Internet Scams and Dodgy Deals

Unfortunately it is too easy on the internet to scam people, and it does happen quite a lot.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but will give you an idea of the kind of thing you may come across.

HYIP's - stands for High Yield Investment Program.  There are a many different HYIP's out there, and in most cases they will pay out for a little while, so it is possible to make some money.  Unfortunately in a lot of cases they are out and out scams, and are set up purely to take you money and return nothing.  They prey on people's greed, in some cases offering 10% return or more a day on your investment.  As tempting as they look, don't do it!  You will lose your money. 

Get paid to keep your computer on - I've seen a few variations of these, and although you can accrue a balance, no-one ever seems to get paid! 

Get Paid to Stuff Envelopes - this is an old one that has been round for many years, even before the internet.  Why would someone pay you to stuff envelopes when machines can do it for free?

There are quite a few variations on chain letters.  For instance, pay $6, and get thousands of dollars in return.  How is this likely?  It's similar to the off-line scam where you send money to the top person on the list, put your name on the bottom of the list, and before you know it thousands of dollars will appear!  Do you know anyone who has ever been paid with these?

'Type At Home' jobs.  Although not scams, are generally not what they appear.  They look like a job where you will be paid for typing, but it is only when you pay your money for a list of companies that are hiring, that you find out it is not a job at all.  It usually involves setting up adverts on Google (which will cost you money), to sell products for commission.  Although this can be a viable way to make money, it is not a job by any definition.

MLM's are not a scam, and there are some great ones out there, but there are other opportunities which are too much like a pyramid scheme to be barely legal.  To assess the difference, you need to understand what the product is, and are there any customers for the product.  Any opportunity which seems to be purely based on recruiting others, who will also recruit others, are suspect.  Recruiting and building a downline is fine, and is a great way to build a residual income, but not if there is no product that you can also sell and make commission from.

There are new scams coming out all the time, so you need to assess opportunities as they come along.  If it is unlikely to happen on the off-line world, why is it suddenly possible because of the internet?   

IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS!