Money Making Scams Finally Revealed!

Membership Riches

2011-02-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

Membership Riches is a powerful course which really delivers on its promise! I am skeptical of anything offered for free on the internet. Most the time the free offer is just a way to get you to sign up so that the marketer can get more participants on his mailing list! But I must say that the Membership Riches free fourteen day course is a must have for anyone who wants to make money online selling the most sought product on the internet today. And that product which I speak of is information!

Many online marketers offer free stuff to entice people into signing up for the offer, and in return get added to the mailing list of the marketer. You'll see courses, software and all other kind of ploys in attempt to get list members to email to. I was pleasantly surprised with Membership Riches though! I found the 14 day course very informative. This course would be great for the internet pro and the beginner alike!

Membership Riches is all about the most profitable sources of wealth that can be found on the internet today! And that source of wealth is to create your own a membership site. You see, when you own a membership site you charge a monthly fee for a service and/or monthly software upgrades. This source of income is what's called "residual income"! Residual income is the strongest form of compensation that's available.

And when it comes to guiding you step by step and day by day, nobody does it better than Jason James in Membership Riches! Within this free fourteen day course you'll learn and discover the tricks to creating and operating a very successful membership site.

Here is just one of the techniques that you will learn when you enroll for the Membership Riches 14 day course:

The same set it and forget it process of automation that the gurus use everyday. The set it and forget it automation offered by the free fourteen day course, is the most powerful and proven technique in the internet marketing industry! And the Membership Riches free course lays it out so simple that anyone can accomplish success by using the techniques as explained.

And that's just one of the techniques that you will learn! I encourage you to take advantage of this amazing free offer from Membership Riches , but don't delay do it today!

The real estate B.S. artist detection checklist (continued)

2011-01-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

6. Emphasis on motivational material. Every successful person I know has benefited from motivational books like The Power of Positive Thinking. Many of us have had life experiences like emotional high-school football pep talks which gave dramatic evidence of the power of focused motivation. I would not diminish the role of motivation in success in real estate or any other field. However, motivational material ought to be packaged as such.

When books or tapes are described as containing how-to information on real-estate investment, they ought to contain little or no motivational material. The protest that the customer "needs" to be motivated is beside the point. It is dishonest to promise how-to information, then deliver a bunch of "You-can-do-it" platitudes instead. The motivational business, like patriotism in Samuel Johnson's memorable phrase, is one of the last refuges of scoundrels. Although there are many who approach the field of motivation with rigorous scientific discipline, there are more for whom the motivation business is merely a con -- a chance to sell yet another cure-all "elixir" without having to get FDA approval.

7. Claim to do lots of deals. Virtually all the B.S. artists say, "I don't just teach these techniques. I use them every day in my own investment program." Baloney. There aren't enough hours in the day.

Gurus get the same 24-hour days as you. Being an expert takes time. We have to read many trade journals, loose-leaf services, and books to keep up to date. We have to spend hours on the phone interviewing sources for articles and books -- and hours in the library researching legal cases and other relevant facts. As experts, gurus get interviewed by the media on the phone and in radio and TV studios and they make speeches to investors. Finally, we have to manage the guru business itself. That means designing brochures, responding to customer-service problems, checking proofs from the printer, indexing books, negotiating with printers and recording studios, going over the income and expenses of the guru business, and so forth.

Obviously, we do not, after all that, have as much time as non-gurus do for investing. But in the financial guru business, the question, "Are you using these techniques yourself or just teaching them?" is ubiquitous. And any answer but, "Oh, yes," seems devastating to the credibility of the guru. In fact, real-estate gurus (other than those who just dabble in guruing) who do a deal a month or more are extremely rare. Or they are buying garbage properties by the dozen---with little or no analysis or due diligence---mainly so that they can claim they do lots of deals and be technically accurate.

You can smoke out such gurus by simply asking them for the addresses of some of the properties they have owned. I put the addresses of all the properties I ever owned at my Web site. I have asked a number of other real estate gurus to give me one or more of the addresses of properties they have owned. I got zero response. Either they are lying or their deals are illegal and they cannot stand any scrutiny.

8. Offer to invest in your deals. The bad real-estate gurus are really just salesmen. As such, one of their main problems is how to overcome the objections of prospective customers. They target the less affluent and they are selling investment advice, so one of the most common objections they get is, "I don’t want to buy your course because I have no money to invest." To overcome that objection, some dishonest real-estate gurus have been saying that they will invest in deals that you bring them.

It's a lie. They may have invested in one or two just so they could say they did, but no more. Paying such finders fees violates brokerage laws in some states like New Jersey. Securities and brokerage laws may be triggered in other states. The quality of the deals submitted by their armies of novices must be fall-down-laughing abysmal.

Joe Kaiser told me he invested in some of his student's deals, but refused to give me any of the addresses of the deals in question so I or my readers could confirm them. The real-estate world is full of investors and developers who provide the addresses of their properties in brochures, annual reports, directories, on the walls of their offices, in magazine ads, and in news releases. I put the addresses of every property I ever owned at my Web site. But no other guru will provide a single address. Ya gotta wonder why.

This is a variation on the classic advance-fee-loan scam. One of the classic frauds that con men perpetrate is called the "advance-fee-loan" scam. In it, a con man finds a person who is having trouble getting a loan and offers them a loan. Often, there is some bogus explanation, like 'It's offshore money," to explain why the con man can get you a loan when no one else can. When you accept, the con man tells you there is a small fee for the paperwork or some such. In fact, the con man is purely in the business of collecting the fees and running. There is no loan.

The real-estate-investment variation on this is to tell you that the guru will help you buy property by putting up the down payment or by advising you or by teaching you how to buy for nothing down. The nothing-down con involves various approaches from "motivated"-seller financing to government loans to lease options to flipping to finding partners to "bring me the deal and I will put up the money to buy it and split the profits with you." In fact, the con man is purely in the business of taking your "advance fee" in the form of a retainer or the cost of "training" or "mentoring" or high-priced book-and-tape courses. They have no interest in investing in deals you bring them. It is a lie to get you to part with the advance fee. Their various techniques for buying nothing down do not work in the real world. They just lie to you to get the advance fee.

I got an email from a reader who told me there was a story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette newspaper about a real estate investment guru who was in trouble with the law. The story is at http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_city/20020808cburbs9.asp. According to the article, 61-year old Michael Enelow was indicted on 29 counts of wire and mail fraud by a grand jury in connection with a real estate investment scam. He reportedly ran ads in periodicals around the U.S. from 1995 through 2000 offering money to people who would refer real estate deals to him. The indictment said he lied about how much money he had and how many deals he did. He charged $1,500 to sign up and got over a thousand people to send him that much. (1,000 x $1,500 = $1,500,000) The FBI said Enelow lived off the $1,500 charges and that his real estate dealings were insignificant.

The real estate B.S. artist detection checklist

2011-01-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Readers often ask me what I think of a particular guru's seminar or home-study course. In many cases, I don't know the work of the guru in question. But I can make general observations about the B.S. artists which you can use to spot them.

1. Emphasis on luxurious lifestyle. Gurus I respect, like Bill Tappan (author of Real Estate Exchange and Acquisition Techniques) and Bob Bruss (nationally syndicated real estate columnist) rarely mention the life-style you will enjoy if you buy their products or follow their advice. Although they are successful real-estate people, they see no need to write about being rich or to wear their affluence on their sleeve (or around their neck or pinky). On the other hand, the B.S. artists feature the imagined lifestyle of the rich in their TV ads, come-on speeches, and "how-to" materials. They also accessorize themselves with flash like ostentatious jewelry and rented limousines or rented private jets.

2. Subjective self description. The "about-the-authors" of the gurus I respect are generally written in Jack Webb style: "Just the facts, Ma'am." Leigh Robinson, for example, describes himself in one sentence: "Leigh Robinson is landlord to 360 tenants and lectures in Landlording for University of California Extension." Bill Tappan's bio contains not a single laudatory adjective. Just a handful of relevant facts about his exchanging experience and the first edition of his book.

In contrast, the B.S. artists tend to have book jacket or ad copy which describes them as the "leading real estate expert in the United States today" or the "Number One, most-sought-after..." Their bios are full of baseless, subjective adjectives and nouns, like "innovative...... famous, spectacularly successful," "authority," etc. B.S. artists often use photographs or videotape of themselves hanging around executive jets, limos, yachts, mansions, five-star hotels, exotic resorts, or expensive cars to imply that they have achieved great financial success.

3. No pitfalls or corrections. There are dangers in everything. But you rarely read about danger in a book by a real estate B.S. artist... or hear about it in one of his cassettes or TV infomercials. Everybody makes mistakes. But you rarely read about a guru's mistake or see a correction in a B.S. artist's newsletter. The B.S. artists are self-proclaimedly big on being "positive." And one of the things they're positive about is that the dream world they depict will not be marred by unpleasant reality.

On the other hand, worthwhile gurus are as likely to write about mistakes made (often by the guru himself/herself) and dangers overlooked as about spectacular profits achieved. And all ethical periodicals writers run corrections when they make a mistake.

4. No bad news. In addition to teaching techniques, real-estate investment gurus have to respond to news like court decisions, legislation, economic trends, and so forth. Of course, some of the news is bad. But the B.S. artists invariably respond to bad news in Pollyanna fashion. They always see "opportunity." The closest they come to acknowledging the unhappy truth is to describe a situation as a "challenge."

