Evaluating
a Home Business Opportunity |
There
are many activities you can participate in online
that will call themselves a "home
business opportunity". While many are legitimate,
there are several warning signs for scams that you
should be on the look out for.
THE EMPLOYER/SPONSOR IS HIDING
THEIR IDENTITY
Avoid business opportunities on sites that
are hosted using free web hosting services (like
Geocities), whose email addresses are to free domains
(Yahoo, MSN.), and whose actual business mailing
address and phone number aren't available. Many
scam artists set up free accounts then use them
to scam as many people as possible before packing
up their "business opportunity" and heading
to the next free host and free email account.
YOU RECEIVED THE OFFER AS SPAM
Legitimate employers won't contact you through SPAM emails. Although many legitimate
home business opportunities are sent through opt-in lists, if you didn't
specifically request the information be very wary of trusting its contents.
"DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I
DO"
If someone is trying to sell you an ebook or
a work at home business kit, ask yourself one question: "Are
they doing it?" If someone tells you their
ebook will help you make thousands of dollars a
month using the unique marketing strategies they'll
sell you for only $30, ask yourself why they're
selling ebooks and not using their strategies.
If someone is telling you that you can make money
with an internet business opportunity and they're
only involved in selling the opportunity
and not using the opportunity, tread very
carefully.
THEY WANT MONEY TO SIGN YOU
UP
Call it a "processing fee" or "application
fee", if someone wants money or a credit card
number for "verification" before they
let you in on what the business opportunity entails,
don't trust them. Money for guides, products, or
business related services are more legitimate,
but beware someone who wants you to pay them for
some vague "service" as a condition of
their new business opportunity.
TOO MUCH HYPE
And not enough substance. Claims of "Make
thousands of dollars in your spare time" and "Fire
your boss next week" or "Make fast money" might
be true in a few cases, but if there aren't solid
facts and legitimate strategies thrown in with
the marketing hype then stay away.
EXPERIENCE
The best way to learn to spot bad home based
business opportunities is experience - not experience
in trying them, but experience in evaluating their
offers. There are many links on this site that
offer legitimate methods for making money online.
As with any industry, there are also the "get rich quick" folks who
are looking to take your money. Visiting a web site or requesting more information
by email won't cost you a dime. Do your research, look at our program reviews,
and visit as many web sites as you can. You'll soon learn to distinguish the
good from the too good to be true. |
