Katsbiz Internet Marketing Blog

I received this email today from John Vincent. I am on John’s mailing list and when I received this email I got to thinking..How many people really don’t know how to spot a scam? So, I asked John if I could share it with you and he agreed…So here it is.

I’ve been asked the following question a few times by people who are new to the land of net marketing. “How can I tell the difference between a program that’s sha.dy, and one that represents an honest 0pportunity?”

It’s tough to hand out a cut and dry answer to this question, because I believe in judging each case by its own merit. However, there are a few “red flags” to look for when evaluating a network marketing 0pportunity site.

But first, what suggestion would be complete without some type of “please don’t sue me” disclaimer? So here goes:

I am not an attorney, nor am I an employee of the federal trade commission, or in any way affiliated with any consumer awareness advisory boards. The following advice is my own personal opinion, and is based on my experiences, my perception of common sense, my understanding of certain laws, and my sincere belief that, for crying out loud, sometimes it’s just plain obvious when you are being fed a load of bull.

Four signs of possible scamming, listed in no particular order:

1- No Contact or About Info Anywhere on the Website Should you come across a website that is selling a business 0pportunity, yet offers nada in the way of information about who is behind the company, and how you can get in touch with these people, please c!ick to another site right away. You should n.ever, ever, invest in a business 0pportunity with an organization that is unwilling to disclose who they are, where they live, how you can reach them, etc.

2- Gua.ranteed Earning Claims It is unreasonable for any type of 0pportunity that pays you on the premise of retail per.formance, i.e. affi!iate sa!es, to offer any type of guaranteed earnings statement. Exceptions to this standard would include a written contract that allots you a fixed base rate of pay with commissions being an addition to this compensation. But come on. How many affi!iate programs offer a base rate of pay? Bottom line; how can anyone predict the number of successful sa!es, and therefore the total commissions, you will earn as a result of your efforts?

3- Forced Matrix Scheme I’m going to get some hate mail for this one (bring it on), but it needs to be said. The Forced Matrix model was designed for two reasons. To benefit the big hitters at the top of the line, and to dupe a huge number of gullible people into paying the monthly fees, and thus contributing to the “winner’s pot”. If you are the kind of person who is looking for a system that does the work for you, then you are exactly the kind of sucker the people behind the Forced Matrix scam had in mind when they drew up the plans for this juggernaut of web marketing parasites.

4- What’s the Product? This is such a simple question, and it’s really pathetic how so many programs, and so many clueless entrepreneurs, can’t answer it without stopping to think. The www. is the only place I can think of where someone will ask me to buy from them and then be unable to give me a square answer as to what they are selling. The fact is many programs have no product and are simply recycling membership fees to pay upline members for the act of recruiting new people. This type of “0pportunity” is best described as a pyramid, or a ponzi. A system that pays its members soley on the grounds of referral fees is illegal in the U.S., and in many other nations. If you’re not clear as to what a website is trying to sell you, but you see plenty of earnings claims and a load of colorful payment buttons, you’re probably smack in the middle of scam town.

Take the preceding list for what you will. In the end, you have to decide for yourself what to do with your hard earned ca.sh mo.ney.

But if you do happen to blow your paycheck on any of the garbage I’ve listed here, even after I warned you, please don’t whine about how the internet is full of scams and there is no real mo.ney to be made. There are all kinds of great
0pportunities on the web. You just have to use a little common sense sometimes, and not jump on board with an over-hyped program just because you couldn’t resist the pretty red fonts and all the pictures of smiling yuppies.

If you want to know about a program’s *basic* stats:

http://www.internetrenegade.com/Utils/WhoisLookup.htm

Just type in the url: www.theirname.com

N0W don’t type www.theirname.com lol, type in the company’s site address, theirname.com without the www. c!ick enter and get the results. Personally I favor companies that have been doing business on the NET for 4 years or more. They have a HISTORY.

Article Provide By: John Vincent
CovertListBuilding Blog

Thanks for sharing with us John. I know that there are a lot of new people each and every day that really don’t know how to spot a scam. If a person uses common sense they can possibly stay away from the scams of the internet marketing world.

Kathleen Dixon

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