If you're like me you probably think working online from home sounds like your ultimate dream job. I mean what's not to like? No more slave master bosses cracking the whip on you, no more long commutes and being stuck in traffic for an hour every day, no more unpleasant co-workers that you have to pretend to like, and no more paying someone else to watch your kids while you're at work. This is an extremely attractive scenario for many people. I know it sure is for me. Well the very fact that it is so attractive makes it a very easy field for con artists and people with low morals to ply their trade. In my quest to learn how to make a living online I've found that you have to be very careful before you hand over hard earned cash to someone promising a work from home business opportunity. I've studied up on this subject and unfortunately have been taken in by a few of them myself. I'm going to outline a few of them here in the hopes that you may be able to avoid the same fate.
"Data Entry" Scams: These offers seem to be everywhere you look. They give you a little teaser about working from home entering data online for businesses. It seems very simple and legit right? What they don't tell you is you'll actually be doing affiliate marketing for them. Basically this entails writing pay-per-click ads for products that they are affiliated with and from which they make a commission. You also have to pay for these ads yourself. It's actually a lot more involved than simple "data entry" and the way they market it is very misleading. Affiliate marketing itself is not a scam ? it's a legitimate industry. But the way that certain unscrupulous people advertise for it certainly is a scam. Recently Clickbank and Google have both removed these ads and products from their listings. Clickbank was making big money off these programs but they don't want to be associated with these deceptive practices.
"Paid Surveys" And "Get Paid To Shop" Scams: These two are fairly similar. They want you to purchase a list of companies that will pay you to take online surveys or that will pay to be a "mystery shopper" at their stores and report back to them. First of all you shouldn't have to pay anyone in order to take paid surveys. The whole idea is kind of ridiculous if you think about it. You should be able to find these companies online yourself fairly easily for free. But a lot of people still fall for it. Now, paid surveys do exist but they're really not the goldmine some people would lead you to believe. You're not going to get rich from taking paid surveys. For most surveys the companies require that you fulfill very specific criteria as far as age, sex, ethnicity, educational background etc.. because they want to be sure you fit the profile of the type of people who are interested in their products. Only makes sense right? And you'll have to fill out an awful lot of surveys to make even a moderate amount of cash.
The "mystery shopper" scam involves buying a list of companies who will pay you to shop at their stores and evaluate the experience. Again, why would you pay someone to be paid to be a mystery shopper? There are companies who will reimburse you for the purchases you make and pay you a small fee for reporting back to them. But you won't have companies knocking down your door so they can get in line to pay you to eat out or shop. You may, however, find that you get a lot of unwanted spam and tire of it quickly.
So my message here is simply: be careful. There is money to be made online ? you've just got to do your homework. Remember: If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
A new phenomenon amongst home business entrepreneurs is the small business owner who might manufacture something that in and of itself will not provide enough income to see her or him through financially, but in a way provides a nice little side line income. These entrepreneurs may have four or five sidelines going on at the same time and when totaling up the profits of all their little ventures, it soon becomes obvious that this will be sufficient to keep them in business and also pay the bills. Thus, the one trick pony is exchanged for the multifaceted entrepreneur who is able to make money by selling, manufacturing and maybe even providing some services.
Yet interestingly it is these very entrepreneurs who are the most susceptible to some of the oldest Internet scams in the book! They may be taken by slick websites and smooth promises those who focus on one industry may not fall for, simply because they do not fit within the precepts of this industry. Some of these scams are designed specifically as sidelines or hobbyist income opportunities and thus they seek to capitalize on this very breed of entrepreneur that is beginning to emerge from the home business industry.
Obvious signs of a work from home scam that this group of entrepreneurs needs to look out for is legion, but here are some of the most commonly found:
Sideline business entrepreneurs need to beware of any website that does not appear to market an actual program or service but instead seems to be little more than a long jumble of claims to make you rich overnight with part time work that you might even be able to accomplish while you sleep. You will find them strewn all across the ?Net and they crop up at the oddest times, but by and large the investment required is so small as to be negligible in the eyes of the sideline entrepreneur. Sometimes it is less than $100, while at other times the magic number seems to be $29.99. Beware! Your investment will offer you little more than the instructions on how to set up the kind of website which you just visited and basically requires you to con others into parting with their money so that you can send them an information package on how to set up a con site.
Survey taking is another favorite sideline. While there are some reputable sites that will actually pay you for your opinion, the facts of the matter dictate that more often than not the pool of possible survey takers must be as large as possible, while the actual sample selected is very small and select. Unless you meet all of the qualifications associated with the survey sample, you will not be chosen and earn the money for your answers. Thus, this is not a realistic sideline business.
Beware the fad product. It is tempting to sell the latest fad diet product, knowing that within a few short weeks or months it will become obsolete and join the plethora of others on the shelves. Remember, however, that this is part of a multi level marketing effort which will not net you as much money as you could earn simply because you will be unable to capitalize on the recruitment income you would otherwise earn from your qualified down line. If you want to go into multi level marketing, find a product that has some sticking power!
Both Matthew Carney & Jim Sperlich are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Matthew Carney has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Businesses, Work From Home and Home Businesses. Matthew Carney is a successful internet entrepreneur and disgruntled former chef. If you found this article informative and would like to learn more you can visit his website:. Matthew Carney's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Jim Sperlich has sinced written about articles on various topics from Work From Home, Affiliate Programs and Modelling. To find the best legitimate home based business opportunities and ideas so you can work at home visit: