and their actions are having an effect. Not only are the scam artists extra flooding our Junk Email Boxes, but they are also sending the least bit of email they can, simple 1-2 sentences and that’s it. Knowing the more content and information they provide, the more likely people will find their scams.

The point of it all is simple, reading Blacklisted’s mission statement says it plain and clear, “We Intend to end the scams” and believe it or not, it seems to be working.

 

Chef Jeffrey Allen Kaufman

Chef turned Internet Guru

Work from Home Scams Revealed

Work from Home Scams Revealed

Work from home scams are all over the internet. Scams trying to sell you pipe dreams, secrets or systems that will allegedly make you a few hundred dollars per day or weeks such as Rebate Processing, Envelope Stuffing, Typing/Data Entry, Google Money Scams, etc. But, by far the worst kinds are the home business offers that tell you how you can make thousands of dollars for a small up-front investment and little work. Many of these scams will even use the brand or identity of legitimate companies to lure you into a sense of security. Google Money Tree, who was just shut down by the Federal Trade Commission, is one example of this.

As the owner of a work at home website MyWealthyLifeBegins.com that helps people avoid work at home scams, I know a lot about these. So I’ve decided to update you with the latest work from home scams revealed. The first thing to remember is that scams tend to repeat themselves with slight variations, kind of like infomercials. This is how these scam companies stay in business. They will run a scam until people, and sometimes the government, starts to catch on. Then they will start another slight variation of the same scam under a different company name. When you are constantly looking for these companies like I do you begin to see a pattern. Don’t let a different website name, job description, or company name confuse you; if it sounds like one of the scams listed below, it’s a scam. For example, Google Money Tree is a known scam, so if another company appears exhibiting many of the same traits described in the Google Money Tree scam; it’s probably a variation of the same scam.

Top 10 Work from Home Scams Revealed

Note: These scams are not ranked by dollars lost or people scammed. In fact, there’s nothing scientific about the list. It’s just the ten home-based business scams I find the most disturbing.

#10. Craft Assembly Scam

This scam encourages you to assemble toys, dolls, or other craft projects at home with the promise of high per-piece rates. All you have to do is pay a fee up-front for the starter kit… which includes instructions and parts.

Sounds good? Well, once you finish assembling your first batch of crafts, you’ll be told by the company that they “don’t meet our specifications.”

In fact, even if you were a robot and did it perfectly, it would be impossible for you to meet their specifications. The scammer company is making money selling the starter kits — not selling the assembled product. So, you’re left with a set of assembled crafts… and no one to sell them to.

#9. Medical Billing Scam

In this scam, you pay 0-0 for everything (supposedly) you need to start your own medical billing service at home. You’re promised state-of-the-art medical billing software, as well as a list of potential clients in your area.

What you’re not told is that most medical clinics process their own bills, or outsource the processing to firms, not individuals. Your software may not meet their specifications, and often the lists of “potential clients” are outdated or just plain wrong.

As usual, trying to get a refund from the medical billing company is like trying to get blood from a stone.

#8. Email Processing Scam

This is a twist on the classic “envelope stuffing scam” (see #1 below). For a low price (?) you can become a “highly-paid” email processor working “from the comfort of your own home.”

Now… what do you suppose an email processor does? If you have visions of forwarding or editing emails, forget it. What you get for your money are instructions on spamming the same ad you responded to in newsgroups and Web forums!

Think about it — many offer to pay you per email processed — would any legitimate company pay that?

#7. “A List of Companies Looking for Home Workers!” Scam

In this one, you pay a small fee for a list of companies looking for home workers just like you.

The only problem is that the list is usually a generic list of companies, companies that don’t take home workers, or companies that may have accepted home workers long, long ago. Don’t expect to get your money back with this one.

#6. “Just Call This 1-900 Number For More Information…” Scam

No need to spend too much time (or money) on this one. 1-900 numbers cost money to call, and that’s how the scammers make their profit.

