How to Avoid the Scams, Both
Online and Offline

Are you tired of the scams, the hype and the bogus rip-offs that fill your mailbox? 

I am too! 

You need to know how to spot one, what to look for and what to avoid!
Follow these simple tips, listen to that little voice within, do a little research and you'll be fine. 

There are many great programs out there that ARE legitimate.  Here are some things to avoid....

First of all, don't believe anything that promises to make you rich overnight.  I'm not saying it can't happen, but odds are it won't happen.

Also, some scam phrases to watch out for:

"You don't have to DO anything, just join and we'll build it for you."

"I went from welfare to millionaire in a few months!"

"Get paid for doing nothing.  Just sign up."

"One time only offer."

"#1 Ground Floor Opportunity"

Along these same lines, watch out for the following:

Any offer that comes from a free email service such as hotmail, yahoo, etc.  I'm not knocking free email services, but if the offer is that great and the deal is that legitimate, the person wouldn't hide behind a virtually untraceable email source.  Screams of a scam!

Any website or email that has no live contact person listed.  If you have to jump through major hoops to find the person responsible for the offer, be suspicious.  What are they hiding?  I would never sign up for anything without having some correspondence with a live person, either via email or over the phone.

Anything that simply requests money, with no exchange of goods or services.  And, I mean valid goods or services.  Not a report on how to stuff envelopes for money or a listing of businesses that will pay you to work from home.  This is a common scam.

How To Check Out A Company

These are some steps you can take to research a company with whom you are considering getting involved.

Find a contact person with the company that will talk to you.  Have a list of questions such as length of time in business, annual revenues, publicly traded or privately held, name of CEO and other company officers, names and contact info for other company representatives that you may call.

Check with your state's Attorney's General Office.

If the company is publicly traded, you can find out their Dun & Bradstreet rating.

Talk to 3 or 4 representatives and find out how long they have been with the company and get general feedback from them.

If you have found the company or opportunity from a web site, look for contact information of the person owning and representing the site.

Make sure you get all of your questions answered to your satisfaction.  Don't let anyone pressure you into making a decision.

Find out all up front costs.  Also, find out if there are any recurring monthly or annual costs that you can anticipate.

Find out what exactly is expected of you.  Are there monthly sales quotas?  what do you have to do to get paid?  When will you get paid?  Is there any fine print that you need to be aware of in order to get paid?

Listen to your gut instincts.  They are usually right!

Check out How I Make Money Online page to explore a very profitable, legal and fun work at home business idea that has worked well for me!

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Contact info is listed at the bottom of this page.

If you run into several things you are uncomfortable with along the way to finding what it is that will work for you, that's okay.  Whatever you do, don't let it stop you in your search to work from home and create a life that you love!  It will happen, just keep looking!

Jackie Ulmer has worked from home for over fifteen years, coaching and training thousands on the secrets to success in a home business. Contact her through her website at http://www.streetsmartwealth.com 

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