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Free Home Based Business Opportunity, Is It For Real?   by Gary Marsh

Yes it is for real. The good thing about working from home is that you can do pretty much anything that you want. If you like to paint, you can turn your skills into a home based business. If you are a marketing guru, that will work as well (actually very well, but that's for another article). But the one thing that holds a lot of people back when they are looking for a home based business opportunity is money. The majority of people feel that in order to start a company, they are going to need a lot of financial backing; something that most people simply cannot come up with. Even though this is true in some aspects, there are also many free home based business opportunities that you can try out. Think about it, why do you need to spend a lot of money on start up costs? You more than likely have everything that you need right in front of you!
So, what would you look for in an internet business?
Generally speaking, the first thing that people do when they are searching for a home based business opportunity is search the internet. There are hundreds of sites that will promise you the world for no money at all; and the bad thing about these sites is that they actually sound like good opportunities (great marketing!). The problem is that the majority of these sites are simply scams that are meant to dupe you out of your money. To take this even further, these scams ruin it for the legitimate companies that are available. Internet Home Based Business dot com has compiled all the good programs available on the internet today if you're interested in the marketing realm. I have to tell you that most of this area is riddled with the get rich quick gurus that will take every penny they can from you. They use pretty much all the same marketing tactics the legitimate businesses use. That's what makes it so hard to figure out the fakes from the real programs.
I want to give you a little hint as to what to watch out for. First and foremost, there is no real internet business opportunity established to get you from zero to $300,000 your first year. When you see all the programs out there claiming they can do that for you, there lying! If you want to generate a 6-figure income on the net, you're going to have to work for it. End of story. Why do I say that? well, for starters, most of the individuals who do make that kind of money in days, weeks, a few month's and even a year have huge subscriber list that htey market too. Anyway, there are some really great opportunities on the internet that come with training programs, videos, audio, and all kinds of other ways of teaching you the ropes. One of the best programs on the internet today is the Plug-In Play Profits site. Click my signature file for more information on that. Another great program on the internet is List and Traffic owned by Jimmy D. Brown. These two guys really care about the people within there organizations. The best place to read about scams is at scambusters.org. Check it out!
Some other things to look out for are all the email spam you get in your inbox. Man I hate spam as I'm sure you do too. It's my opinion that those folks are what's causing such heartache with those of us who have been Internet Marketer's for a while. This is one of the main reasons you have to do what's called a double-opt-in. This insures us who are legitimate, that you do in fact want to subscribe to our newsletters.
When locating a viable internet marketing program, look to see in the copy if they have any real check stubs, bank statements, and even google or affiliate income information. Its a dead give away when a website claims a ton of money, yet does not show you any proof. When your new to the internet and have started an internet home based business. The best thing you can do to gain credibility is BE Honest! You don't have to say you're new; just don't use inflated numbers or lies. There are quite a few free internet home based business opportunities on the internet that are great for the newbie. Just know that in order to make money, you'll have to spend money in advertising.
So obviously, the best way to find a free home based business opportunity is to do your homework. One of the best opportunities available is affiliate marketing programs. This is a great way for anybody to start their own home based business with no start up costs at all. This involves getting paid by affiliate programs for driving traffic to their site that leads to a sale. Like I said before, you will need to start putting money into your business to be more successful, but you can get started without any problems at all. You could have the best business program in the world but if you just leave it on the book shelf, what good is it? I also know that those who are willing to risk a little money will be more committed to making there business work.
Another free home based business opportunity that many people take advantage of is filling out online surveys. This is a legitimate way to make money from home, but you must be aware of all of the scams that are out there and realize the amount of time involved. The only way to weed out the scams is by searching through all of the available companies, and then choosing the ones that are most reputable. Hint, finding ratings for survey sites is not difficult because there are a lot of people that are interested in this home business opportunity. Google is a great place to start.
Finding a free home based business opportunity is not impossible. In order to be successful, you will want to watch out for scam artists so you do not end up losing valuable time and money. Believe me when I say, "They will drain your bank account in a heart beat". Once again, scam busters is the place to go when your looking into free programs.