Save your money — don’t call a 1-900 number for more information about a supposed work-at-home job.

#5. Typing At Home Scam

If you use the Internet a lot, then odds are that you’re probably a good typist. How better to capitalize on it than making money by typing at home?

Here’s how it works: After sending the fee to the scammer for “more information,” you receive a disk and printed information that tells you to place home typist ads and sell copies of the disk to the suckers who reply to you. Like #8, this scam tries to turn you into a scammer!

#4. “Turn Your Computer Into a Money-Making Machine!” Scam

Well, this one’s at least half-true. To be completely true, it should read: “Turn your computer into a money-making machine… for spammers!”

This is much the same spam as #5, above. Once you pay your money, you’ll be sent instructions on how to place ads and pull in suckers to “turn their computers into money-making machines.”

#3. Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Scam

If you’ve heard of network marketing companies like Amway, then you know that there are legitimate MLM businesses based on agents selling products or services.

One big problem with MLMs, though, is when the pyramid and the ladder-climbing become more important than selling the actual product or service. Many of these companies push you hard to recruit your friends and family members.

If the MLM business opportunity is mostly about finding new recruits rather than selling legitimate products or services, beware: The Federal Trade Commission may consider it to be a pyramid scheme… and not only can you lose all your money, but you can be charged with fraud, too!

#2. Chain Letters/Emails (“Make Money Fast”) Scam

If you’ve been on the Internet for any length of time, you’ve probably received or at least seen these chain emails. They promise that all you have to do is send the email along with some money by mail to the top names on the list, then add your name to the bottom… and one day you’ll be a millionaire.

Actually, the only thing that might happen to you one day is to be prosecuted for fraud. This is a classic pyramid scheme, and most times the names in the chain emails are manipulated to make sure only the people at the top of the list (the true scammers) make any money.

#1. Envelope Stuffing Scam

This is oldest work-at-home scam in the book. It’s been around since the U.S. Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, and it’s moved onto the Internet like a cockroach you just can’t eliminate.

There are several variations, but here’s a sample: Much like #5 and #4 above, you are promised to be paid -2 for every envelope you stuff. All you have to do is send money and you’re guaranteed “up to 1,000 envelopes a week that you can stuff… with postage and address already affixed!”

When you send your money, you get a short manual with flyer templates you’re supposed to put up around town, advertising the same work-from-home scheme.

And the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelopes? Well, when people see those flyers, it says that all they have to do is send you .00 in a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope. Then you stuff that envelope with another flyer and send it to them.

Ingenious, perhaps… but certainly illegal and unethical.

…and the list goes on and on…

These 10 are just the tip of the iceberg, but are probably the most common.

Want To Know if A Company Is A Scam?

Here’s a simple tip, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is. Be very wary of companies promising you can make large amounts of money for an up-front investment and very little work. If your instincts are making you feel uneasy about a company or opportunity, don’t do it. Instincts are your best defense; they are the gift God gave us to sense danger so we could avoid being eaten by a tiger. Instincts are usually right when it comes to work at home scams as well. Listen to them!

So, is There a Legitimate way to Make Money from Home?

Well, yes, many companies have positions that allow their workers to work from home. So, if you want to work from home as an employee search for these types of jobs and companies. However, if you are thinking about working for yourself in a home based business, unfortunately there are not really that many legitimate opportunities.

The Best Home Business Opportunity

In my opinion, the most legitimate work from home business is Internet affiliate marketing. The on-line e-commerce market is exploding, with annual projected sales for 2010 of 2 Billion according to the US Census Bureau. People are buying more and more on-line! So, who are these people buying from? Amazon is projected for Billion in sales at 2010 year end. Other large on-line e-commerce companies include Dell Computer, eBay, Buy.com and Costco.com. However, a large volume of on-line sales come from small businesses.