The Tax Reform Act of 1986 was a good litmus test. Any investor whose IQ exceeds his body temperature knows that was the worst tax law for real-estate investors since the income tax was invented. But when it passed, the B.S. artists called it "the best thing that ever happened to real estate"...or words to that effect.

Why do they do that? For one thing, they fear bad news will depress sales. With good reason apparently. A bunch of real estate newsletters have gone out of business since the late '80s real estate depressions hit many markets and the Tax Reform Act of '86 passed. Another reason B.S. artists don't acknowledge bad news is that they simply cannot shut off their slinging mechanism. They are B.S. kinda guys. There's nothing wrong with looking for opportunity in ostensibly bad situations. Many of my articles have done just that. You only become a B.S. artist when you look for it, can't find it, but claim it's there anyway.

5. Universally-applicable techniques. The various techniques one can use in real estate investment are like mechanic's tools. The one you use depends on the situation and your goal. Just as no tool is appropriate for every mechanical job, neither is any real-estate-investment technique appropriate for every situation. Each has advantages and disadvantages and most are only useful in a narrow range of circumstances. The B.S. artists trot out one obscure technique after another in an effort to impress the customer with all the "new" material they are getting. But rarely is a word spoken about when the technique is appropriate. The reader or listener is left with the impression that the technique is appropriate for any and all acquisitions.

John Schaub (Sarasota, FL) --- I recommend

2011-01-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

I attended most of his seminar and I thought it was good. He said his seminar attendees bought For Sale By Owner properties at bargain prices during every one of his seminars. But, to my surprise, he was unable to give me a single name of such a person so I could interview them and write about their bargain...other than Jimmy Napier, another real estate guru. Napier confirmed that he had attended a Schaub seminar and purchased a FSBO as a result. He told me the price he paid but refused to tell me the market value of the property at the time he bought it so I could gauge the extent of his bargain. He kept repeating that you could never tell what a property is worth until you sold it. That, of course, is baloney. Nobody buys a property without first assuring himself that he is paying no more than market value. Smart bargain purchasers make sure they are paying at least 20% less than market value and they cannot sell the property before they buy it in order to ascertain the market value.

Schaub is extremely popular with, and highly regarded by, real estate investors who have taken his Making It Big on Little Deals seminar.

Internet Million Dollars

2011-01-23T01:26:00.000-08:00

Today on the internet I find that anyone who can throw up a sales page claims to be a "professional marketer". Well let me ask you this, who better to teach money making techniques than a Professor of Economics?? The Internet Million Dollars product was created, and is taught by Professor James Bradley. Now do you think he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to making money online? I can tell you from first hand experience that yes he does!

The teaching of Professor James Bradley of Internet Million Dollars is packed with information that both the experienced marketer as well as the beginner should have knowledge of. Professor James Bradley is a multi-millionaire. An expert in the field of world finance, Bradley has been engaged in the analysis of the Internet market since 1998. In the course of his research he has developed a method which allows anybody to earn thousands of dollars in an extremely short time.

If you have 49.90 for the Internet Million Dollars product, and $10.00 for promotion James Bradley will guide you on how to earn a substantial amount of money, with your computer as the only tool you need. There are systems our there that cost double and even triple the price of Internet Million Dollars. $49.90 for information this powerful is a steal! Many people who I know personally, has followed his teachings and just within a few days I have doubled their prior internet income.

The Internet Million Dollars is unique in many ways. The most obvious thing that's unique about this system is that it's taught by an educator. I mean this product would be worth $49.90 if it we're taught by a high school math teacher. But considering that the Internet Million Dollars is taught by a College Professor make it that much more valuable and unique.

Another unique aspect of the Internet Million Dollars is that it's automatic. There's really not much for you to do at all. He lays out the details so simply that all you really need to do is complete a few easy steps and from there the system James Bradley teaches you, just continues to run by itself with no further action needed on your part!

The bottom line is that if you want to be taught by a true professional, then you you can't afford to pass up Internet Million Dollars

Donald Trump (New York City) --- I recommend (only his Art of the Deal book)

2011-01-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

I recommend Trump's book Art of the Deal although it is about institutional (huge) properties and development so it is only partially helpful to individual real estate investors (purchase, renovation, and sale of small, existing properties) and beginners. I have also seen some episodes of the Apprentice and was generally impressed with the way Trump handled himself and dealt with his subordinates.

Trump's publisher asked me to contribute to a forthcoming book of his on "the best real estate advice I ever got." I sent in a contribution, but I later withdrew it because I started seeing ads that showed Trump speaking with Robert Kiyosaki and Tony Robbins (he is not real estate but I commented about him in my rating of Marshall Reddick) and because I heard that the real estate guy at Trump's University is Dolf De Roos.

I do not recommend other speakers who are associated with Trump.

A number of readers have commented to me along the lines that Trump is the gold standard of real estate investment. I disagree. He is a somewhat successful (one company of his went bankrupt) developer of commercial properties in Manhattan and now branching out into some other cities. He is also perhaps the most prominent commercial developer in the nation becaues of his use of his name on most of his properties; his focus on landmark properties like office buildings, hotels, condos, and casinos rather than less glamourous properties like industrial buildings or garden apartments; his TV series; his marriages; and other activities that draw media attention. Trump is a celebrity real esatte developer. If there is a top real estate investor, it is more likely a guy who never put any of his companies into bankruptcy like Sam Zell or Tom Barrack whom Fortune named "The World's Greatest Real Estate Investor" in its 10/31/05 issue.

Richard Wood --- Murdered

2011-01-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Wood was a paper (seller mortgages) seminar guru. He reportedly persuaded his seminar students to give him $4 to $6 million to invest in second mortgages. Instead, he used some of it to pay phony returns to later investors. Using the principal of early investors to pay phony returns to them and later investors is called a Ponzi Scheme after Charles Ponzi, the first to receive great publicity for using the scheme. Wood reportedly put the rest of the investor's money into his own accounts -- offshore. When he avoided investors or told them unbelivable stories explaining why he could not give them their money back, they forced him into involuntary bankruptcy. He stopped making payments on his $500,000 Las Vegas mortgage and was presumably about to flee the country when he was shot dead in front of his house.

Jeffrey Taylor (Norfolk, VA) --- I recommend but...

2011-01-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

"Mr. Landlord" Some good information , some incorrect information. Too gimmicky for my taste. He offers so many "special" deals and free trials on his newsletter that I wonder if anybody ever pays for it. I got a bunch of mail from his readers once. Oddly, much of it came in envelopes that were recycled. For example, electric company bill envelopes with the electric company return address crossed out and my name and address written on the window. Many wanted to know what"specials" I offered. Strange group.

Simple Man’s Guide to Real Estate --- I do not recommend

2011-01-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

When I visited it years ago, the Web site for this "course" or whatever it is had, in white letters on a white background, the following:

Carleton Sheets Don Lapre no money down Wade Cook foreclosures Carlton Sheets Carleton Sheets is OK, but there is a low-cost, more powerful alternative... Carleton Sheets Real Estate Carleton Sheets Real Estate Carlton Sheets Real Estate

The use of such "invisible" words at a Web page is dishonest. Note that I do not have a person's name here for my rating. The Web site for this whatever does not list the name of a single human being or company except for the ones he, she, they claim he, she, they are better than, like Carleton Sheets. That’s strange. A visitor to this page tells me Bill Vaughn is the author.

This Web site has a logo that says "Registered Safer Shopping Site ePublic Eye." A number of readers have noted that logo appearing on other sites of gurus I do not recommend. Apparently, that organization has far lower standards than I.

On 1/26/05, I got an email purportedly from "Chuck Hall, Administrator, IntelliBiz." It says that my statement that they have the above words in white letters on a white background is a "lie." Accordingly, I changed the tense of the first sentence in this review to the past tense. I have not checked their Web site recently. I guarantee that the above statement about white-on-white words was accurate when I first wrote it.

Affiliate Project X

2010-12-30T22:39:00.000-08:00

There are some hard feelings over the release of Affiliate Project X. I have no hard feeling about the release of this informational product, but then again I'm not as greedy as some. You should understand that the secrets revealed by Affiliate Project X, were kept between very limited numbers of professional affiliate marketers. When Chris released these secrets to the general public, many internet marketers were very upset. But don't worry, because Chris still has a few friends left!

There is one thing for certain, the longer the product page the more content the members area has. That's a little hint for you to use when deciding which product to purchase. And Affiliate Project X has a product page that will take you a while to read. Although it will take you some time to read it, it's worth reading every word.

I bought this product because it sounded to good to be true. I was ready to blast a very bad review of the Affiliate Project X product. But when I seen what the back office was loaded with I decided to be a bit kinder with my review. There is information within the knowledge bank of the back office you have never, and probably will never find anywhere else. So many information sellers sell the same information as the next guy. That is not so with Affiliate Project X information product.

I know from first hand experience that the information contained within the Affiliate Project X, is appropriate for the beginner as well as the seasoned professional. Many professional marketers not yet in the loop have purchased Affiliate Project X for themselves. Whether you are new or experienced this product will teach you the secret to making $500 a day and even more. The information that you will discover is simple to understand yet so very powerful enough to utilize and make massive amounts of money.

Something which I highly respect about the product is that it was tested before Affiliate Project X product was released to the public for sale. Most marketers will just try their techniques themselves, and then throw it out there and hope that the average person will achieve success with the product. Chris tested his techniques on a dozen test subjects. When and only when those test subjects obtained phenomenal success, he released Affiliate Project X to the public. Now that's about as honest as it gets!

