Making Money Online Without Falling for Scams
[Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, this means I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links. This is at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure information for more details.]
The Digital model of doing business appeals to every entrepreneur, whether they are startups or established businesses. It sounds good to know you can make money online from the comfort of your home. However, making money online without falling for scams can be tricky, especially for a newbie. Many entrepreneurs have ditched their 9-5 office jobs in favor of online alternatives.
As a result of people switching to transacting business online, the flourishing make-money-online industry is awash with online fraud. They include fictitious entities who allege to offer products for sale or non-existent programs which they can’t deliver. However, you need to be knowledgeable to conduct internet research to differentiate legit from scams.
How Do Make Money Online Scams Work?
A scammer is a fraudster who attempts to defraud you by enticing you with a solution to a problem, thereby winning your confidence. Scammers offer their counterfeit products in different formats. Some may allege to provide discounts on products on sale by comparing arbitrarily high figures with the current “reduced” cost.
As with all con artists, the caveat lies with the alleged “reduction” in cost. Additionally, they would claim that the offer period would expire soon or that they would run out of the product. It is a gimmick to entice you to make a purchase. Others would seduce you to install specific software for free yet ask for a one-time fee.
Online scams that offer some value but fall short of expectations are in this category. Alternatively, these con artists may entice you with a gift only to trick you into their money-sucking trap.
In the making money online space, scammers often pretend to sell products by introducing you to one piece of the riddle. Perhaps the product is the only piece the vendor knows, or they use it as bait that would lure you into spending more money.
Making Money Online Scams: What to Look For?
The following are some of the key identifiers for online money-making scams. Some of these tips may seem straightforward or obvious, but they may still lure you into making a wrong decision. Even when encountering these red flags, emotions may still pull you into their trap.
Many online scammers who target the money-making industry promise a better lifestyle for their would-be victims. These tricksters also target to lure people from all walks of life, including the intellectual elite.
How Can We Spot These Scams?
Whereas the following indicators are good, they only remind you that something is amiss or deceptive. If something seems of value yet suspicious, consider doing more research to avoid falling victim. Note that some of the individuals behind these online scammers are highly educated con artists. Some legit brands employ similar tactics that might look deceptive.
You Can Make Money in Minutes Text or Emails
In the making money online industry, the promise of quick riches is the most used deceptive bait. Scammers make blatant claims that you can become rich in just five clicks, which should alert you to their trickery immediately. Of course, becoming successful online is as tough as it gets offline. Legit programs would provide a step-by-step guide to achieving success. Commonly used enticing words by scammers include:
Follow these three steps: “create an account and verify your password.”
Log into your account. ‘Enter your credit card and deposit cash in your bank account.” Where are the other steps? So you ask.
“That’s it. Enjoy the program, deposit money, and have a nice vacation.”
You’ll find such stuff hard to comprehend, but someone may try it out.
They Don’t Tell You What You Will Be Doing
You should ensure you’re purchasing a genuine product before keying your credit or debit card into an ATM. The same applies when you choose to pay for any digital products online.
Scammers often ask for money in advance after enticing you with a sales banner. Making money, whether online or offline, is a process that entails working for it so you can earn. Meaning you have to know or have the expertise to do it. More than that, you’ll only get to know the truth after making a payment.
No one can sell you a “secret” to fixing your laptop or a “secret” to learning French in one week. These are skills that require prior training, knowledge, and practice. Any legit school that offers French lessons will not refer you to a sales page with an ‘add to cart” button. You will receive a course prospectus describing the coursework, the timelines, the objectives, and what you can expect from the course. A legit money-making program offered online usually expounds in more detail about its products.
Lookout for the $1 Trial and Money Back Guarantee
A standard yet not-so-obvious indicator is the $1 trial offer period. It is an irresistible bait to let you reveal or enter your credit card details. Fraudsters use this method to isolate potential buyers. Once you enter your debit or credit card, they’ll bookmark you as one with “intent to purchase.”
Most legit entrepreneurs also use this sales tactic for their marketing campaign purposes. However, once you get savvy online, you will tell a scammer immediately. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing this, but it doesn’t translate into scamming customers.
For the most part, auto dealers use this technique to identify serious buyers from window shoppers. The seller may ask for a refundable deposit upfront as a way to determine your level of intent. Don’t be discouraged when you see a “money back guarantee” warranty, but be extra alert to detail, especially when they demand your debit card or credit card information.
Be Wary of the Automatic Renewal
Subscription-based membership sites or products may come with trial rebates, some of which might run on an auto-renewal policy. Perform research before signing up because they’ll ask for sensitive information such as your bank account. Ensure their payment system is securely encrypted.
A legit brand would have vibrant customer support, including a live chat feature where to enquire about their cancellation policy, etc. Such a scam would be raking in a fortune if they charged everyone joining the program despite a 100% cancellation promise.
It’s often impossible to get a refund from a con artist, even with a glaring ‘money-back guarantee” page. They even would persuade you to purchase a product, thinking it’s a one-off payment, only to realize they have set the system to continue billing for a periodic recurring payment.
No Contact Information
An entrepreneur with products to sell would provide contact addresses where you can reach them. Any program that promises wealth but doesn’t give you a contact address is probably a scam. Most scammers would provide obscure emails they can delete once they have you sucked into their fraudulent money-making tactics.
Legit companies with established reputations would have dedicated pages about the company. Some even list their management team showing the company’s hierarchy. Legitimate brands will also provide a contact form on their official website where customers can reach them for support. “Privacy Policy” and “About Us” pages are yet another indicator of a legit company. To add credibility to their legitimacy, reputable brands would provide a “Live Chat” feature where you can reach their customer care support desk in real-time.
Conclusion
Since we live in the information age, the internet of things is the future frontier. While you will find lots of junk on the web, it also has many good things. Though not exhaustive, informative articles such as this one will give you insight into developing technologies and what they mean to the business of selling and buying online.
Subscribing for a program online is no guarantee that you’ll get the item you want to purchase. The staggering abundance of knowledge and experience accorded us in cyberspace is fascinating. Scammers are knowledgeable and, most times, are experts who choose to defraud vulnerable people through trickery. Take note of the indicators mentioned above; with time, you’ll be able to smell a con artist a mile away.