So what does all this have to do with you and me? Well, many of these big and small companies will allow you to sell their products through an Internet affiliate program. In fact, Amazon generates about 40% of its total revenues through its affiliate marketers. Small home based Internet affiliate marketing businesses run by people just like you and me! There are literally thousands of companies with affiliate programs out there with tens of thousands of legitimate products for you to sell. Many of these companies pay 25% to 75% of the total sale in commissions.

For more information and to get a FREE course on how you can become an Internet affiliate marketer, go to:

My Wealthy Life Begins

My site and the FREE course will take you step-by-step through the process of becoming an Internet affiliate marketer at absolutely no cost to you. Go through it at your own pace and then you can decide if Internet affiliate marketing is right for you. Without spending a dime up front!

Don’t wait! Take advantage of this great free course and find out more about on-line affiliate marketing. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

My Wealthy Life Begins

Bob Walker has worked as a web marketing manager and web designer, and as a SEO, PPC and social network marketing specialist. He is currently the owner of My Wealthy Life Begins, a company that specializing in Internet affiliate marketing, web design, web marketing, article writing, PPC, SEO, social network marketing and work from home jobs.

Bob is a former reporter, writer and editor for the Saddleback College Lariet. He is a regular contributor to www,mywealthylifebegins.com/blog and other affiliate marketing websites and blogs. Bob is also a regular contributor to www.myhealthylifebegins.com/blog and other health and fitness related websites and blogs.

Surveys Scams">How to prevent Paid Surveys Scams

How to prevent Paid Surveys Scams

Article by Hilda T. Nolan







If you are a minimum of slightly internet savvy you need to know that the Internet is filled with worldwide scams. Web Surveyss that pay cash can often be no different. Doing Surveyss for cash is quite often accustomed to lure unsuspecting internet users.

There are hundreds of paid Surveys sites online and only handfuls of them are actually reputable sites. The scammer sites focus on housewives who’re looking to make a little more. What these housewives don’t realize is, when they’re registering to take some Surveyss for cash, they could very well be signing up for bogus sites and wind up losing money, getting phished, hacked, or otherwise ripped off.

These work from home and make money doing Surveyss online scams victimize the unsuspecting and scam them by some of the following ways:

First, you have the fee for joining. Some scam sites need you to pay money to make money. Some savvy users will recognize this as a rip off and X from the site. Others, however, might not be aware of the methods for the scam artist’s world. The fees are usually under , but, the scam site promises the chance to make thousands and thousands of dollars by filling out Surveyss that any literate person could do themselves. Think about it, if it was feasible that anybody might make thousands, not only thousands and thousands or dollars simply by doing Surveyss, the roads would be empty because everybody would be home doing it. Why should you go with the 9 to five grind when you can click the right path to some good salary?

These websites are generally careful and cover their tracks using the small print which often states that not everybody can make a lot of money or any money. Avoid these sites no matter what. The chances of you creating a hundred dollars or even breaking despite is slim to none.

You will find a large number of sites you can join which are reputable; however, you may only create a few bucks per Surveys completed. But, come on, really how hard is it to click your opinion? It’s not; therefore, it isn’t feasible that somebody would pay out thousands of dollars to do so.

Another scam to avoid may be the mobile phone scam. The site asks for your phone number to confirm your membership. Moments pass and you obtain a call on your cell. It may seem nothing of it until you check your bill later and find a .95 charge! Many people disregard the charge on the bill; you should make sure you’re checking your charges in your cell phone bill because these scammers are counting on explore to check it. Also, be cautious about the written text from the site saying you’ve won a prize. You get the written text and it says to reply back to them. When you reply they charge you for that text between to . Do not give out your phone number to any website, especially the kinds we are referring to in the following paragraphs.

The switcheroo scam involves having you participate in a Surveys and discover you find yourself being forwarded to another site. The site you are redirected to will ask you to show an interest in a product or service by clicking yes or no. They request you to do that to show support to their marketing partners. In reality, you’re just wasting time which “survey” won’t ever end before you finally accept one of their offers. My mom fell prey to this once by clicking yes she had a desire for medical health insurance. What she got out of this was tons of telemarketers calling her home offering her sky high insurance rates and asking for her social security number and banking account information.

