Are you searching the Internet for ways to earn money online?
If so, there are some types of offers you should avoid. Say no to scamsters. Know what to look out for to save yourself time, money and aggravation.
Blogs have become a way of online life whether you are a reader, a blogger or both. Most of us spend more or at least as much time online every day as we do watching television. Along with all of the entertainment and information, there are numerous blogs that discuss and promote work at home opportunities.
Is it a Scam?
The Internet can be overwhelming when researching your money-making interests. I regularly visit pages that promote online money-making opportunities. Are they all of bunch of scams? No, they are not. There are good legitimate opportunities online but like any job, working online takes a lot of effort and you need to choose wisely how to spend your time and money.
Below are some things to keep in mind while doing research about earning money online:
Beware of pay up-front prospects.
A company that requires a fee up-front to join them should provide you with thorough information about what it is they do and what is required of you to succeed with their program. If they do not, then you should not pay up-front to join them. Likewise, you should not enter your credit card information to join a program as part of the sign-up process.
Some companies will charge a modest amount and promise a lot of training or they will require credit card information just to sign up. In reality, most of the training you receive will be poorly organized and mostly useless to you. It is likely the program will be filled with up-sells to get you to spend more money.
It is difficult at best to achieve any real success with these kinds of companies and will lead to wasted money. Also, some of them really just want your personal and financial information.
Company Contact Information?
Another thing I have found while searching for ways earn money online is there are a lot of associates out there to contact, but there is no way to contact the company directly, or they make it difficult to find their direct company contact information.
Most online companies have referral programs for individuals to market their business, but you should also be able to contact the company directly. If there is no contact information for a company on their website, it is a company to avoid. If there is contact information, you should be able to reach them and get a reply within 48 hours.
Just a Video?
I have been there, searching online for money-making opportunities only to find a website with just a video. No real information about the program. Just a bunch of graphics, a video, and a form to sign up with a note that shows a one-time charge that they guarantee to refund if I am not making money in 30 or 60 days. Do not fall for this.
A reputable company will happily provide you with everything you need to make an informed decision before you pay them anything.
There is no such thing as a “once in a lifetime money-making opportunity”!
Is the website filled with pictures of expensive homes and fast cars? Scamsters prey on our need to make more money and our desires to be free from the boring mundane parts of everyday life.
We do need and want more income and sometimes we feel downright desperate. If an advertisement or website plays on your worst fears and goes on with some fantastic rags to riches story, it is a sure sign it is a waste of your valuable time and money.
Bloggers Beware.
Bloggers should not respond to unsolicited offers or promotions to sell advertising on your blog. The scamster’s objective is only to get your personal and financial information and up-sell you, and once you sign up you will not qualify because they will say you need more readers.
Delete unsolicited emails.
Like an uninvited telemarketer call, spam email is a sales pitch but worse because it can contain, or link you to a website with, harmful malware that can be downloaded to your computer. Do not open it. Delete it.
Create a free email account. I like yahoo.
If you do not have already, create an email account dedicated for subscriptions. This way you can filter through information easier and avoid spam in your main email account. I like yahoo because they are very good at filtering spam.
You should have the opportunity to understand a program before you buy into it. Try before you buy. That is what I like about this program. Try it risk-free. No credit card required.
For more about avoiding schemes, please also read my post About Online Money Making Opportunities.
Thank you for reading Say No to Scamsters!. Please leave a comment or question below.
Hi Gina,
Thanks for providing this information. I was not aware of the scam about people targeting bloggers with offers to sell advertising. Thanks for providing this great information.
Kind Regards,
David
Thank you for visiting David. I plan to update this post to alert bloggers about scams as I find more.
Hey, Great article on what to watch out for to avoid scams. Thanks for the info.
Hi Alexander, Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for leaving a comment! Gina
really liked it a lot, information everyone should be aware of
Thanks Mom! 🙂
Thank you for your wonderful post. I didn’t knew about the scams on bloggers, and it was good to know! Your article was so good, that I just wrote something similar on my blog. Thank you for your insight!
Hi Sara, I am glad the article was helpful to you. I hope to uncover more scams that target bloggers and I will update my post as I find them. Thank you for visiting and leaving your website information! Gina
Hi, Gina!
There are so many scam sites out there and they are all vultures.
It is so nice to find a site like yours that is strictly white hat.
Cudos to you!
Shawn>>
Hi Shawn, Good honest dedicated work is what really pays in the end. There are no lasting short cuts. Thank you for commenting. Gina
There are a lot of scams on the Internet. One has to be very careful. It is good to know you are looking at them and making us aware of what to watch out for. Thanks for the information.
Thank you for leaving a comment! Gina
Hey Gina, this is very informative, I’ve seen so many times these site with just a video with a bunch of promises, I won’t get caught in those scams anymore and since I am a member of Wealthy Affiliate as well, I don’t think I am going to need another program to start my business online, they have everything you need, also a free trial is the best way to prove this is legit with no catches !
Best regards, Emile
Hi Emile, Wealthy Affiliate is a great place. I searched for such a long time. Glad you found it too! Thank you for leaving a comment. Gina