Click Here To Find Out About The Affiliate Project X!

Joe Land --- I do not recommend

2010-12-24T00:04:00.000-08:00

Joe was a nothing-down guru in the mid-'80s. I "debated" him on a 60 Minutes segment titled "Nothing Down" on March 16, 1986. Morely Safer was the correspondent.

Land said you only needed one technique. His was buying, at a discount, a mortgage someone had taken back on the sale of a house. Then you got a new institutional mortgage for 80% of value and used the mortgage you bought at a discount as down payment. The face value of the mortgage you bought at a discount was bigger than 20% of the value of the property you were buying, so you actually pocketed several thousand dollars proceeds of the new first mortgage at closing.

Morley Safer explained it well. He said the crux of Land's technique was persuading the owner of the mortgage that it was not worth what it said, then turning around and immediately persuading the owner of the house you were buying that the mortgage was worth what it said. There is no doubt some sellers are that dumb, especially those who are trying to sell overpriced property. But there are no institutional lenders who will knowingly do that deal.

I debated Land subsequently on a conference call that included Joe, me, and Time magazine reporter Jon Hull. Land insisted that he had done this deal many times and that many lenders would do it. I asked for the address of a property where Land had done such a deal. He refused to give one, citing confidentiality. Time promised anonymity to the lender. Land still refused. I urged Morley Safer to ask the same question of Land. He did and Land refused to provide him with an address, also.

Land stopped doing real estate seminars not long after the 60 Minutes piece ran. He later did TV infomercials in which he sold audio tapes purportedly containing subliminal self-improvement messages. All you could hear was sea gulls and ocean waves. I am told that at one of his real estate seminars, Land once told an associate, "These people would buy blank tapes if I told them to." Later when he was selling the seagulls-and-wave tapes, he said, "They aren't blank, but they're pretty close."

I always thought that blank-tapes story epitomized the real estate B.S. artist segment of the guru business.

Jay P. DeCima (Redding, CA) --- I recommend

2010-12-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

Reasonably-priced book ($24.95) Generally reasonably-worded brochure—although it is noteworthy that he tells you to whom the check should be payable, but gives no mailing address, thereby preventing you from paying by check. That’s the kind of mistake that disqualifies you from getting your financial-genius secret decoder ring.

Excellent book on the fixer strategy. I do not like the parts of the book that discuss partnerships and financing. I do not know if his more expensive products are worth their prices.

I could do without Jay's cornpone, Beverly Hillbillies costume and occasionally folksy language. De Cima is apparently from the Joe Land-Jimmy Napier School of Presenting Yourself as a Country Boy. It's a bit odd, but does not seem to prevent one from giving decent real estate advice. It's the guys who wear pinky rings and gold chains that you have to watch out for.

DeCima is a slob about checking his facts. For example, on page vii, he says, "nearly half the work force was unemployed during the Great Depression." It took me about 20 seconds to get the correct figure, 26% at the peak. The book contains a number of such Cliff Claven-style errors.

He also fails to attribute stuff he got from other people. For example, on page 93, he tells one of Joe Land's jokes without mentioning Joe and prefacing it with, "When I write about this subject, I'm always reminded of..."

When DeCima talks about non-fixer investment issues, his thinking is sometimes muddled, uninformed, or illogical. For example, his discussion at the top of page 9 and elsewhere in the book seems not to reflect an understanding of the time value of money. On page 116, he dismisses the use of computers in real estate out of hand. There is no doubt that computers can be misused. I recommend against all canned real-estate-investment-analysis programs. However, failure to use a computer to manage property or to analyze large amounts of useful, accurate data is idiotic.

He seems oblivious to an ethical issue on page 131. He says it's best to work with just one agent, in part, so you can get access to so-called "pocket listings." I was an agent for two years. "Pocket listings" do exist, but they are an unethical agent practice. A "pocket listing" is one which the agent keeps "in his pocket" and shows only to his best buyers. Since the agent has a fiduciary duty to get the highest price for the seller, he must publicize the fact that the house is for sale as widely as possible as fast as possible. If, instead, he only tells his favorite buyer, to avoid another agent splitting the commission, he is acting against the interest of his client, violating his fiduciary duty to the seller. You should not deal with unethical agents who keep listings "in their pockets" either as a buyer or as a seller.

Don't get me wrong. When DeCima talks about buying and fixing houses for profit, his book is excellent. But he says a number of things that I must dissociate from my general recommendation of the book lest readers think I agree with everything that's in it. Because I see a number of inaccuracies, exaggerations, and failures to attribute in the book, I worry that some of the unverifiable statements about DeCima's successes may be similarly inaccurate or exaggerated or the result of external factors rather than the result of DeCima's own efforts.

Wade Cook

2010-12-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

I thought that in my next few posts I would focus on specific Get Rich Quick "Gurus". Some of these guys are honest to goodness money making gods...most only make money from suckers. I'll let you know what I think in future posts.

Wade Cook (Seattle, WA) --- I do not recommend
Real Estate Money Machine author. He has declared bankruptcy multiple times, has unpaid fines levied against him by state attorneys general, has been the subject of cease-and-desist orders from attorneys general, has taken the Fifth Amendment in court, and has been indicted. Smart Money magazine did an extensive article ("Wade’s World") on his financial and legal difficulties in October 1996. Call 800-925-0485 for a copy. The State of Texas went after Cook on 5/1/98. While you are at the FTC Web site, you may want to search around for other pertinent information. I suggest you bookmark my site before you do so you do not have to hit "back" a zillion times to find your way back. Here is a link to a Reader's Digest story about Cook and other gurus. There is a devastating article from the Wall Street Journal at the Motley fool Web site. The Street.com has an article with a nose-diving graph showing the performance of Cook's trades and another by a staffer who attended Cook's seminar.

On 10/5/00, Bloomberg News accounts said Wade Cook Financial Corp. would offer refunds to thousands of investors who attended Wade Cook stock-market seminars. This was to settle action brought against Wade Cook Financial Corp. by the Federal Trade Commission. Cook was also sued by the attorneys general of the states of AL, AZ, CA, ID, IL, KS, MO, NC, NM, OK, OR, PA, TX, and WA. Cook told investors they would learn how to double their money every 2 1/2 to 3 months and claimed "We do it all the time." Cook's corporation’s stock market investments lost 42% of their value in the first half of 2000.

Investors who did not earn back from stock-market trading at least what they paid for the seminar (up to $6,295) are eligible for refunds. Shares in Wade Cook Financial Corp sold for as much as $5.30 in 9/97. They now sell for 18¢. Although neither Cook’s students nor his shareholders have done very well (he owned 64.5% of Wade Cook Financial Corp. on 4/30/00), Cook himself took $22 million out of the corporation in compensation - more than triple corporate earnings for the period.

Cook is a best-selling author (Wall Street Money Machine) and also wrote Real Estate Money Machine previously. He is one of a number of best-selling financial authors who make that list, in large part, a rogue's gallery. The many people who buy Cook's books and attend his seminars are idiots. I have talked to some on the phone. When they ask about him, I recite all his legal troubles, including his bankruptcies. They then ask what I think of his latest book. Like I said, idiots.

On 12/19/02, Wade Cook Financial Services was put into involuntary Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy (Case No. 02-25434) in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Western District of Washington. On 1/17/03, this was converted to a Chapter 22 reorganization bankruptcy on 1/17/03. When I did a search to confirm this, I typed Wade Cook bankruptcy into Google and immediately got the pertinent Web page of the Western District of Washington U.S. Bankruptcy Court Web site.

Google Wealth Wizard

2010-12-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

I pretty much cannot stand any info products out there! Ahhh, they just always seem to let me down, over and over again. It's a non-stop cycle of failure! So I came across Google Wealth Wizard, and I knew it absolutely was going to suck.

It just had to suck. I mean, come on, how many products out there do work? Not many that I come across. Granted, yes, I have bought myself some info products that have added a few dollars to my bank account, but not many to brag about, and certainly what I got was nothing I was promissed.

"$1000 a day? Yeah right, in my dreams. What do they think I am? Stupid?" That's exactly what I said when I came across the Google Wealth Wizard, and needless to say, I quickly left the site and went on with my life searching for the next "big" opportunity. What I came across was very interesting...

Being a member on some of the net's most popular money making forums, I came across a few post that startled me. People were actually claiming that the Google Wealth Wizard does work. How can this be?

One person claimed that it took him only 8 days to make over $250 a day with doing very little work. He felt he could make more but he wanted to take things slow and build from there. In my opinion, this is probably the best approach.

Still though, I was skeptical, and being an editor for an online money making review site, I was a natural cridict towards every product I came in contact with over the Internet. Google Wealth Wizard was certainly no exception.

As the product became more and more popular and as the forums began to have more and more posts of people's experience with the Google Wealth Wizard, I decided that maybe the Google Wealth Wizard was something I should check out. Besides, I had a review site to run and I always need new products to review. So, I gave in and purchased the Google Wealth Wizard.

The Google Wealth Wizard offers beginner with NO computer or online money making experience, as well as individuals already familiar with ways of making money online, new information that other products leave out.

The Google Wealth Wizard is relatively new, being released in mid September, 2006. If anything has proven true in internet marketing, you ALWAYS want to be the first on board to try new methods before the competition gets fierce. Guess what. The competition isn't there yet!