Gary Marsh
http://www.internet-homebased-business.com

By: Harold Swalve

Many people are looking for a new career where they can work at home and still make money. Search the Internet for work at home jobs, and you will be overwhelmed with the number of websites. However, there are several work at home scams floating around on the Internet that you need to watch out for. Here are few things to avoid as you look for a legitimate work at home job.
First, beware of jobs that promise you can get rich quickly. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of ads that ask you to send money to receive information about the job or ask you to buy something to begin the program. Most legitimate job advertisements do not require an investment. Watch out for exaggerated claims of product effectiveness. These advertisements ask you to invest in a new miracle product, which you either don’t receive or is much harder to sell than advertised. You might also be liable if you are asked to sell a fraudulent program to others.
Common work at home schemes including stuffing envelopes, work at home assembly, chain letters and processing medial insurance claims. These scams usually involve money upfront for training or for products which never materialize. The work at home assembly programs often leave people with products they assemble and don’t get paid for.
Work at home scams will never offer you a regular salary for a specific job. They might use personal testimonials about the success of their program without identifying specific names. Work at home schemes usually require no experience, yet guarantee that you will make huge profits. Avoid work at home job advertisements with typing errors or advertisements typed in all capital letters. This is a good indication that the organization is not very professional. Look for contact information in the job advertisement. No contact information usually means it is not a legitimate ad. Vague job descriptions are also indicative of a scam.
If you become a victim to a work at home scam, ask the company for a refund. Notify law enforcement officials, your local Better Business Bureau and your state’s Attorney General office if they refuse to send you a refund. Document all your involvement with the company such as phone calls and keep all your paperwork.
There are many genuine work at home jobs available. Protect yourself by avoiding the common pitfalls of work at home scams.

Home Based Businesses – Myth or Magic?

The short answer is – there are a lot of myths, and very little magic.

The reality is that any home based business you choose is going to take some work on your part…and chances are you won’t get rich overnight. Some of the opportunities advertised are simply pyramid schemes disguised as a business, with specific wording included that takes advantage of legal loopholes that exist (for now).

The good news is that there are many legitimate opportunities advertised – in fact, so many that selecting one could drive a person crazy. So how does one go about choosing a home based business that will work for them? Ask yourself the following questions when determining whether or not a home based business that you’re looking at will be appropriate for you:

Does it sound too good to be true? If so, it may be…on the other hand, that should not be the sole determining factor in your decision. There is a lot of money to be made out there, and it is easier than you think.

Are you willing to do what it takes to recruit the way you’re being recruited? For example, if someone spends 30 minutes on the phone with you and gives you the hard sell routine, are you going to do the same? Many of these opportunities involve a great deal of phone time; if you’re uncomfortable with that you should look at something else…but keep in mind that whatever you choose, you will have to develop new skills and talents.

When someone is trying to recruit you for a particular business, ask a lot of questions about average operating costs, the amount of time and effort it will take to realize the profits they’re claiming, and details about the compensation plan. If they are reluctant to give you this information, there may be something fishy going on. Answers to these questions should not be part of the training process after you buy into the business.

Can you realistically make time to do what’s required? Don’t fool yourself into believing that you’ll do this in your “spare” time – most of us don’t have any…but if you are willing to cut out some of the leisure activities in your life (at least temporarily) you can be sure that down the road you’ll have more recreational time than you do now.

Many home based businesses require you to spend a lot of time interacting with your sponsor/mentor. Figure out if you like them…you may not like all the people you work with in your 9-to-5, but this is a little different. You are going to become a partner in many ways with your mentor, so be sure he or she is someone you are willing to spend time with.

Can you afford the initial investment? Using the rent money to start a home based business is risky – if you’re confident enough that you’ll recoup your investment in time to pay the bills, great – just be aware of the risks and have a fall-back plan.

These are a few of the important factors to consider when looking at a home based business – certainly not a comprehensive list, but an excellent place to start. Another important thing to keep in mind…almost every program you get involved in is going to stress personal development. There is good reason for this, and although some of the things they ask you to do may sound goofy (like telling yourself out loud every day how great and successful you are), the reality is that this concept has been around for a long, long time and has been proven to be effective.

