Aug

Sucked In By An Online Scam? Don’t Get Taken Again.

by Derek Gehl

I’m going to share with you how to filter the REAL offers from all the scams out there, with my Scam Detector Check List!

It’ll help you discover if it’s for real… before you waste your money.

#1 Scam Alert – The company can’t demonstrate a successful track record

Because you’ve probably never heard of the company before – if they can’t offer proof they’ve got a successful track record – then how can you trust them to help YOU make money?

Be skeptical. Ask questions. If they say they’re a successful company, ask for proof!

Scam Alert #2: You can’t reach a company representative

Before you make a an investment in their product, talk to them in person. Ask them hard questions.

If it isn’t easy for you to reach someone at their company, don’t do business with them!

Scam Alert #3: Thousands of other people are selling the EXACT same thing

If the opportunity includes a product for you to sell, do a search on the name of the product in Google and go through the results. How many people are selling the exact same product? Say hello to your competition!

(And how many of them are using the exact same website the company is trying to get YOU to buy?)

If a lot of people are selling that product then quite frankly, you’re going to find it extremely difficult to make any money ever.

Scam Alert #4: They can’t show you legitimate testimonials from recent customers

If you are making a significant investment in a business opportunity, the company you are purchasing from should be willing to put you in contact with other successful customers. We get this request all of the time, and have numerous successful customers who are happy to give us a personal reference at a moment’s notice.

(If you’d like to take a look at how we use those testimonials on our salesletters, please visit: www.marketingtips.com/testimonials.html.)

If the testimonial has a URL, go to that person’s website and check it out. Does it look like the website of someone who’s making good money? Look for the contact info on the site and then email that person to ask him or her directly about the product you’re thinking about buying.

If the person says yes, and is still experiencing good results with that product, then chances are it’s the real deal.

Scam Alert #5: The company is charging YOU money to sell THEIR products

Ask yourself this: If a company is making a product that millions of people are going to want to buy, why wouldn’t they simply sell it themselves… instead of making other people pay for the opportunity to sell it for them?

This type of company knows their affiliates aren’t going to generate any sales. That’s why they need to get your money up front!

Take it from someone who has been running a highly successful affiliate program for years. If someone wants to become an IMC affiliate and sell my products for me, I’d never make them pay. Why should they? They’re doing me a favor!

Scam Alert #6: The company makes outrageous income claims, without backing them up

If a company says their product will have you earning thousands of dollars within a matter of days, be very skeptical.

So whenever you see outrageous income claims, ask yourself – where’s the proof?

And be sure to listen to your “inner radar” to determine whether the person is genuine or not.

Do your research and ask lots of questions. If you follow these guidelines, chances are you will make the right decisions and pursue the right opportunities.

There is no magic pill. If you want to start a real business on the Internet you need to be prepared to put in the time and effort to build it.

I can give you all of the strategies you need to make that happen. I can break them down into easy-to-follow instructions. But the rest is up to you!

About the Author:

Derek Gehl, CEO of The Internet Marketing Center, helps people create income online. You can find more great articles on Derek’s blog.