If you are ever taking a Surveys and therefore are directed to show interest in their marketing partners, stop what you are doing, X out of the site, and mark the incoming e-mails from them as spam

Providing your telephone number to any Surveys site, or most any other site is never advisable. Another common scam found with internet Surveyss is the phone bill scam. For example, you may have been offered the chance for a free issue of a magazine. You join get the free magazine and to be billed later. That which you have no idea is going to happen is. They take your company name, address, and phone number after which bill the entire year amount of money to your phone bill. You didn’t read the fine print that says that by putting your name down you are authorizing them to bill your phone bill for that magazine. How these people sleep through the night is beyond me.

The above mentioned are just 4 common scams that a few of these paid online Surveys sites have. There are more scams chatting, but, not time to undergo them all. I have listed 4 from the basic warnings I will give you at the moment. This ought to be more than enough to spread out your vision to the risks involved with doing online Surveyss for cash. As stated prior, there are legitimate sites to make money online doing Surveyss. Just be careful of your work, read the fine print, never pay a fee to make money, never give out your phone number, and if you are ever redirected to be able to support the sites marketing partners you need to exit the website immediately. Doing Surveyss online with free streaming or doing online Surveyss for cash could be fun and safe, if you work with a reputable site that does not inflict from the above.

Refund Advice For Scam Victims

Because of the fact that online scams are, by their very nature, out to deprive you of your money, obtaining a refund is difficult. As more and more people are turning to the Internet to earn extra money or replace the money using their jobs, the internet scammers are making a fortune by preying about the hopes and inexperience of those hopeful, new, home business owners.

Unfortunately, the standard refund advice fails when you’re a victim of a scam. With any legitimate business, the companies usually have not a problem refunding your money – a simple customer service request can have the matter resolved, the products returned and your money refunded.

Online scams aren’t, however, legitimate businesses. The best way forward is to avoid them altogether that is less simple since it sounds for several reasons.

o Online scams target new home based business owners, who’ve no training or knowledge of how to earn more online.o The websites for online scams are just as professional (and in some cases, more professional) as those for legitimate businesses.o Their support staff are often experienced sales professionals having a goal of having you to hand over more money rather than refunding anything you’ve already paid.o Not every online scams are small, one man business operations.o It is not unusual for larger scam businesses to make use of threats against people who attempt to discredit them and, as their customers are usually new and inexperienced, these threats often imply that the refund request is dropped and also the company in question has the capacity to go on scamming more people.

Unfortunately, for that vast majority of scam victims the only real recourse is to move ahead and usually what this means is they provide on their dreams of being a successful home business owner simply because they now have to face the added debt they have accumulated by purchasing to the scam in the first place.

So, if the normal refund methods don’t work, just how can online scam victims obtain money back? Luckily the Internet wields its powers for both. And this implies that you, being an Internet user have that same power when you need it. By using it from the business that scammed you, your odds of receiving a refund are greatly increased. Actually, there is a proven blueprint for doing just that.

o Keep a record of dealings with the company, dates, times, names, telephone numbers, etc.o Record all your conversations using their ‘support’ staff.o Make use of the search engines to locate other victims who have been scammed by the same company.o Investigate the background of the company executives. Many of them might have been involved in previous money making scams that have since been turn off.o Write a full and honest account of the way you personally were scammed by the company.o Ensure all your details are accurate and you have the necessary evidence to support it.o After you have all of your information together, publish it on a dedicated website and inform the company of the actions.

These actions will force the company to barter with you or risk the exposure of the scam operations to the global Internet community, that will lessen the quantity of future customers they are able to continue to scam. Typically, you can expect that the negotiations will need you to definitely defeat the information after you have been refunded your money. Online scam operations depend on the fact that their victims aren’t able to pursue the refund request at night normal methods. However, by standing up for your rights, you not only substantially improve your likelihood of receiving a refund of the hard earned cash, you also make certain that other hopeful home based business owners don’t continue to become victims.



