by Amanda A Ashley

Created on: January 06, 2009

If you want to make money online, you have to learn to tell the difference between a legitimate opportunity, and a scam.

There a a few things that just about online scams have in common. Many places tell you that you can make lots of money in a short amount of time, and be able to quit your job. I would venture to say that claims of overnight wealth will be your first clue to an online scam.

I have seen many of these advertisements before. "Make $500 in two hours". Really?! So, my first question would be, how? If you go to the website, and find very 'little to no' information as to exactly how you are supposed to make all this money, then the best thing to do is stay away. A legitimate opportunity will tell you the "what's" and the "how's", and will answer all questions that you might have before ever signing up.

Another really good sign that an "opportunity" is a scam is the lack of contact information on the website. All contact information should be clearly placed on the website so you can send questions, and comments to the company. If there is no contact information, such as a phone number and an email address, that is a sure sign of a scam. It says that there is some reason why they do not want you to be able to contact them. It can also mean that they have alot of unsatisfied customers that they do not want to deal with.

One thing you should never have to do to make money online is pay. I think that any opportunities that require you to pay should NEVER be taken seriously. If it is a real business it should sell itself. However, I have heard of some opportunities where you can purchase some supplies, and they have instructions for you on how to put together a product, and then sell it. In this case, I would say it is ok to pay, because you are actually paying for something tangible. But, if you are ever in a situation like this and you are going to pay for something online, always look for a PayPal option. This is the safest form of payment online, because it keeps you in control of your own money, whereas giving your credit card number away could result in charges that you did not approve. With PayPal you can always dispute a transaction, or cancel a subscription if one has been made without your consent.

I know from experience that there are legitimate ways to earn money online, and through many years of sorting through the good and the bad, I can usually spot a scam a mile away. If you want to earn money online, you absolutely can. All you have to do is take these few guidelines, and use them, and you'll be able to avoid falling for a scam.

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