I think we've all been scammed starting out in our make money online endeavors. I've accumulated some basic tips on how to avoid getting scammed.

First of all, don't go into whatever you are doing blind! You need to verify that the company you are interested in working for is actually legitimate. Here are some things to consider.

Find out that the company has the following:
-A physical address.
-A real phone number (call it to make sure it's real! Don't just assume it is. That's a big mistake made by most people.)

If any of the following applies to they company you're considering, it's probably a scam!:
-Do they use free web hosting? (Geocities, etc.) Run if they do!
-Do they use P.O. boxes instead of a real address? Nooo! Bad!
-Do they use yahoo mail? (They should have their own company addresses!)

You can also Google the company name and see what kind of feedback is coming from people working for the company. Usually if people are scammed, they let the WWW know! So that is an easy way to tell.

Alright, second off...we're all human, which means we all have the ability to be blinded by greed! What am I getting at? Let's say you see an ad like this:

"Real legitimate company looking for workers to sit in a chair whistling for five minutes a day-pays FOUR BILLION DOLLARS PER WEEK! Not a scam!'

Of course, this is a dramatized version of what you'll really find out there, but if you're getting promised thousands a week, pleeeeease, don't do it! Really!


This is the most valuable tip to keep you from getting scammed:

BE PATIENT!

If you're in a rush and choose whatever company looks good and profitable and take one of the first ones that comes up, you're likely to get scammed, just because you were in too much of a hurry to look into the company's repautation. Just give it time, and this will give you better chances of not only getting scammed, but finding a well-paying at home job.

Good luck to all of you! I hope this helps!

Great post! I agree. I also add to check and see if the company is Publically traded. For example, When I was researching the current Travel business I am in with YTB Travel Network, I did just that. I found that many of the other companies were not Publically traded and did not have their financial information available. Now I am not saying that private companies are bad, I am saying that I am more comfortable seeing and knowing for a fact that my money is well invested, rather than taking someone else's word for it.

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Thank you very much for your great information. I totally agreed that we should stay away or ignore those ads that promise too much money in a very short period of time.

Another idea is to check and see what professional or industry type organizations endorse the company. For example, my company YTB is a member of DSA, "Direct Selling Association".
See if the company has endorsements from vendors like in the travel company,Carnival's Pinnacle awards, or Apple Vacations "Platinum Awards".

A year ago I did all of the searches to come to the decision to join the company I am with now. Its important to do real research. Stay away from sites like ripoff.com etc. Those are usually disgruntled employees or former members with an axe to grind, or competitors.

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Thanks for the great information!

I've always tried to follow the advice that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Though with some of these scams, they can sound very legitimate -- which makes it that much harder to find the real deals!

Grady

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nice info justkatie... may be you should include you link and website on your article when you have the chance...

Great information justkatie!!

It took me a long time to find the system that I am using. I had also checked to see if these to good to be true scams where listed in BBB. You would be amazed on how many are listed with unsatisfactory remarks.

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The web based email is a big one. A real company should be able to have their own domain at the very least. Also, try to talk to people in person. Don't just go through email.

Very useful information

There are some great tips in here! The only one that I'm slightly wary of is the advice not to work for non-publicly-traded companies. I think it could be a mistake to rule out all companies that aren't traded. There are tons of small, successful private companies out there - and even if they wanted to go public, the IPO window is virtually closed with the current financial troubles. Definitely make sure you talk to a person and that the website and email domain look legit, though...