About the Author

For reviews of popular online scam, visit this review site.

Points to be noted down to avoid scams

Points to be noted down to avoid scams

Do not disclose your password:

Do not disclose your password to anyone. If someone contacts you and asks about the password or the code do not reveal. Do not believe in any type of claims if he tells he is your relative or they say I need to transfer millionaire society of the lucky dip, ask them to courier it. By any chance never reveal it to anyone.

Don’t distribute your account details:

Don’t share account information by any reason do not allow anyone to use or borrow your account even it’s your friend asking you for playing a game. Do not trust people who are always questioning and are curious. Giving out account information is not a good idea. There have been several examples of friends, siblings, etc. Distributing account information some day, can very easily access your account. An additional technique that somebody possibly will discover out your account information is by lettering it down. The most excellent way to keep your password secure is to learn it by heart. Also, it’s superior not to use again the same passwords, in view of the fact that telling somebody the password for one thing might reason as a difficulty for someone.

Don’t “buy and sell” accounts.

People can articulate that they will reveal their account information and in turn you must reveal yours do not ever try this. If you confer them yours, but they visibly don’t be concerned about their account even if they continue using it or not. So don’t worry considering it, just ignore this type of situations.

Be cautious when you make use of the ‘Save’ feature.

By no means use your private account information on public computers, as public there will be capable to observe your account name and the length of your password, making it easier to conjecture at the very slightest. People would as well be capable to login and modify your account. It’s at supreme not to use it, but if you have your own computer, it’s safer to use this characteristic; just make in no doubt that you can put a stop to others from right of entry to it.

Make safe password.

You need not type your password always it might be stolen. Do not use your username as your password or a password with only a slight change. Never use the commonly used series like 1234 or abcde. Use special characters or numbers or capitalization in between of your password. Always create the maximum characters you can so that it gets harder to guess, but don’t make it so complex that you often keep forgetting it. Have something which is a common term in your life.

Keep in mind all the above points and be cautious. If something happen, fright will not repair it. Check the Help Pages to see conditions if there’s somewhat that could help. Because people are in charge for their possess account information, there can be no assurance that a little can be done, particularly as a few will make the say that they were scammed while it was their own oversight.

ScamRipper is a Copywriter of Rip and Scam.
He had written many articles in various topics. For more information visit: RipandScam. Contact him at ScamRipper.

Guidelines to stay away from internet scams

Guidelines to stay away from internet scams

Article by Scam Ripper







Just regarding anybody who has been purchase products or marketing through online for any extent of time has run into one of the countless scams out there. They are common adequate that most of the time all we have to say to friends and relatives is that we are commencing a business through online and they suddenly think SCAM.Fortunately, the majorities of the network marketing programs that have been approximately for any length of time are rightful businesses and can be an achievement for you as long as you follow the process and energetically work it as a business. They perform to take time, work, and in other cases, some millionaire society to be successful, and it is frequently hard to see the progress at first.To decrease the probability of being fixed in one of the actual online scams, these are the following tips:1. Don’t react to any unwanted emails from organizations that maintain to be your credit card company, bank, the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) or Paypal. Except you have been told by your bank or Credit Card Company to wait for an online declaration, and you’ve opted in for one, the messages approaching from these economical sources are most likely fake, the subject of “phishing.” It is easy for somebody wherever in the world to build a website that looks just similar to the one your bank or Paypal uses”. When you click on a link in an email (something you should never do for an institution maintaining to be your economical institution or payment basis) they direct to a link that is totally dissimilar than the rightful institution, and yet you’d hardly know it apart from the false link. Thieves who use phishing plans can, without your expressive or permission, install a part of software on your computer that will track keystrokes and in this way they can get at login details, credit card details and other data that you type into your computer.2. Avoid get rich rapid schemes that need a payment up front in swap for a promise that for little or no effort you will quickly receive a top prize. What is really occurrence is amount from people who are presently being recruited goes to pay for people at the top and it becomes mathematically highly improbable that anyone at the bottom can show a profit. This is usually called a pyramid or scheme, and it is unlawful.3. Make sure out sites online that cover up Internet fraud and scams. The FBI has an Internet Complaint Center wherever the people can make complaints and be trained about the latest online fraud. There is a link at FBI site to a page that information’s email scams.The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) has a website called Cyber Street Smart that is very supportive to identifying the major online and offline scams that are common these days. Most important these list are Work at Home schemes where you are promised to be able to start a profitable business filling envelopes, or building crafts from home, or typing medical transcriptions. Normally you are wasting millionaire society on these offers since it is difficult, or not possible to be eligible for what small work is out there in these fields, and the not enough details that comes with these offers is normally insufficient and useless. This site also has information for youth and their parents on social networking dangers.4. Only chase proven marketers with systems that are time-tested and that offer rightful products helpful for a large and rising segment of the population. These programs, if managed well, will carry on to produce for several years to come and will be good income earners for those who obtain action to construct the business.