Because of this new product and new information, I was able to cash in extra income before too many people got ahold of the product. After 4 months, a product begins to lose its effectiveness, so it's essential to get on the information as soon as possible.

Luckily you have the opportunity to pick up on this great information product before it gets too late.

But wait one minute...there were a few things that I felt the Google Wealth Wizard was missing. I felt there wasn't enough information on email marketing (which is HUGE in making money online. I do it ALL the time) and not near enough information on viral marketing (which also is HUUUUGE).

Sure, I do honestly believe that people can make money with the Google Wealth Wizard alone, but don't expect a "tell-all" book...Afterall, there's always more to learn...the Google Wealth Wizard just covers one aspect of making money on the 'net.

Make Money Online (Without Spending a Dime)

2010-12-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

Even with no product and no Web site, you can get paid for what and who you know

Making money online used to pretty much require you to have your own Web site, products to sell and some marketing savvy. But a new generation of dot-coms have arisen that will pay you for what you know and who you know without you having to be a web designer or a marketing genius.

But it's hard to tell hype from the real deal. I did a search on "make money online" and "making money online", and much of the information out there is just promoting various infoproducts, mostly about Internet marketing. I see why people sometimes ask, "Is anyone making money online besides Internet marketing experts?"

So I put together a list of business opportunities with legitimate companies that:

Pay cash, not just points towards rewards or a chance to win money
Don't require you to have your own Web domain or your own products
Don't involve any hard-selling
Aren't just promoting more Internet marketing
Give a good return on your time investment

These are legitimate companies with business models that allow you to get paid for a wide range of activities.

Help friends find better jobs.

Sites like karmaONE, JobThread and H3.com connect employers with prospective employees, many of whom are already employed and not actively job-hunting, via networking - the people who know these qualified candidates. Rewards for referring a candidate who gets hired range from a few hundred dollars to as much as $5,000 - not chump change. This is a great way to break into the recruiting business with no overhead.

Connect suppliers with buyers.

Referral fees are a common practice in business, but they haven't been used much in online networking sites because there was no way to track them. InnerSell provides that. Vendors set the referral fees they're willing to pay, then when a deal happens, you get 70% of the referral fee.

Provide business contact information.

One of the greatest challenges in sales is getting accurate contact information about prospective customers. A growing number of services have launched in the past couple of years to help address this, but most rely on members to maintain their own contact information. Jigsaw, on the other hand, pays members to help keep information up-to-date on the people they know, not just themselves, and pays them to do so ($1 for each unique new qualifying contact you put into the system). According to Jigsaw, in their first payout after launch, the top ten point-earns each received more than $750.

Become a semi-pro reporter.

Creative Reporter is a new program from Creative Weblogging that lets just about anyone become a paid reporter/blogger. They're looking for people to create original, but non-exclusive, blog posts / articles of 250-500 words on topics including parenting, celebrities, travel, mobile technology, and more. Pay is $10 per 1,000 page views on your posts (that's excellent pay for Web writing, although there's no telling how much traffic/money you'll actually get).

Write your own blog.

You don't have to have your own Web site, or install blogging software, or even figure out how to set up the advertising. Here on Blogger you can set up a blog for free in less than five minutes without knowing a thing about web design, and Blogger even automates setting up Google AdSense so you can make money off your blog by displaying ads and getting paid when people click on the ads. To make even more money from it, set up an affiliate program (see below) for books, music, etc., and insert your affiliate links whenever you refer to those items. You'll have to get a lot of traffic to become a six-figure blogger, but pick an interesting topic, write well, tell all your friends, and you're off to a good start.

Advertise other people's products.

If you already have a Web site or a blog, look for vendors that offer related but non-competing products and see if they have an affiliate program. Stick to familiar products and brands - they're easier to sell. To promote those products:

Place simple text or graphical ads in appropriate places on your site
Include links to purchase products you review or recommend in a blog, discussion forum or mailing list you control
Create a dedicated sales page or Web site to promote a particular product

They all work - it just depends on how much time you have to spend on it and your level of expertise with Web design and marketing.

The above list is by no means comprehensive, but it highlights some of the new and interesting ways to make money online without investing any money, without having a product of your own, and without having expert sales and marketing skills. Most of all, unlike taking surveys or getting paid to read e-mail, the potential return on your time investment is substantial.

The Blogging Cash Machine

2010-12-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

There is a new ebook on the market about making money using free blogs online and is fast climbing up the popularity ranks.

The tagline for this ebook is "Make Mounds of Money Blogging Part-Time", and the author apparently makes $9000 a month for one affiliate product. So the question is whether or not "The Blogging Cash Machine", by Danny Warner, actually makes good on its promises. As a guy who has made a full-time income from exclusively free methods, I decided to investigate.

Section 1 -- Keyword Research and Selecting your Niche Market

A very thorough introduction to the bread-and-butter of founding a successful blog, accessible enough for even the greenest of newbies to understand. Warner even explains what a keyword actually is, before telling you exactly how to find good keywords and providing a formula on how to assess whether or not they will be profitable. An excellent start and very reassuring to those who consider themselves technologically-challenged.

Section 2 -- Setting up your Blog

Once again, Warner doesn't spare the detail. He tells you exactly what blogs are, compares the different blog platforms (such as Blogger and Wordpress), and then goes into rich detail about how to effectively set them up. This is as step-by-step as it gets, but without compromising on the little tips and tricks that you can make on your blog's settings to boost your profit margin.

Section 3 -- Monetising your Blog

This section is one of the highlights of the ebook. As we have now come to expect, Warner starts off by simply explaining what methods are available to make money from your blog, ensuring no reader is left behind. Then he walks you step-by-step on how to add affiliate links and Google Adsense. Now this is really standout, because Warner uses colourful diagrams to show us exactly where the Adsense should be placed and, thankfully, tells us exactly where to cut and paste our code in order to achieve maximum profitability. This gives you incredible versatility, and it is utterly paint-by-numbers; read the instructions and apply as directed.

Section 4 -- Generating Content for your Blog

This section covers the information to put in your blog. Warner provides some neat templates, so you should never be short of ideas on how to structure your content. It is also explained how to use PLR articles, outsourcing articles, using forums and many other methods. On top of all of that, there is a guide on how to optimize your content to provide good rankings for your posts.

Section 5 -- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your Blog

Now we get to the juicy bit. "The Blogging Cash Machine" makes it incredibly simple to quickly set up a blog, add content and monetise it. But that won't be worth squat if you can't drive traffic to your site. This is where SEO comes in, and Warner doesn't even spare the kitchen sink. You'll learn about - and how to - add back links, anchor text, blog submission, directory listing, articles, press releases and forums. And as though it isn't enough to give complete step-by-step guides to all of these methods, you also get relative lists of resources so you know exactly where to do your submitting and general SEO.

Section 6 -- Advanced SEO Strategies that will take you to the Top of the Search Engines

The final chapter deals with very dynamic techniques to boost your blog from mediocrity to dominating the search engines. I can't give away too much about what Warner writes here for obvious reasons, but they are certainly very viable methods he has written about.

My Conclusion:

Danny Warner drives $9000 or more in affiliate sales each month, primarily from blogs. It is accepted that people can make a full-time living online, even from free methods. The question here then, is whether or not "The Blogging Cash Machine" will help you do that.

As an internet marketer who has read more than his fair share of eBooks, this is one of the finest I have ever come across - and I don't hand out favors for free. "The Blogging Cash Machine" is remarkable because of its utter accessibility and sheer depth. Although it is a reasonably streamlined ebook that won't take you more than an hour to finish, it is packed with juicy strategies from start to finish. And it is written in an entirely newbie-friendly way that doesn't isolate more experienced marketers.

If you cannot make back the money you spend on this ebook by a score of tenfold, then you may as well forget about using the internet as a means of making a living from home!

No Thank You Rich Jerk - Honest Riches

2010-12-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

I was hesitant to write up this review, but this excellent Marketing E-Book is too exceptional for me to pass it by.

When I was a beginner, I no idea how to make money on the internet. I first tried one of the most popular jobs on the Internet, taking surveys. This job was easy, but is very time-consuming. I would get invitations in my e-mail to join a survey club, and I was promised that I would make a certain amount of money per month by just filling out surveys. However, I discovered that this money was discounts with stores and companies that the survey company sponsored. Coupons don't pay the bills. Then I tangled, with some success, in E-bay...but it was so much work. Then I came across the real secret...affiliate marketing. I was very curious about it and decided to research it more. I made many bonehead purchases into many bonehead scams. I was in debt and continually ripped off. But then I found the Rich Jerk e-book. My life has never been the same. This infomitive and, many times, comical book filled me with the drive and knowledge to really start making money. I love the Rich Jerk.

That was almost 5 years ago. More recently, in my never-ending quest for Internet scams or gold mines, the E-book kept popping up about "No Thank You Rich Jerk". There are many good reviews from very enthusiastic people that bought this young woman’s book. After a little background research, I found that her e-book contained basically the same info as the Rich Jerk's. What made it even more attractive for me is that her e-book had even more useful info than his. I purchased the book and I am so glad I did; this small investment brings me income daily. It pains me to say that this e-book is a smarter first buy than the Rich Jerk...but it is.