So get out there and start your search!

http://williamcox.ws/

Top ten scams to look out for

Brought to you by the UK Office of Fair Trading

At the launch of a month-long campaign, the OFT identifies the top ten scams targeted at UK consumers to alert the public to the swindles that may part them from their money.
UK consumers lose an estimated £1 billion per year (see note 1) to a variety of scams which exploit low-cost, mass-marketing techniques to target recipients. Many of these scams originate from overseas, making detection and prosecution more difficult. The OFT has joined forces with law-enforcement agencies in over 30 countries to tackle scams which originate outside the UK borders.  In October 2004, for example, OFT co-operation with partner agencies in the United States and Canada, such as the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, helped lead to over 100 arrests in the US and 35 in other countries for telemarketing scams.
Consumers need to be on the alert for the following approaches:

Telephone lottery scams – these include the Canadian lottery scam and the El Gordo Spanish lottery scam, which deceptively uses the name of a genuine lottery. People respond to an unsolicited mailing or telephone call telling them they are being entered into a prize draw. They then receive a telephone call congratulating them on winning a big prize in a national lottery – but before they can claim their winnings, they must send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. The prize doesn't exist.

Prize draw, sweepstakes and foreign lottery mailings  - many typical scams take the form of prize draws, lotteries or government payouts. Most appear to be notification of a prize in an overseas draw or lottery in return for administration or registration fees.
Premium rate telephone number scams – notification by post of a win in a sweepstake or a holiday offer includes instructions to ring a premium rate 090 number to claim your prize.

Investment related scams – an unsolicited telephone call offering the opportunity to invest in shares, fine wine, gemstones or other soon-to-be rare commodities.  These investments often carry very high risk and may be worth a lot less than you pay.  The shares are not quoted on any stock exchange and you will not be able to sell them easily afterwards.  'Solid' valuable investments, such as gem stones, are often said to be stored in secretive Swiss bank vaults, so you can never see your investment.

Nigerian advance fee frauds – an offer via letter, email or fax to share a huge sum of money in return for using the recipient's bank account to permit the transfer of the money out of the country. The perpetrators will either use the information given to empty their victim's bank account; or convince him or her that money is needed up front for bribing officials.

Pyramid schemes – offer a return on a financial investment based upon the number of new recruits to the scheme. Investors are misled about the likely returns as there are not enough people to support the scheme indefinitely – only the people who set up the scheme are able to make any money.

Matrix schemes – are promoted via websites offering expensive hi-tech gadgets as free gifts in return for spending £20 or similar on a low-value product such as a mobile telephone signal booster. Consumers who buy the product join a waiting list to receive their free gift. The person at the top of the list gets their free gift only after a prescribed number – sometimes as high as 100 – of new members join up.  In reality, the majority of those on the list will never receive the expensive item they expect.

Credit scams – another advance fee fraud, originating in Canada. Advertisements have appeared in local newspapers offering fast loans regardless of credit history. Consumers who respond are told their loans have been agreed but before the money can be released they must pay a fee to cover insurance. Once the advance fee is paid, the consumer never hears from the company again and the loan never appears.

Property investment schemes – would-be investors attend a free presentation and are persuaded to hand over thousands of pounds to sign up to a course promising to teach them how to make money dealing in property. Schemes may involve the opportunity to buy properties which have yet to be built at a discount. A variation is a buy-to-let scheme where companies offer to source, renovate and manage properties, claiming good returns from rental income. In practice, the properties are near-derelict and the tenants non-existent.

Work-at-home and business opportunity scams – often work by advertising paid work from home but which require money up-front to pay for materials; or by requiring investment in a business with little or no chance of success.

Christine Wade, director of consumer regulation enforcement at the OFT, said:
'Scammers are resourceful, enterprising, and manipulative. By exploiting the same routes to market as legitimate business, they damage not only individual consumers, but the interests of fair-trading businesses as well. We will continue to work with our partners within the UK and overseas to enforce the law against perpetrators of these misleading and fraudulent schemes; and to provide the public with the knowledge and skills they need to recognise these scams.'

NOTES
1. Estimate of the loss to UK consumers is based upon data from a variety of sources. These include PhoneBusters, the Canadian national call centre for reporting telephone scams; seizures from PO boxes by enforcement bodies; complaints to ICSTIS about unexpected premium-rate call charges; and statistics provided by the National Criminal Intelligence Service.

2. For action taken by the OFT against deceptive telemarketing see press releases 208/04, 125/O4, 63/04, 156/03 and 116/03.