Bob's Home Business Blog

For every legitimate home business opportunity available online today their may be another so called endeavor to be had which is being promoted by an unscrupulous individual who is masquerading as a successful and reliable Internet marketer.

These people portray themselves as individuals who want to help you become successful online and the only reward they need, so they claim,  is the good feeling they get from knowing they’ve helped someone make a living on the web. Of course this is all hogwash and they’re only interested in one thing and that’s getting their hands on your hard earned money.

To avoid falling prey to these shysters you must be vigilant at all times and question all of the claims made by anyone wanting you to invest in their opportunity. Research is the key to help you avoid doing business with these despicable people and here are 5 techniques you can use to help you distinguish the legitimate offers from the illegitimate home business opportunities promoted online today:

1. If you’re considering taking the plunge into the world of Internet marketing by starting your own online home business you should join some of the high profile forums on the web who are devoted to Internet marketing and online business opportunities. One of the best and most well known is “The Warrior Forum” and by becoming a member and by making regular contributions you will undoubtedly form relationships with some of the other members who are more experienced in this field than you may be at the moment.

By asking these people what their opinions are on any endeavor you may be considering investing in they will tell you how they feel and what they know about it and they will surely raise any red flags and point out the flaws in certain programs when necessary. This is a good way to research the legitimacy of certain offers made on the web.

2. There are several website available on the Internet who devote their time and resources to uncovering scams or illegitimate business offers on the web and who will be happy to point out which so called opportunities you should avoid. A good way to find these websites is to conduct a search using your favorite search engine for “home business scams online” and then check out the results.

3. Always look for home business opportunities which have been on the web for quite awhile and which have a proven track record of success for their members. Don’t join a program which is being promoted by someone who has no experience in the Internet marketing field and or whose company isn’t very well known or has only been in operation for a short period of time. Experienced well established online businesses are your best bet and your safest route to take when you’re just starting out on the Internet.

4. Make an effort to strike up relationships with some of the best known and most successful Internet marketers on the web today by joining their newsletters and email lists. These people can smell a scam a mile away and if you’re having any doubts or second thoughts whatsoever, just send them an email and ask their opinion of the offer. I took the sound advice of a well known and well respected Internet marketer just recently and I saved myself thousands of dollars and no doubt many sleepless nights as a result.

5. Finally, this technique isn’t what you would definitively call a research tactic but I’ve found it to be a very reliable method for distinguishing the unscrupulous offers from the legitimate ones and that’s accomplished by following your gut instinct. If there’s something in the back of your mind saying run far and run fast then I’ve found 9 times out of 10 that this feeling is correct and you should turn down the offer.

The old adage which says: “If it sounds too good to be true then it usually is too good to be true” is a tactic I’ve relied on in the past and undoubtedly I will turn to again in the future to help me make the right choice.

By using any or all of these different techniques to help you find a legitimate home business opportunity online you will save yourself a lot of money and a lot of time by helping you discover a successful venture much sooner rather than later.    

Bob Withers

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Having fallen victim to an Internet marketing home business scam in the past I’ve learned what to do if you find your self in a similar position. My unfortunate situation occurred via the telephone and a telemarketer who claimed to be associated with a well known and very successful Internet marketer whom I had previously done business with online. The caller claimed that this business person had given them my contact information because he believed this program they were selling would be a perfect fit for me.

This convinced me to listen to their presentation and I even asked my wife to listen in on the call so we could make an informed decision together. Well, needless to say we agreed to purchase their product without checking them out before hand. After the call and after having given them my credit card information I decided to look them up online. When I did I broke out into a cold sweat because all I saw was blog after blog created by former customers and even former employees warning people not to do business with this company.

At this stage I decided to email the successful Internet marketer who I mentioned earlier to see if he had given these people my information. He replied with a simple one sentence email stating: “Do not do business with these people”. He didn’t elaborate because he didn’t have to, I knew from what I had already read on the scam blogs these people were scammers and were only interested in my money which I had stupidly handed over because I naively trusted them.

After a sleepless night I called my bank first thing in the morning and informed them I had been taken advantage of by some unscrupulous people for quite a large sum of money. The lady I spoke with immediately reversed the charge to my account but told me to keep an eye on my transactions for the next few days in case the charge was run through again.

Sure enough, two days later, it was and I called back and once again it was reversed by customer service. The bank also told me they were going to send me dispute forms to fill out and return to them immediately either by fax or snail mail but that it may take 10 days to 2 weeks for me to receive them.

I then called my local branch where my account was located and spoke with the disputed charges representative who informed me I had done everything by the book as far as the bank was concerned and all I could do now was wait for the paper work to arrive in the mail from their disputes center.

She also told me that because the charge was reversed successfully on two different occasions since the incident occurred she didn’t think it would get run through my account again. I mistakenly believed I had dodged a bullet and our money was back safe and sound in our account; Wrong again.

Four days later the bank called me at home and told me the purchase I had made from these people had posted to my account; meaning it had been processed and they now had our money. My only recourse now was to fill out the dispute forms when they arrived and send them back. I was also told I could email the fraud team at the bank with all the details of what had happened so they could get a head start on the investigation.

