I am sure at some point we have all been tempted by 'get rich quick' schemes. You have heard and seen it all before, the tempting schemes that we receive by email/post/newspaper advertisements etc. They promise we will be able to give up work and make ?1000's for just a few minutes work a day on the internet. They tempt you by promises of nice houses, cars and holidays and lots of ???'s.



Here are some key points on how to establish whether a 'Business Opportunity' is likely to leave you broke rather than lead you to the promised pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

- DUE DILIGENCE. See what you can find out about the company. Check their details with the government website: CompaniesHouse.gov.uk. Their WebCheck service offers a searchable company names and address index which is free of charge and enables you to search for information on more than 1.8 million companies in the UK. You can also use WebCHeck to purchase a company's latest accounts and annual returns as well as a selection of company reports, all online. In addition to checking the company details you can run some simple checks such as search the address using a search engine. Search the company name on to see whether that reveals any useful information on the company. If you find the address is a 'maildrop' address, this may make the company difficult to trace should they not be legitimate. Also check the contact telephone number and call to ask any questions you may have.

- CHECK ALL ENDORSEMENTS. They often claim that their opportunity is backed by reputable companies check this is the case. If it's not the case notify Trading Standards to protect others. Follow up on testimonials; ask if you can speak to a satisfied customer.

- BE CAREFUL OF REPEAT SCAMERS. It seems to be the case that when one method fails or subscribers 'dry up' then a very similar offer is released which could be a pseudonym of the same outfit.

- PAYMENT METHODS. The payment method is often a giveaway. A reputable company will not only accept cash and cheque payments. Be suspicious if they don't provide company registration number or don't have credit card facilities.

- PRESSURE TO JOIN QUICKLY? Often the 'scams' will pressure you to join quickly, i.e. claiming they will wave high joining fees just to push you into parting with your cash quickly, thinking the deal is too good to be missed. Or with claims of 'only a few places'. Be cautious if they claim they only have a few places yet the advertising campaign looks glossy and expensive. Would just a few places make the expensive sales campaign viable?

- VAGUE SALES LITERATURE? If the sales literature is vague in that it just promises to make to rich but doesn't tell you what you get for your money, then leave well alone.

- SEEK OTHERS EXPERIENCE. See if you can find further information on the opportunity before parting with your cash. Check out review websites to see what others that have tried opportunities have to say. This can save you a fortune by avoiding the scams out there.

- MONEYBACK GUARANTEE? Check if there is a money back guarantee. Many business opportunities are supplied with this if the company has every confidence in the product they are selling.

- SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? It probably is.