| For college students and other people who feel | | | | to the company before you start, there is not |
| burned out trying to balance paying the bills and | | | | chance that they will be around when you really |
| living at the same time, ads like these can prove | | | | need them. I once made quite a bit of money |
| to be irresistible. Many of them make perfect | | | | selling vacation vouchers on auction sites. The |
| sense and easily hook you based on good | | | | marketing plan was sound, and the money saving |
| concepts. Unfortunately, many times the product | | | | vouchers was a hit. Only problem was, I could |
| or service does not match the brilliance of a great | | | | never get in touch with their customer service |
| idea for making money from home or through | | | | department to handle my customer inquiries and |
| the Internet. As I’ve learned myself, the | | | | complaints once I realized that the promises that |
| further you go down this road, the more excited | | | | existed in writing on the vouchers were misleading |
| you get. You basically get hooked, and if you | | | | at best. This proved to be such a problem that it |
| aren’t careful, you will end up working hard | | | | took me over a year to recover from the |
| and falling further into debt than you can imagine. | | | | negative publicity on my auction site. |
| Much like gambling, the lure of easy money and | | | | Of course, there are legitimate home based |
| independence can make just about anyone fall | | | | businesses out there. With the Internet and all the |
| prey to work at home scams that feed off your | | | | low cost, web producing tools available, there |
| dreams to get to your wallet so they can go on | | | | seems to be a renaissance in entrepreneurship. |
| to the next victim. | | | | Basically, just find a product or service you can |
| Hopefully, you will never fall victim to these scam | | | | market online, and do your research. Sell on EBay |
| artists. However, the fact of the matter is that | | | | if you don’t want to build your own website. |
| these scammers would not be wasting their time | | | | You can have a website their and all search |
| if they were not making any money. And as long | | | | engine marketing is already done by EBay. The |
| as people continue to get mixed up in this | | | | Small Business Association has an office in |
| business, these scammers are going to stick | | | | downtown Tacoma and contains invaluable |
| around to trick more and more people. | | | | information on their website Since small business |
| The best way to keep a scammer’s claws | | | | is the backbone of our country economically, |
| away from your credit card is to do thorough | | | | sources such as these are eager to help you |
| research on each opportunity that you are | | | | create a plan with realistic expectations. |
| considering. This means doing much more than | | | | However, like anything else worthwhile, you have |
| simply reading a bit about it online. In my personal | | | | to do your homework and work hard at it. The |
| experience, I have been taken by companies who | | | | problem is that too many people make you think |
| were savvy enough to pollute the Internet with | | | | you can practically go online and make money |
| staged testimonials, guarantees, questionable | | | | just clicking on a mouse. You want to steer clear |
| references to big name endorsements, and even | | | | of any business that asks to you to pay for their |
| appearances in the Better Business Bureau. | | | | “Top Secret” e-book that will teach you |
| A colleague of mine who invested in vending | | | | how to make an automated income.” |
| machine placement services even went so far as | | | | Think about it, if you are in dire need of cash, can |
| to physically go to the manufacturing plant to tour | | | | you imagine any other situation in which you |
| the warehouse as well as contact the Better | | | | would not only work for free, but pay for the |
| Business Bureau of that state. What he received, | | | | privilege to work. There are no magic formals or |
| in return, were twenty malfunctioning candy | | | | secrets worth paying for. All of the information in |
| machines with a list of local businesses who had | | | | these e-books can be found for free through |
| apparently agreed to receive them. Not only did | | | | your own research if you have common internet |
| none of these businesses know what he was | | | | skills. |
| talking about, many of them were hostile when | | | | If you don’t want to work hard and just |
| he showed up to place them. | | | | make a few easy extra bucks without donating |
| What you want to do is check message boards | | | | your blood or volunteering to be a guinea pig, it is |
| such as the ASK section of Another simple | | | | possible to make some good extra money filling |
| method of weeding out the scams from the | | | | out online surveys or through mystery shopping. |
| genuine opportunities is to go to a search engine | | | | There are real opportunities out there which |
| and simply type in the company name followed | | | | require no fee to get started. Not only that, |
| by the word “scam”. If you do this, and | | | | several of them will even give you a $5 bonus |
| you are barraged by an endless list of complaints, | | | | just for signing up. If a company such as this is |
| you my friend have found a nugget of gold in a | | | | legitimate, they would be making lots of money |
| sea of mud. | | | | through the success of its members. Companies |
| In terms of the Better Business Bureau, it is best | | | | that require that $49.97 start up fee only make |
| to contact them directly to ask about any | | | | money through the fee and only want to teach |
| complaints, and also find out how long a company | | | | you how to get other people to do the same. |
| has been listed. The Better Business Bureau | | | | The products are all useless lists and general |
| operates state by state. They will be able to tell | | | | information that anyone with a functioning mind |
| you if they have any complaints on file. If they | | | | could figure out on their own, or get for free by |
| do, you will want to avoid the opportunity at all | | | | doing there own research. |
| costs. But if it appears that a company is doing | | | | In 12 years of trying to make a living on the |
| business the right way, you can continue your | | | | Internet, the following are the best companies I |
| own research. | | | | have ever encountered for making a few extra |
| Being in the Business Bureau is not necessarily | | | | bucks filling out surveys, playing games and |
| that hard to accomplish. Many scammers can use | | | | mystery shopping. They probably won’t pay |
| their money and connections to set up a front to | | | | the rent, but if you’re interested in making an |
| initially qualify for the Better Business Bureau just | | | | extra $400 or $500 a month or eating out at nice |
| long enough for them to collect their cash from | | | | restaurants and going to movies for free, you |
| unsuspecting victims, close shop, create a new | | | | may want to check these out: |
| identity and start again. | | | | Mystery Shopping Providers Association: |
| Before you decide to do anything, attempt to get | | | | This site contains all the information you will ever |
| in touch with the company that you are | | | | need on starting up as a mystery shopper. It is |
| interested in. Can you get a human being on the | | | | also a portal for the best sites to go to for |
| phone? Do they have an actually physical | | | | mystery shopping jobs online, and they don’t |
| address? How long does it take them to respond | | | | require that you invest a penny. |
| to your e-mails, if at all? If you cannot even talk | | | | |