After completing the paper work for the bank they decided to file a charge back on my behalf which they told me could take up to 45 days to get resolved. This meant they would file a charge back with the offending company requesting the money be refunded to my account however these people would have 45 days to respond to the bank’s request.

If after the 45 day period these people didn’t respond the bank said I would win by default and the money would be refunded to my account automatically. If the company disputed the charge back then I would have to respond to their rebuttal.

I was informed by other business people online who have been in my unfortunate situation that once your bank backs up your disputed charge claim you’re virtually assured of receiving a refund which thankfully is what actually happened in my case.

To summarize, if you find yourself in my situation the first thing you should do is call customer service at your bank. Be sure to keep any and all documentation and receipts received from the offending party including any email correspondence and compile a step by step account of what actually happened and when it occurred.

Also, be sure to stay on top of the situation by contacting your local bank branch as well as customer service on a regular basis and complete the disputed charges documentation and return it immediately preferably via fax and always follow up to make sure customer service received it.

Of course the best way to avoid all of this aggravation and frustration is to thoroughly investigate any company requesting your money in return for a product or service over the phone before making a purchase.     

Bob Withers

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If you’ve been trying to make some extra cash online or you’ve been attempting to create a full time income from home, I’m sure you’ve had telephone calls from telemarketers wanting to sell you on a business plan of how to make a living from home on a full time basis. These people have gotten your name and contact information from some type of form you’ve filled out online requesting more information on a money making opportunity.

The problem is once you provide this information to one online business you’re setting yourself up for a barrage of telephone calls and email messages from other legitimate businesses and some not so trustworthty entrepreneurs who have purchased your contact details from the original party. If you’ve turned down the first business’s offer or you’ve requested a refund from a previous purchase the original enterprise may then sell your name, email address and telephone number to another Internet marketing company as part of a package of leads for a tidy profit.

So the question is: How do you differentiate the genuine offers from the scams? Here are 6 ways to discover who’s telling the truth and really want to help you become a successful home business owner online and who’s only interested in taking your money.

1. First of all, ask the caller how they got your contact information? They should be able to tell you when and where you provided your details on the web and what information you were interested in receiving. If they simply say you gave it online ask for the specific website address and the legal name of the company involved. When, and if they give you their URL tell them you’ll check it out and if you’re interested you’ll call them back.

2. Always ask for the name of the person on the other end of the telephone. If they’re legitimate they will give their full name and tell you the name of their company and provide you an extension to reach them when you call back after having investigated the information they provided.

3. It’s been my experience when the first caller says he or she has just received an important call after having completed the preliminary questioning and has to hand you off to a second person this usually means they’ve determined you’re an easy sale or possibly an easy target. The second representative is the closer or the high pressure person who will ask for your credit card information almost immediately and most often won’t take no for an answer. 

4. Always check out the company and their website before giving anyone your credit card information or agreeing to make any purchase. These scam artists first try to gain your trust and then zero in on closing the sale by simply asking which credit card you’re going to use for your purchase.

5. Never make a purchase on the first telephone call from a telemarketer. You must always give yourself time to check out the business and their offer before making any decision to purchase.

6. This last tip is actually the result of something which actually happened to me so please beware of anyone calling with an online home business opportunity who claims to be associated with a high profile, and or successful Internet marketer you know or you’ve done business with online. Some of these unscrupulous individuals try to build your trust, in them, by taking advantage of the reputation of other people you know and have faith in on the Internet.

Having said all of this please remember there are legitimate and well meaning people online who want to help you build a profitable home business. However, there are others who are just waiting to pounce and take advantage of your inexperience and your trusting nature for their financial gain, so please beware.  

Bob Withers

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If you’re new to the Internet and you’re trying to create a home based business online then there are a few things you should know before you begin checking out the vast array of opportunities available on the web.

These tips are meant to help you avoid becoming the victim of fraudulent activity during your business search. Being new doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the only one at risk to these online predators because they don’t discriminate. They will try to run their scams on anyone and everyone who will listen.

My golden rule when seeking out some new venture on the web is “if it sounds too good to be true it normally is too good to be true.” Stay away from people who promise you the stars for $47.00.

When you click on pay and after you’re directed to paypal you’re then usually inundated with an avalanche of up sells and by the time you’re done that $47.00 cost has turned into $500.00 or more.

There are a lot of people who turn to the Internet with the mindset that they’re going to make a fortune in a very short time with very little effort on their part. The sad part is many Internet marketers realize this and prey on these individuals by taking advantage of their misguided beliefs.

In these cases the marketers are acting as enablers by promising to make these dreams come true in no time flat and by telling these people any money they invest will be reimbursed a hundred times over in three months if not sooner.

In addition to these outlandish guarantees these scammers say you have to act now because spaces are limited or stock is low and if you leave when you come back they may be sold out. They want you not to have time to think about what you’re about to do so they try to make you buy on the spot.

My advice to you in these situations is to put away your credit card and open up your favorite search engine and research this home business or Internet company to discover their track record with regard to how they’ve treated their past customers and current clients and how these people feel about their experience.

