by MJ Miller

Created on: December 19, 2006   Last Updated: October 21, 2011

Here are some things to look for when you're trying to tell if any internet job is a scam. First of all, most of the things you will find on the internet aren't really "jobs" at all. They are "opportunities" or affiliate programs that you can join to make money online but you are not an employee; you are more of an independent contractor so that is what I am going to deal with here.

The first thing you should look at when you are checking out online opportunities is their product or service they (and subsequently you) are selling. Is it a tangible product that has real value or is it something that seems priced way higher than it's actual worth? If they are not selling a good product at a reasonable price, it is probably a scam. Especially if buying the expensive product is a condition of joining the program.

Some of the online "businesses" or "opportunities" you will find on the internet are actually pyramid schemes and illegal in most places. One of the easiest tip-offs to this kind of "business" is that they won't be selling a product at all. They will charge you money just to join the program. You buy a place in the "matrix" and when others join below you, you get part of the fee that they pay to join. What they do is use the money from the new joins to pay the people at the top of the pyramid. The only people that actually make money with these things are the people at the top and believe me, you will never be at the top. The people that run these things have a select group that they invite to fill the top positions that make the money before it ever hits the internet . When you see it being promoted, it is already too late to "get in at the top" and you will just lose your money. Once the program dies down, the "owners" move on and start another program and find a whole new batch of victims.

Other programs will tell you that is all you have to do is just join and pay your money and pretty soon you will be hip deep in cash. They claim you don't have to do anything at all and you will get rich. It's a scam for sure. Ask yourself one simple question, "If I don't have to do anything, why do they need me?" The answer is, they don't need you. All they need is your money in the form of the join fee.

Now, don't be afraid of a program that uses the terms, "affiliate program", MLM or Multi Level Marketing or let you recruit people under you. There are a lot of legitimate programs with good solid products out there that also use a MLM structure. Most of the good ones will let you join the program and sell their products without paying any fee at all. If they let you be a part of the program without asking you for money up front, it is probably legitimate.

Here's a quick tip for you that want to get involved with the "paid to read email" programs out there. Take a look at the minimum payout amount. That's the level you have to accumulate in your account before they will actually pay you. If it's $50 or more, you can bet they will never pay you. They will fold the business and keep all the money before you ever get paid. Look for the ones that have a low minimum payout like $5 or less. I still belong to one that has a minimum payout of 10 cents and I get paid every month.

One last thing you absolutely must do when you are considering joining any program is to read the TOS or Terms of Service. They will have a link to it at the bottom of the page or somewhere on the site. If they don't, then that's another sign it's a scam. Any legit program will have there TOS page easy to find and they will spell out all the details of how the business works. If there is any "fine print" to be found, it will be here.

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