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How to Avoid Scams and
Fraud
by Kristie Tamsevicius People who are eager to start a home business are often
new to the Internet and filled with hope. Unfortunately,
that can make them easy prey for con artists. The lure
of easy money can serve as a difficult lesson for those
who fall for it. If you are looking at job opportunities
online, it’s important to watch out for scams and
get-rich-quick schemes. Many scams are cleverly
packaged, making it hard to determine the legitimate
work opportunities from the fraudulent ones.
"If you are looking at employment or business
opportunities online, watch out for scams," Tamsevicius
says. "Many get-rich-quick schemes are cleverly
packaged, making it hard to sift legitimate work
opportunities from the swindles." Common cons include
Nigerian letter schemes asking for money, pyramid
schemes, Ponzi schemes, and "work at home" offers that
involve stuffing envelopes or assembling crafts.
Here are some tips for sidestepping scams:
1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Any
offer that promises to make you rich overnight with a
business that works while you sleep is a rip-off. Watch
out if a company promises large profits for little or no
work, or claims no experience is necessary. If anyone
can do it, why should you pay to learn about it?
For that reason, multilevel marketing (MLM) has gotten a
bad rap. Granted, there may be some legitimate
money-making programs out there, but there are also a
large number of overhyped, overpromising,
underdelivering scams too.
2. Be especially wary of any company that requires an
initial investment to get involved.
3. Be leery of anyone who uses hard-sell tactics or
pushes you to sign up right away. Take your time to
think about opportunities. If you do find a program that
intrigues you, do yourself a favor and check it out
first.
4. Double-check the reputation of a company before
signing up for its program. Get at least three
references from people who are currently involved in the
program to get the real story. Find out what strings are
attached, how much money it will take to get started,
and what the “fine print” says. Also find out how long
they have been in business. Ask what their experience
has been working with them. How long have they been in
business? What kind of training will the company
provide? Do they have a good support system for their
sales representatives?
5. Read the fine print before you sign anything. If you
don't understand an agreement, have a lawyer or an
accountant review it before signing.
6. Make sure there is an out. Before you sign ANYTHING,
find out what the procedure is to withdraw if you change
your mind and what, if anything, it will cost you. If
you have to pay startup 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.
How to check out a scam or potential “business”
opportunity:
1) Contact your local Better Business Bureau (BBB). The
national BBB web site is www.bbb.org/. There you will
find a link to locate the BBB for your area and
information on work-at-home scams and how to file a
complaint.
2) Check the Scambusters
3) Go to WorldWideScam, offers a funny insight into some
of the more outrageous scams in circulation.
4) Visit the MLM Survivor Site. Here you can check out
any potential MLM opportunities to see how reputable
they are.
5) The United States Postal Inspection Service offers
several pages on its web site about scams, including
work-at-home schemes, multi-level-marketing schemes,
distributorship and franchise fraud, and how to file a
mail fraud complaint.
www.usps.com/postalinspectors/
6) The Federal Trade Commission offers information on
work-at-home schemes, medical billing, business
opportunity schemes, the top 10 Dot Cons, and how to
file a complaint.
7) The National Consumer League’s National Fraud
Information Center offers information on pyramid
schemes, MLM, and how to report a fraud.
HAVE YOU BEEN VICTIMIZED BY SCAM?
If you fall victim to a scam let others know so that you
can protect them from falling prey too! Here’s how to
report a fraudulent business:
1) Contact the attorney general in your local state.
2) File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in
the fraudulent business’ native state. You can find
contact information for that individual state at the BBB
web site at .
3) Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Call them
at 1-800-876-7060 or visit their web site at www.ftc.gov/
to file a complaint.
4) List them with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center at
www. ifccfbi.gov
5) Take action by reporting any spam emailers to
www.Spamcop.net and www.abuse.net
Kristie Tamsevicius, is the author of "I Love My Life: A
Mom's Guide to Working from Home"! Thousands of aspiring
entrepreneurs have used her step-by-step home business
system to earn money working from home. Get a free
ecourse Home Business Success Secrets at
http://www.webmomz.com/ilovemylife1.htm
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To Report Internet Fraud Check Out These Websites:
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What is
Internet Scam Reporting?
Author:
Joe Cooper Copyright 2006 Best
Internet Home Based Business Publications
Internet Scam Reporting may be the best internet home based business opportunity
you've never heard of. You can register to be a scam reporter and enjoy the
benefits of getting paid to share your experiences of getting ripped off by con
artists selling home business opportunity scams. This is the best way to get
back at companies that virtually stole your hard earned money.
Report your bad experiences of getting scammed and get paid! Scam Reporting
allows individuals who have been deceived and scammed out of money investing in
any of the various business opportunity programs for buying and selling real
estate, stuffing envelopes, MLM, chain letters, affiliate programs, etc. a
chance to get even. Added to this, scam reporters receive help from private
organizations and agencies that specialize in helping to report internet scams
and rip offs.
There is no limit to the kinds of business opportunity scams or rip-offs that
you can report. You can report Advertising schemes, Affiliate programs, Chain
Letters, Commodities (Futures) Contract programs, Contacting Private
Philanthropists, Envelope Stuffing, Franchises, Get-Rich-Quick schemes,
Government Grant and Loans programs, Lottery systems, Lottery Syndicates, Mail
Order programs, Multi-Level Marketing, Network Marketing, Owning or Operating
Online Malls, Porn Websites and Casinos, Product Assembly, Pyramid Schemes, Real
Estate programs, Referral businesses, Reseller programs, Selling Software or
Computers, Sending or Processing E-mails, Stock Market programs, Newsletters
(buying or selling), Vending Machine packages, Wholesale Distributorship, or any
other scam found in a magazine, seen on television, or found on the internet.
The difference between a Scam Reporter and the average victim of get-rich-quick
schemes is that the Scam Reporter is trained to systematically report his or her
experiences in exchange for profits. The average victim of a get-rich-quick
scheme loses their money and feels cheated. He is left to feel hopeless,
powerless, and clueless. The average consumer victim may file a complaint to the
Better Business Bureau. But that doesn't always help them get their money back
and it certainly doesn't quell the frustration of getting ripped off.
Scam Reporters only report their experiences to work-at-home inquirers who
request information about what types of programs work and/or don't work. The
inquiry side of the Home Wealth Industry has been a relatively obscure entity
until now. Home Wealth Industry program inquirers sometimes pay as much as $150
for information "lists" for what kinds of business opportunity programs work.
More importantly, they want to know which ones do not work. These individuals
who are interested in work-at-home programs are located all over the world.
Scam Reporting can successfully be done from anyone's home no matter where they
are located in the world. It is commonly referred to as the best home based
business online. Think about it: You can get back at every company that has ever
scammed you and get paid for it.
In short, Scam Reporters report scams and get paid handsomely for their noble
work. This is accomplished with the help of private organizations and agencies.
They are paid money from work at home inquirers located across the world. Many
of these individuals pay as much as $150 for information lists on what works and
what does not work.
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Joe Cooper has researched and experimented with over 275 home based business
opportunities over 25 years. Discover more information about internet scam
reporting at
http://www.best-internet-home-based-business.net |
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