I was very impressed with Holly Mann. This 24-year-old entrepreneur, a single mother, was in the Army, lived in three different countries, and is now sharing all her knowledge of her successes with online marketing. Her E-book is worth every cent for a beginner. The title "Breakthrough Money Making Secrets Revealed". I've been a Rich Jerk supporter since day one. I love his book...but that was before I realized Ms. Mann's book was out and very affordable for any one starting out. Her book showed ways to make money without paying for advertising and to target key groups of people. The Rich Jerk's book provides great ways to making money – if you have a lot of money up front to start with...(which has always been my only complaint with his methods.)

I wrote to Holly Mann and received a very pleasant reply. I was very impressed with her quick response to my e-mail. Holly also offers a newsletter and a money-back guarantee for 45 days. I can see how she can live a good life for herself and her son. She can set her own hours. Reading about her personal life and her experiences of travel and flavoring the different cultures is awesome. Therefore, I decided I wanted to take the time to share this with others that want to start out with little money. This $19.97 is less than I pay for a dinner out. I tried her advice and it really works. As much as I hate to admit it, her book get's to the "meat" of the Rich Jerk faster, clearer, and more effectively. At half the cost, her book is probably better than the Rich Jerk.

I usually do not make recommendations just based on income. My commission on Rich Jerk would be much larger due to the cost being so much higher on promoting his E-Book. I made this recommendation on value. Holly Mann promoting her book is helping so many others. Her customer service and now knowing her somewhat, I can say she is an excellent and honest author. To see what I mean Click Here!

Chris Carpenter - Google Cash

2010-12-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

Chris Carpenter and the updated Google Cash is a good source of information if, PPC Affiliate Marketing is what you want to do.

There is a lot to know when you venture into pay-per-click marketing. Very quickly, factors that you may not have considered can determine whether you stay in the game. Google has just announced some major changes in their criteria for displaying your ad. It was already complicated and now it is even more so.

You begin to take a very different perspective concerning people visiting your website, when you pay for each one. Of course, if you have visitors, you are paying one way or another, but it is different when you know the exact cost.

Chris does a good job in preparing you to take this step. He offers screen shots and explanations about the intricacies of this form of advertising. He goes into great detail about keyword selection, Bid Management, Ad placement, Pre-selling, Target Market and Copywriting.

With PPC it is a bad idea to just "jump in" and try to pick it up as you go. It has been my experience that Affiliate Marketing is not the most profitable form of internet marketing, but if you are still interested in it, Google Cash will help.

Membership Riches

2010-12-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

Marketing Guru, Jason James, shares the secrets to making a 4-5 figure income each and every month with just a few simple steps. His newest product "Membership Riches" is set to launch October 26, 2006 at 9 a.m. EST, and there is already a long line of marketers chomping at the bit to get their hands on this information packet.

Membership sites are one of the easiest money makers on the internet- and one of the most misunderstood. Mr. James shows everyone just how easy it is to get started and shares the secrets to making money quickly and easily. Jason explains "It truly is a set-it-and-forget-it business model. The money comes in each and every month, while you sit back and do nothing."

"Membership Riches" was created to show individuals how to make huge profits on membership sites with little or no upkeep. The package also includes: interviews with successful website owners, secrets to an explosive product launch, affiliate marketing secrets, private label content, and a one-on-one consulting subscription. The creator of the "Membership Riches" package, Jason James had this to say about the impending product launch: "The E-book by itself is worth its weight in gold, and you will be amazed at how easy it is to make a 5 figure income each and every month. I was feeling generous with the holiday's coming up- and thought that I would sweeten the deal a bit and give away something extra. So the bonuses are also phenomenal."

Jason offers a free 14 day eCourse for anyone interested in learning about the power of membership sites. Those that register for the course will also receive a VIP notification of the "Membership Riches" product launch, so that they can start making money immediately. For details about the product or on the subject of this release, visit http://www.membershipriches.com for more details.

About Jason James, Inc.:
Internet marketer Jason James is a Former U.S. Marine and a highly accomplished and sought after speaker and consultant with expertise in: eBay Buying and Selling, Membership Website Creation, Internet Marketing, Joint Ventures, Product Launches, Motivational Tactics, and Strategic Planning.

Matthew Lesko

2010-12-05T23:07:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know what you REALLY get with Matthew Lesko?

Like many others, I wanted to know! For those of you who don't know him by name perhaps you've seen him running all over your late night TV informercials in a yellow question marked suit screaming about federal grants. His book, so he says, lists government giveaways for just about every conceivable reason.

The government has many programs designed to help people in different situations. I wanted to see what my friends in Washington were holding for me.

What I received was a HUGE encyclopedia of the Government beaurocracy and SIX HOURS of Matthew Lesko on tape. No one needs that much of him!

The Book really did have worlds of information, and it covered a large variety of topics. Too Many!

It was not very clear about the details of the programs and in calling a lot of the phone numbers I found that many were disconnected. Some did have addresses, but the few I mailed to never responsed. So I don't know if they were valid, I suspect they were old or had changed.

The Manual also says NOTHING about what to say or how to properly request these Grants and Giveaways. I subsequently learned that the manner in which you request these monies is VITALLY important, So this is definitely not a "How To" book!

Mr. Lesko's website seems to be an exaggerated version of the book. There is a little info on the best ways to apply for the Grants and Giveaways, but not much. I don't think this site clarifies that process much at all.

Even if you have an unlimited amount of time, a great deal of patience, and an excitement level equal to Mr. Lesko(which seems impossible to me)that there might be some validity to this offer, but even then you may be wasting your time.

Each year in the summer months the Federal Government prints a list of all the Grant and Loan programs. Matthew Lesko seems to be a little behind, you would think, at least he would be up to date.

Carlton Sheets

2010-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

For 25 years Carlton Sheets (actually spelled Carleton) has been selling virtually the same infomation on late night info-mercials. He has even persuaded me to buy the course on two different occasions!

The reality is that most people who order this information may put in a little effort, but soon realize that it is nowhere close to "easy" and it takes a great deal of time. I spent many weekends driving endlessly from one neighborhood to another, looking at house after house only to find MANY others doing the same thing.

I discovered that there are A LOT of different "how to" Real Estate courses and an unbelievable amount of people trying to work them. That doesn't mean that Carlton Sheets doesn't have some good information, I am only saying that plenty of other courses do too and that means BIG TIME competition!

I made some offers and gained some experience and knowledge, but I never got close to a "No Money Down" deal and I surely didn't run accross any "Cash Back at Closing" situations. I actually felt that the hype about "Cash Back" was REALLY exaggerated and that would arise in very few situations.

Another thing that bothered me was the frequent phone calls from the CarltonSheets.com people, offering me expensive "mentoring" that would "help" me succeed. They would offer to tell me the Real Secrets if I paid $2000 and another guy asked for $5000 for the "Advanced Information" . This made me feel like I had been taken for a ride, but I had to pay for the gas!

After REALLY trying to make this work, I came to the conclusion that burying my face in the newspaper, being hung up on, and driving from house to house might not be the easiest way to make money. It sure wasn't the quickest way!

This may sound like fun to you, but I didn't want to continue to work this hard trying the Carlton Sheets program. I did however keep searching for a viable and doable Real Estate Course.

You may be different, but I didn't want to continue to work this hard trying the Carleton Sheets program. I did however continue to test and try other Real Estate Courses, but they all wanted me to pay a lot to tell me the real story.

Then I came across the real deal, a program that told me the secrets from the very beginning and at a fraction of the price the others wanted. You can continue to search and believe the hype, but this one really works! To see for yourself Click Here!

Avoiding Work at Home Employment Scams

2010-11-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

Now I'm not trying to discourage people from starting Home based business through the Internet, but rather guide the people past the Business opportunities available on the net that are bogus and illegitimate. These are more popularly termed as Scams. There are numerous opportunities available on the Internet for starting a home-based business successfully. Some of these opportunities are really success oriented. However all these business strategies require hard work and dedication besides thorough knowledge about the market.

Some of these opportunities are quick and easy way of making money. Before getting involved into any business opportunity through the Internet, people must make themselves cautioned against the fraudulent scams. They should not get carried away by people who try to fool others using fake testimonials, documents, guarantee cards, and offering huge income potentials in short period of time.

There are many reliable work at home jobs on the Internet. These jobs do not claim to give easy money in short period of time. These jobs are based on hard work and open-minded communication between the employers and trusted employees through telecommuting. These jobs are more or less similar to the regular jobs in many ways. The employee must first qualify for the job that is offered. He must then develop trust with the employer through dedicated work. Most of these telecommuting jobs are treated as part time opportunities. Another way of working on the Internet is to work as freelancer or on independent contract. You can work as article writer, consultant, editor, designer and numerous other ways. With all these type of opportunities the risk of getting involved in scams is less.

The Internet business opportunity scams are more common in sales endeavors. The scrupulous people who run the Internet scams are always on the look out for a naïve wishful and desperate surfer. Many homemakers, and elderly people become a prey under these scams. Before getting it to any business option, people must get a thorough knowledge about these scams. They can get all the necessary information from the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission. These organizations help you to keep away from the Internet based scams and also help to verify the offers on the net and file complaints if necessary. Another way to avoid scams is to start up the home based business after getting the necessary information from the Small business Administration.

It is essential for people to come forward and report the scams however small be the money involved. Scams have proliferated through Internet because of the access to millions of customers. The most commonplace for Internet scams is through the auction sites. Fraudulent merchandise sales sites are on the rise. The scammers try to allure customers by offering hard to find goods such as electronic gadgets. Thousand of shoppers who whisk their money have never received their goods. The people are advised to be skeptical of sites, which offer the goods at incredibly low prices.

