How To Spot Internet Scams

I have spent a lot of time searching the internet for ways to make money. I've seen a lot more scams than paying offers. I never gave my money to them but I did give my e-mail address out on a number of occasions to have it flooded with spam. I got off easy. Some people give their money to them unknowingly. Hopefully this will help you spot scams so it never happens to you.

Red-Flags

These are the basic things to look for that will help you spot a scam

• Don't trust website ads with big font, flashy color, and outrageous claims. No serious employer advertises like this:
  
  SICK OF YOUR BORING JOB??!! WANT TO MAKE REAL MONEY NOW?!! GET PAID BIG CASH TODAY!!!!!!!!!11
  
  The truth is, if a job really pays, they won't have to advertise for employees. Everyone likes working from home. Companies that allow you to do that don't have to actively seek people out, and they don't have to make big claims like $1,000 on your first week of work. If those companies existed, their slots would be filled immediately.
  
  If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

• Never, and I mean never trust any advertiser that asks you to pay a fee before working for them. Think about it: if they don't even have the funds to hire you, how are they going to pay your salary? A real company that needs workers will not ask them for a fee upfront. A good employee is an asset to a company, not a money bank.

• Be wary of "type at home" and "data entry" jobs.
  
  I type 120 wpm, so I would love to have a job like this. But as I've said before, I have spent a lot of time on the internet looking for ways to make money online, and I have never come across a typist job that didn't scream "scam!" nor have I ever heard of anybody actually making money from it. The websites I went to almost always charged a fee (usually $50 or more) for "job scouting," and they hardly ever mention a refund for your money.
  
  There also seems to be no need for this type of work on the internet. With copy and paste, who needs an online typist? If there are any real job opportunities in this field, they probably want you to sign-in to a bunch of forums and spam them with their product, which would be time-consuming and frustrating.

• Be careful with online surveys.
  
  There are online survey sites that seem legitimate, and I have tried them all. I am currently signed up with about 15 survey sites and I get spam from them all the time. Every time I get an e-mail from them with a survey, the payment is usually a submission in a "sweepstakes." If they are offering money, its very rarely over $2.00.
  
  I've filled out hundreds of surveys and I have yet to see a dollar. The reason is many of these sites have a minimum cash out, usually ranging from $20-$50, and as I get closer to the cash out level, I begin to get less surveys in my mailbox. As a matter of fact, I nearly reached the cash out level on one site and I never received an e-mail from them again. Even if I had gotten my money it wouldn't have been worth it. Many surveys take anywhere from a half hour to two hours to fill out and pay around $2. Talk about the internet working class!

• Check blogs
  
  If you aren't sure if a site is a scam or not, sometimes the best way to find out is to do a google blogsearch for the company. Most bloggers are pretty candid about their experiences with bad internet companies which I think makes them a much more reliable source than a forum or a website. Make sure you check more than one site if the blogger is overly enthusiastic about the service or job. They may be getting paid off.