About the Author

Scam Ripper is an expert SEO Copywriter and writes many articles on the <strong>Rip off scams</strong> is an awareness creating site for scam emails. We have written many articles on various topics. For more information regarding scam types <strong>Scam types</strong>, please visit our site.

Always Be on Alert for On-line Job Scams!

Always Be on Alert for On-line Job Scams!

Article by Josh Strom







Work from home employment opportunities is certainly a good place for anyone to commit his time, effort, as well as skills in. It may be said that it is the holy grail of several work and profit opportunities which regular jobs cannot offer. People looking for work from Canada, USA, along with countries are riding this major boom. Nonetheless, with its escalating boom you will discover people who find it as an prospect for questionable transactions, which is bothersome. It would go to show, that there are some people that have got practically nothing better to do than creating a negative image for a good business. Be on alert now because it seems such bad businesses such as frauds won’t go away that easily.Each time we hunt for work from home employment opportunities especially if it’s from a freelance web site there are actually possibilities that we would encounter internet scams. Scams are designed as tricks to make you hand out millionaire society or personal details. As you continue browsing the web you’ll come across them a lot, so it is better if you know the red flags to avoid being a victim.The Indicators of ScamsThe two simple warning indicators for a possible scam will come in 2 types. Scammers provide you with great promises. These people attempt to suck you in by making promises. For instance they’ll inform you that they have the shortcut to wealth that not many individuals know. Well, to start if they discovered a way to get rich fast certainly they will not share the secret to others.Scammers make an effort to extract your personal details. They pretend that they are genuine financial institutions or perhaps businesses to the extent that they might make use of actual company logos or the identity of real company employee. They approach you with emails, web sites, as well as telephone calls with requests that may appear to be real. They’d let you go around in circles until you’re convinced, and once you start to believe them, they’re going to provide you with reasons to persuade you to hand out your personal details, like your credit card information, password and bank account.While applying for work from home employment opportunities there are hints that is going to inform you in case you are being scammed. Often if the offer appears too good to be true, then it likely is. Job offers or advertisements that provides big salary claims but seem to lack specific details and also requirements regarding the job itself indicates there’s something wrong. Since when it is a genuine work offer then all the details from the skills to the working hours would be present.If you ever come across a situation in which somebody asks that you send millionaire society to them or make use of your credit card on the web so you could be hired then you don’t require a sixth sense to see that there’s something happening behind the scenes. And should you be looking for work, well, it really is obvious that you certainly don’t have to pay your employer so that you can begin working. It is the other way around.Scammers won’t exist if there are actually no one to be scammed. This statement is true. If we will not allow ourselves be fooled then we won’t face such circumstances. So to find work from home employment opportunities without a hitch we need to be observant as well as smart.



About the Author

An internet data analyst which evaluate regional publications as well as financial sites. For related information about the topic, visit the following link: Work from Home Employment Opportunities