'Net Scam #5: Xbox Giveaway

2010-11-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

5. "Congratulations, You've Won an Xbox (IPod, plasma TV, etc.)"

The setup: You get an e-mail telling you that you've won something cool--usually the hot gadget du jour, such as an Xbox or an IPod. All you need to do is visit a Web site and provide your debit card number and PIN to cover "shipping and handling" costs.

What actually happens: The item never arrives. A few months later, mystery charges start showing up on your bank account. The only thing that gets shipped and handled is your identity. (A more benign variation on this scam drives you to a site where you're asked to cough up your contact info and agree to receive spam from advertisers until unwanted e-mail is coming out of your ears.)

The risk: Identity theft, as well as lost money if you don't dispute the charges.

The question you've gotta ask yourself: When did I enter a contest to win an Xbox (iPod, plasma TV, etc.)?

'Net Scam #4: Postal

2010-11-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

4. Postal Forwarding/Reshipping Scam

The setup: You answer an online ad looking for a "correspondence manager." An offshore corporation that lacks a U.S. address or bank account needs someone to take goods sent to their address and reship them overseas. You may also be asked to accept wire transfers into your bank account, then transfer the money to your new boss's account. In each case, you collect a percentage of the goods or amount transferred.

What actually happens: Products are purchased online using stolen credit cards--often with identities that have been purloined by phishers--and shipped to your address. You then reship them to the thieves, who will fence them overseas. Or you're transferring stolen funds from one account to another to obscure the money trail.

The risk: Sure, you can make big bucks for a while. But after a few months, you're going to look inside your bank account and find it cleaned out. Worse, when the feds come looking for the scammers, you're the one they're going to nail.

The question you've gotta ask yourself: Why can't these people receive their own darn mail?

'Net Scam #3: 419 Letter

2010-11-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

3. Nigerian 419 Letter

The setup: You receive an e-mail, usually written in screaming capital letters, that starts out like this:

"DEAR SIR/MADAM: I REPRESENT THE RECENTLY DEPOSED MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE FOR NODAMBIZIA, WHO HAS EMBEZZLED 30 MILLION DOLLARS FROM HIS STARVING COUNTRYMEN AND NOW NEEDS TO GET IT OUT OF THE COUNTRY..."

The letter says the scammers are seeking an accomplice who will transfer the funds into their account for a cut of the total--usually around 30 percent. You'll be asked to travel overseas to meet with the scammers and complete the necessary paperwork. But before the transaction can be finalized, you must pay thousands of dollars in "taxes," "attorney costs," "bribes," or other advance fees.

What actually happens: There's no minister and no money--except for the money you put up in advance. Victims who travel overseas may find themselves physically threatened and not allowed to leave until they cough up the cash. (FYI, "419" is named for the section of Nigeria's penal code that the scam violates.)

The risk: Serious financial loss--or worse. Victims of Nigerian letter fraud lose $3000 on average, according to the FBI. Several victims have been killed or gone missing while chasing a 419 scheme.

The question you've gotta ask yourself: Of all the people in the world, why would a corrupt African bureaucrat pick me to be his accomplice?

'Net Scam #2: Phishing

2010-11-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

I truly appologize for the large gap in my posts. As many of you may know, my wife has been pregnant for a while now...nine months to be exact. She has recently given birth, and, as of August 20th, we are the proud parents of Kathryn Lynn McValentine. Please excuse these gaps in posts, my dear readers, for I am back! If you recall, I am in the middle of revealing five of the Internet's most vicious scams.

2. Phishing Scams

The setup: You receive an e-mail that looks like it came from your bank, warning you about identity theft and asking that you log in and verify your account information. The message says that if you don't take action immediately, your account will be terminated.

What actually happens: Even though the e-mail looks like the real deal, complete with authentic logos and working Web links, it's a clever fake. The Web site where you're told to enter your account information is also bogus. In some instances, really smart phishers direct you to the genuine Web site, then pop up a window over the site that captures your personal information.

The risk: Your account information will be sold to criminals, who'll use it to ruin your credit and drain your account. According to Gartner, phishing scammers took consumers (and their banks, who had to cover the charges) for $1.2 billion in 2003.

The question you've gotta ask yourself: If this matter is so urgent, why isn't my bank calling me instead of sending e-mail?

Top Five Online Scams

2010-11-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

You might think Web surfers have started to wise up to Internet rip-offs. But you'd be wrong. Here's how scammers are trying to dupe you today.

After years of trying to recover from the dot-com hangover, the Internet is booming again. Online retail sales increased by 26 percent in 2005, according to comScore Networks. In September 2004, the number of domain name registrations hit 64.5 million--an all-time high. You know what else is on the rise? Internet crime.

Complaints about online fraud nearly doubled from 2004 to 2005, according to a December 2005 report by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. Research firm Gartner estimates that nearly 10 million Americans were hit by online fraudsters last year--largely due to a wave of phishing e-mails seeking to steal users' identities.

In fact, phishing attacks seem to be the new, hot scam. Scammers send you an e-mail that tries to lure you to a legitimate-looking Web site where you'll be asked to enter personal information. The thing is, it's all fake; and if you fall for it, someone is ready to take your Social Security Number and start opening credit card accounts.

The FBI recently began warning people of scammers posing as tsunami-relief organizations. And late last month, the FBI warned that someone out there was even posing as the FBI itself--sending a fraudulent e-mail with the subject line "FBI Investigation" and trying to lure people into buying products from a separate, fictional scam artist whom the Feds were supposedly on to.

Confusing? Sure. But just ask yourself this: When was the last time the FBI sent a polite e-mail when they wanted someone's cooperation in an investigation?

Thousands of con artists, grifters, fraudsters, and other denizens of the dark are trolling for victims online. Can you recognize online fraud when you see it? Over the next 5 posts I'll provide you all with a quick guide to the Top 5 scams and schemes you're most likely to find on the 'Net. Here's the first one:

1. Auction Fraud

The setup: Online auction fraud accounts for three-quarters of all complaints registered with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (formerly the Internet Fraud Complaint Center). There are many types of eBay chicanery, but the most common one is where you send in your money and get nothing but grief in return.

What actually happens: You never get the product promised, or the promises don't match the product. The descriptions may be vague, incomplete, or completely fake. One scammer accepted bids for Louis Vuitton bags that she didn't own, and then scoured the Internet looking for cheap knockoffs that cost less than the winning bid. She managed to collect at least $18,000 from bidders before she got nailed. A buyer thought he'd purchased a portable DVD player for $100, but what he got instead was a Web address for a site where he could buy a player for a $200 discount. The stories are virtually endless.

The risk: You get ripped off, losing time and money. If you spill the beans about the scam, the seller may retaliate by posting negative eBay reports about you using phony names.

The question you've gotta ask yourself: Who in their right mind would sell a $200 bag for $20?

Secret Affiliate Weapon Review

2010-11-15T19:58:00.000-08:00

Is the Secret Affiliate Weapon the Real Deal or Just Another Over-Hyped Internet Business that Never Really Delivers?

Ewen Chia has done it again with his Secret Affiliate Weapon membership site. In this Secret Affiliate Weapon review I will list the pros and cons of this affiliate business opportunity.

Despite all of the hype on the internet there are just a few proven ways to make money online. Affiliate marketing is one of them. If done right affiliate marketing can make you a fortune. Well, Ewen Chia is one of these people making a fortune online as one of the Internet's super affiliates and now he is sharing his secrets with everybody.

Secret Affiliate Weapon is advertised as an easy way to get started in affiliate marketing. Easy enough for a "Newbie" to start making money right away. I really didn't think it explains affiliate marketing simple enough for a person that knows absolutely nothing about the internet to start raking in large amounts of cash. Don't get me wrong, he has put together an easy to follow plan that anyone can follow, but I think he overestimates most people's knowledge of Internet marketing. He shares his own proven marketing system that will generate a ton of cash, just not as quickly as it is promoted.

All in all, Secret Affiliate Weapon is as advertised and even more!

The membership is extremely cheap for the information that you receive. A lifetime membership is an amazing one time cost of only $9.97! I was amazed at the information he supplies. A few are listed below:

A member's only blog that he packs full of affiliate marketing tips and tricks.
All of the tools you need to promote any type of affiliate program.
Several affiliate marketing articles and tutorials, including a video tutorial on how to get started making money quickly.
He even offers up to 5 ways to earn income by promoting Secret Affiliate Weapon yourself.

There is a ton of other information available when you join, more than I have room for in this article. When I first joined I thought Secret Affiliate Weapon would be just another over-hyped internet program that lacks any real support to help people make money. I have to admit that I was wrong! Ewen updates this program continually and provides a great support program.

If you are looking for a business opportunity then I would highly recommend Secret Affiliate Weapon. In all my years marketing online this is one of the few programs that delivers as promised.

Planning: An Internet Marketing Strategy Many Site Owners Overlook!

2010-11-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Planning just might be the most important Internet Marketing Strategy you will ever use.

Your Internet marketing strategy should include time in reading about all the marketing tools you are planning to implement on your site. Any great strategy is going to involve various types of tools all at the same time for a great overall effect on how your pages are ranking in the search engines and how your customers perceive your business online in the first five seconds they stop at your site. A visitor to your site is just that, a visitor. To increase business you want to turn these clicking visitors into buyers. You have to have a strategy to keep their attention, to talk to them more than once, and for them to visit your site more than one time.