There are many review sites online who research various Internet marketers and the products their promoting and write critiques about these people with regard to how their merchandise performs and what their success rate is with their customer base.

Once you’ve been looking on the web for awhile you’re sure to eventually begin receiving phone calls from people making similar promises who also want a decision then and there. Avoid these phone calls like the plague because most of these people are professional fraudsters and will say anything to get you to buy.

I had an encounter with one of these scammers just recently when they called my home which is what prompted this article. When they called I was put through three different interviews because they said they only wanted people who were serious about creating a home business and were willing to work 10 hours per week to succeed.

First of all, if you only dedicated 10 hours per week to your business you would probably be 110 years old by the time you could call yourself a success. Like any business online or offline you have to put in long hours to make it work especially in the beginning.

Secondly, they couldn’t care less if you are serious and willing to work at your home business, the only thing they care about is your willingness to buy. The long drawn out interview process is just part of their elaborate ruse to take your money and run.

These telephone shysters also played the same game as their Internet counterparts by reiterating throughout the process that they wanted a decision before I hung up because there is such a demand for their course they wouldn’t be able to hold my spot.

Of course I didn’t comply and as soon as I hung up I fired up Google and saw more red flags with regard to this company than I would have seen at a bull fight. It was incredible the number of complaints not only by previous customers but also by employees who hadn’t been paid when they worked there.

They also have an impending court date with the state for operating a telemarketing operation without a license. I could go on all night about the various situations I’ve encountered personally with people like these and other scenarios I’ve heard about from friends and business acquaintances but time and space won’t allow it.

The only personal piece of advice I can offer is do your research before investing any amount of money with any home based business opportunity online and never buy on impulse. If you feel the need to answer these telemarketing calls always hang up the phone, or if you’re online click away from the offer and do your research before making a decision.

Don’t rush into any situation because these opportunities will be around forever no matter what these people may say. If this article stops even one person from making some of the mistakes I made starting out online with my home business then it’s been more than worth the effort.

I wish everyone who reads this nothing but success on the Internet because despite what you may think after looking at this editorial there are many legitimate opportunities available on the web offering the potential, with some hard work, for success and wealth from home.

Bob Withers

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Since the evolution of the Internet, advertising online has exploded into an industry onto itself. From the smallest home business owners to the largest corporations marketing on the web has provided many people with very lucrative incomes. Just take a look around and you would be hard pressed to find a web page on the Internet that doesn’t contain some kind of advertisement.

Consumers can type any key word combination they want into any major search engine and they’ll receive, in many cases, thousands of results related to whatever product they may be looking for. There are many free Internet marketing techniques available which yield incredible results and this is why it can be a very cost effective method of advertising and this is also why it’s become so popular.

Another reason why promoting your home business, or any enterprise for that matter, on the web has become so widely accepted is the fact that it’s so easy for any entrepreneur to set up a website, advertise their product on their home page and drive traffic or potential customers to their offer. The biggest challenge for any business owner just starting out online is attracting people or driving traffic to their product.

For this reason Internet marketing has become a booming industry on the web and there’s a great potential for enterprising individuals to earn a huge income by showing others how to market and sell their products on the Internet. Many people just starting a home based business for example don’t usually possess the knowledge needed to drive customers to their website.

Because of this there is a huge market available for some unscrupulous individuals to run scams and make promises of overnight success accompanied by very large incomes. This often results in many would be marketers being bilked of every cent of startup money they had to invest in their home business. So please be aware and check out every opportunity that’s presented to you because there will be many offers. A good rule of thumb is to adhere to the old standby piece of advice, which is: “if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.”
 
Spamming is one of the biggest problems online today with regard to deceitful and illegal advertising tactics. Simply put spam is unsolicited email and spamming is sending unsolicited messages or ads to a massive list of email addresses which is also called bulk email. This offense is taken very seriously by many Internet Service Providers and you can have your email account suspended, your website removed and have criminal charges laid for such activity.

As mentioned earlier always be leery of Internet marketers making promises of fortunes to be made with little or no effort on you part. For example, work twenty hours per week and make $10,000.00 each and every week. Does this sound familiar? As with any business whether it be a home based enterprise online or a small venture offline in order to achieve success you have to work very hard especially during the startup phase. So when you hear such guarantees always walk away and search for one of the many legitimate ways available to earn a living from home on the Internet.

Spyware is another illegal form of advertising employed by some Internet marketers. Spyware is used to hack into a user’s computer and supply advertisements via the host. Spyware can also be used to break into your email account and capture your personal email list. Your list of friends and business associates is then inundated with spam or unsolicited ads from this hacker.

With the advent and popularity of social networks on the Internet advertising to these sites has also become a boon to many Internet marketers. If you decide to promote your product or service to these social sites you must be very careful because some don’t allow any kind of soliciting on their sites. You should always read the terms of service and the rules and regulations regarding marketing to network members so you can avoid being banned from the site and having your reputation as a legitimate home business owner tarnished.

These are a few of the most prominent dishonest and sometimes illegal advertising tactics being used online today. So if you’re a newbie home business owner (new to Internet marketing) please beware of false advertising and less than scrupulous tactics which can turn your Internet marketing experience into a nightmare.

Bob Withers