A good strategy is going to first involve planning what you have to offer, and how you are going to offer services or goods. A solid method in delivery is very important in your overall marketing strategy because you will also tell the market about what you have to offer, how they can get it, and how the transaction is completed.

Each page if your own door to the Internet. What many online do not realize is that with improvement to the Internet and with keywords, search engine ranking and such, a visitor could be entering your site on the sales page, on the article page, or on the search page. Each page is unique and should be treated as best as possible for turning visitors to clients.

A great web strategy is going to involve one that you will know, and see the results, of what pages are being requested most often, and what potential customers are doing from that point. Are they then leaving the site, clicking on other pages, making a purchase or what? Use a strategy that will allow you to see where those surfers are heading right after leaving your site. This could be a cookie but cookies expire quickly and that still report to you what you need to know for marketing purposes.

In creating an Internet marketing strategy, you will need to set goals for your site. That you will not spend money on advertising and on pay per click, but that you will use marketing tactics and techniques to get additional traffic and additional rankings so you get visitors that you can then turn into customers. First focus on setting goals which includes finding out about the tactics and tools you have the time, knowledge and ability to use on your site.

As you set goals, you should keep in mind that it would require a little work on your own part to find the best tools and Internet marketing strategies for your own site. Set goals such as working on one marketing technique per week. After a few weeks you will have implemented all the tools and tactics, you can for your web pages and for learning more about your web market.

Set goals in putting the information you receive from your Internet marketing strategies to work for you. Make it a point to review and read all the reports available with the use of your marketing strategies to find out where visitors are going, what they are seeing on your site, and how many people who are coming to your site are purchasing from your site. As you create a strategy for your site, and for your marketing strategies, you will take each step one at a time, and build a very profitable and thriving business online.

Recommended Marketing Gurus

2010-11-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

I thought you might want to know a few of the most recommended Marketing Gurus on the Internet!

Ken Envoy - Ken Envoy has become one of the leading marketers online today. He has developed an innovative style and system that has surged him to the top of the Internet Marketing World. He is a Master at utilizing words and content to market web sites. His Site Build It website development software is the finest on the internet. Ken has a solid understanding of what drives the internet and how to successfully market in it.

Corey Rudl - How can you argue with $40,000,000.00? That is Corey's Internet Sales! He has the best selling Internet Marketing Course for 6 years in a row now. He is one of the leading mentors online and has a long list of successful students. Corey has not just raised the bar but set it in several areas in Internet Marketing.

Yanik Silver - The best copy writer on the internet! Yanik has compiled a new style of marketing and is quickly rising to the top of the internet world. He has proven himself by developing products that are highly useful to an Internet Marketer. They are not just fluff! If you are looking for someone to help get you on the way to internet success then Yanik is a great one.

The Method for Finding Deals on eBay

2010-11-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

There are steps you can take to make sure that you are getting a great deal on the items you obtain through eBay. These same steps will also help to shield you against fraud.

Start with the auction in question. Make sure that you read every word of the description and the auction details.

Pay special attention to what the description and auction details do not say. For example, is a guarantee mentioned? Is the item new? Is it authentic? Is there evidence of authenticity? Look for auctions that provide the right information, and just keep away from those that do not.

Who will pay the shipping and handling costs? Often, the buyer pays these costs, but sometimes, the seller tries to charge more than the actual shipping and handling costs are. Be careful of high shipping costs, especially for items that will be auctioned off at a very low price. Note when the item is supposed to ship after the bidding has ended.

Don't make the mistake of bidding on an item merely because it is a 'good deal.' It is only a good deal for you if the item is something that you really want or need. A lot of people simply bid for the sake of bidding - or winning - without having any real need for the item in question. Before bidding on items that you do want or need, it's best to check prices around the Internet and the prices available from offline sources as well.

Learn more about the seller. What is their rating? Read their feedback page. Not learning more about the seller can be very costly. Sometimes scammers make their auctions sound like really great deals. Be cautious of prices that seem to be extremely low.

Six Figure AdSense Publisher Shares How He Did It

2010-11-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Earlier in the week I was visiting a discussion forum (I don't remember which one) and came across a product that I wish I'd stumbled across in my first months of blogging (and not now 3 years later). It's called AdSense Videos and it's produced and presented by a British AdSense publisher by the name of Michael Cheney.

Michael earns over $19,000 USD per month using AdSense (that's more than $600 a day) and has obviously spent a lot of time researching how to get the most out of the ad network.

In this product he's produced a series of 9 videos that take you from the basics through to more advanced tips.

I like Michael's videos not only because he knows what he's talking about but because he presents in a non hyped up way. He also has a great balance between showing the potential that someone using AdSense can earn with it but also making it clear that it's not 'easy' money (ie. it takes hard work). He's obviously put some hard work into it himself (as he has these videos) and over time he's managed to build his earnings up from just a little a day (the way we all start) into well over six figures per year.

While I've managed to build my own AdSense earnings up to levels that I never would have imagined I can't begin to imagine how much quicker I'd have gotten there if someone had put these videos in front of me three years ago.

So Who is it for?
I'm not going to recommend this for all AdSense publishers. If you've been in the game for a while you probably won't learn heaps from these videos. While I always enjoy hearing different publishers talk about AdSense (especially those who make good money) I didn't learn a lot that was new. However if you're at the start of your AdSense journey you might want to seriously consider the investment. It will also be good for intermediate AdSense users wanting a brush up or wanting to see how others do it.

The beauty of a resource like this is you get to see and hear someone explain their approach all in one place. Those critiquing resources like this will always say that you can get most of it for free online in forums and blogs - this is true - but here you get it all in one spot.

So if you're newer to the AdSense game or you've been at it for a while and want to hear and see someone who's using AdSense successfully head over to AdSense Videos and get yourself hooked up either with the full product or his free taste and see 5 day video course (which will give you a taste to help you see if it's the product for you.)

Blogging to the Bank Review

2010-11-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Blogging to the Bank, was created by Rob Benwell who shares that 'ahah' moment with us. Like many Internet marketers he had been struggling to see some success when he struck that moment when something worked for him, and worked well.

Rob has discovered a way to use blogging to help him generate over $500 a day.If you have not yet gotten into blogging to promote your main website, or websites, this ebook can be invaluable. For a guy who didn't finish school, Rob has a knack for teaching.

This is a short ebook. Only 39 pages, but it is filled with good easy to follow information. There are lots of screenshots and he walks you through the process of setting up your blog and getting the settings right. Blogging to the Bank also includes information on optimizing your blog.
What blogging techniques will you discover?

What to name your blog
How to optimize your blog
How to get the settings right in your blog
What templates work best for blogging
What space on your blog is the best money producing spot
How to select affiliate products that will make your blogging profitable
Where to place adsense on your blog
How to get traffic to your blog quickly
How to get lots of backlinks through blogging
Special unique advanced blogging techniques to get massive traffic and links and increase income potential many times over

The key here, is how he goes about setting up each blog, optimizing with keywords and the linking of his blogs. This is a specific system. Unlike many marketing products that just give you an overview of some technique and then leave you on your own to figure it out, this gives you the steps for setting up each blog and then walks you through the system.

Anyone marketing on the Internet for a while knows that blogging can be a way to bring traffic to a main website and increase search engine rankings. And they can be an extra source of income, or even your main source. With these blogging methods you can accomplish both. This concept is not exactly new, but he has taken it to a whole new level.

$500 a day may not be a lot to some people, but consider, he has not been using this blog system for a long time. I'm sure that figure will skyrocket in the next few months for him, and a lot of others who put his Blogging to the Bank methods into practice.

Two of the strategies in Blogging to the Bank are, I admit, a little scary. In all fairness, Rob does warn you to think about whether to use them or not.

I had a little trouble warming to his method once I read these strategies in the book. So I re-read it and still think most of his blog strategies can be used even by us timid folk. And the scary ones can be toned down to meet our particular threshold for risk.

The price of the book is reasonable. It comes with three bonuses including a large list of high paying keywords. It has a 60 day guarantee. For the income producing information you'll discover it is a good value.

In his Blogging to the Bank strategy Rob recommends using Blogger which is free, and tells you which two templates have worked best for him.

Discover more about it or claim your copy of Blogging to the Bank.

The Latest Email Scam Is Nothing New

2010-11-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

This post is an answer to one of my reader's question. Keep the questions and comments coming...I'm always interested in what you really want to be reading here.

Q: I recently received an email that supposedly came from eBay that said someone had attempted to log into my eBay business account without authorization (whatever that means). The email instructed me to click a link to re-enter and confirm my account information to make sure that my account had not been hacked. Being naturally paranoid I contacted eBay directly and found that my account had not been hacked and that this email was actually from someone trying to steal my eBay account information. Is there nothing that can be done about this kind of thing? -- Wesley C.

A: The only thing you can do, Wesley, is be thankful that your paranoia kicked in because you were about to fall victim to just one of the latest attempts by thieves to steal your personal and credit card information.

As you discovered, the email you received was not from eBay, but from someone using a forged email address that gave the impression that the email was really from eBay. If you had clicked the link to "re-enter and confirm" your personal and credit card information, you would have been taken to a website that probably looked a lot like eBay, but was really a fake site created for the sole purpose of stealing your information. You would have been instructed to enter your eBay account information and other personal information, including your social security number, checking and savings account information, driver's license number, and credit card number. In the end you would have supplied the thieves with everything they need to steal your identity.

The eBay scam is just the latest in a long line of sophisticated attempts to steal personal information through online means. Customers of PayPal, Amazon, Dell Computer, eTrade, Bank One, and many other online merchants have been the target of such scams in recent years.

The shear number of eBay customers is the main reason that eBay has become the most popular target of scam artists trying to steal personal information from individuals and businesses alike.

As we talked about in an earlier post, thanks to the Internet, stealing someone's identity has never been easier. At any given moment, there are thousands of Internet thieves using all manner of high tech wizardry in an attempt to steal personal and business information from unsuspecting souls, and many times they can gain access to this information simply by asking the person to provide it through fraudulent means, like a fake email.

While most people are familiar with identity theft, most business men and women never think about it happening to them, at least on a professional level. Consider this: if a criminal can learn your business checking account number or the number of your company credit card, they can steal far more from your business than if they had simply knocked down the door and carted off your desk.

Here are a few ways to protect you from business and personal identity theft:

Never give out your first name, last name, business name, email address, account passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information, PIN number, social security number, or driver's license number.
Change your online account passwords every 30 days. Believe it or not, a hacker who steals your personal information can often guess your online account passwords in about two minutes. If your Charles Schwab online account password is your birthday or the name of your first born or family pet, count on a hacker cracking that code faster than you can say "Open Sesame."
Never provide personal information in response to an email or telephone call. Just because someone calls and says they are from Dunn & Bradstreet and need to confirm your business information does not mean they are really from Dunn & Bradstreet.
Never give your business credit card number over the phone to place an order with someone who has called you unsolicited. If you are interested in what they are selling get their number, check out their company, then call them back to place the order.

If you think that you have become the victim of identity theft or think someone is trying to steal your identity or personal information you should report them immediately to the Federal Trade Commission. You will find more information on their website at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/.

For more information on what to do if identity theft happens to you visit http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs17a.htm.

You should also remember that no reputable online company will ever ask you to log in and completely re-enter your account information. Think about it. They already have this information. Why would they ask you to provide it again? The answer is: they wouldn't.

Be careful out there.

Here's to your success.

The Ultimate Wealth Package Review

2010-10-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

Mark Warren shows you how he went from being a high school dropout to a millionaire using the internet. His e-book details step-by-step the procedures for creating your own profitable affiliate sites, how to use Clickbank and Google's AdSense to generate profits, secrets to Google's Adwords, how to create your own e-product, as well as many more extremely useful tips to promote your site and generate lots of revenue.

The Ultimate Wealth Package is one of the most complete guides we have come across on the internet today. Though it is apparent at times while reading his book that he did in fact drop out of high school, he really does explain and put into the simplest of terms how to get started.

Warren's site is certified by the Better Internet Bureau and the Better Entrepreneurs Bureau, and he offers a 60 day 100% money back guarantee. At the time of this review, Warren was also having his staff design an affiliate web page, free to all new members. Additionally, his support team is superb with extremely fast response times. If you apply his strategies you WILL make money! You've got nothing to loose.

Price: $46.00

What You Get:
E-Books:

Ultimate Wealth Package: Internet Secrets and Strategies, Why I'm Rich and Your Poor and Mark Warren's Private Notes.
Free Affiliate website AND setup, designed by Mark Warren's support team (hosting not included, but he gives you information for a hosting company that only charges $6.95/mo which is extremely good).
100 Bonus E-Books and applications to download, PLUS, you have the resale rights to all of them.

Customer Support: Excellent customer support. We experienced e-mail response times from as little as 5 minutes to a maximum of about 3 hours. Our questions were always answered thoroughly and promptly.

Pros: Excellent overall range and quality of information. Program is filled with many good examples and references to sources your going to need (he doesn't make you find your own way of going about the techniques and suggestions he describes). Fantastic customer support. Tons of free bonuses (most of which are actually worth your while to take a look at). Website verified by the BIB and BEB. 60 day 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Cons: This guy could benefit from taking a writing class or two. Some grammatical and sentence structure errors may get distracting at times, however it does not weaken the overall content of his books. He insists that it's better to have the minor mistakes than to have an editor review it and change his wording around from that concepts he wants to convey.

The free affiliate website he gives you is pretty much a standard template that everyone receives, with only the option to change colors around, we suggest that after they upload it, you change the content and formatting around to make it unique.

Online Survey Trouble...and Success!

2010-10-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

My Mom got scammed again. Don't let this happen to you.

Taking online paid surveys has become a very popular way to earn extra money from home. It is not hard to see why...all you need is a computer that can connect to the Internet and an email account. You signup with as many companies as you wish and then sit back and await the arrival of surveys in your email inbox.

Since most surveys pay between $5 and $25 dollars each, you can easily earn several hundred dollars a month for just a few hours work. In fact, there are many people who earn enough each month to pay for health insurance or even their entire mortgage.

Even the threat of layoffs isn't quite as dire if you know that you have an uninterruptible income stream of hundreds of dollars each month through these paid surveys. At least you can eat.

THAT IS, UNLESS YOU GET DUPED BY ONE OF THOSE SCAM PAID SURVEY WEBSITES.

My mom decided to join one of these paid online survey websites to earn a little extra money. She performed a simple Google search and was amazed at the number of online paid survey networks that appeared. There were literally hundreds of them. (You get access to all the companies that offer paid surveys by signing up with one of these networks).

She felt there were too many of them to really investigate, so from this sea of paid survey networks she selected one and joined.

Big Mistake!

After joining she logged into the website and discovered:

The majority of Links didn't work.
The site was so complicated that she couldn't figure out how to get around.
There was absolutely no online help.
The database of companies was obsolete.

Worse was that almost immediately she began receiving SPAM in her email inbox. Not just 2 or 3 pieces, but 50 to 60 pieces of junk mail per day! It's as if her email address was given out to every spammer in North America!

Then the final insult came in the form of a sluggish computer. Her PC started to run very slowly. Even starting and shutting down her PC took longer and longer. After investigating we discovered that her computer had been infected with Ad-ware! These are the little clandestine programs that get onto your hard drive and monitor your surfing and other activities. She had to install software to remove this junk and get her computer back to normal.

REMEMBER: THERE ARE MANY SCAM WEBSITES OUT THERE!

Now I know that paid surveys do work because my wife does them ... and gets paid for each one. But my Mom's case illustrates just how easy it is to get scammed on the Internet.

Anyone who decides to earn extra money through online paid surveys must first do their homework. Do not signup with just any network without ding some investigation.

The network my wife uses is Survey Scout. I highly recommend it...and I believe they are having an incredible offer. Currently survey participants are in extremely high demand, which is why Survey Scout is offering a 50% discount for the first 500 survey participants at $34.95. Upon signing up, Survey Scout will provide you with instant $25 survey, based on this the net cost now is only $9.95.

After joining, you will be allowed into their private members-only website. At this time, their database consists of 497 companies of the very best paid survey opportunities. After participating in a survey, many companies pay you cash either through paypal or paycheck. However, some companies do give you free products, gift certificates or "points" that can later be redeemed for products or cash. By the way, not only people from U.S. are entitled, everyone all over the world is entitled to participate. Since started, there are 1000s of people from over 50 different countries being shown how to get paid for taking survey online and focus group.

Survey Scout is for everyone looking for supplimental income. I don't feel it will get you "rich", but it's still a good deal for an extra couple $100 a month.

The Rich Jerk Review

2010-10-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Rich Jerk created a storm on the internet marketing arena by using an anti-marketing sales letter and making himself anonymous. Literally just 2 weeks after the launch of the Rich Jerk ebook, it stormed to the Number 1 spot in the ClickBank marketplace...and has yet to fall far from it.

After all his success, he didn't manage to remain anonymous for long. His name is Kelly Felix and, at 27 years old, he has made over $13 million in less than 6 years. He even sold a website for $375,000 at eBay in June 2005. Also Mr. Felix currently owns guesswhatiheard.com, which is a site similar to MySpace. This is a real internet entrepreneur's ebook.

By the first chapter of the ebook you are provided with affiliate sites to promote and taught very successful sales letter strategies. You could start making money with just that, but he goes on and gives you some PPC techniques, like putting up Adsense ads on your webpage and advertising with smaller PPC companies. This comprehensive and condensed ebook includes Search Engine Optimization strategies, investment in HYIP (High-Yield Investment Programs), selling at eBay together with a wholesales list, E-currency trading and more. In his latest update, he even provided you with one more chapter for beginners.

I highly recommend this ebook to intermediate marketers. Anyone who is familiar with the basic of internet marketing, web design, Adsense and Adwords can dramatically increase their traffic and sales. Any of the incredible ideas taught in the ebook, when put to good use, will generate massive profit. I bought it when it was nearly $50 and I never regreted it, but now, priced at $9.95, with a 60 day money back guarantee, you have nothing to lose. (litterally nothing...act fast enough and you get to keep the ebook and get all your money back...no risk at all!!!) Check out the new developments he's been working on by clicking here!

Google Cash Review

2010-10-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Since the launch of Google Cash in 2003, it has been one of the best selling money making products on the Internet. The unique method introduced by this product "promises" that anyone without knowledge of webpage design or owning a product can make a regular income online and even a tremendous amount over time and practice.

His method is by searching out for an affiliate product (Commission Junction, ClickBank, Linkshare, Paydotcom) to promote and then use Pay-Per-Click company (Google Adwords, Miva.com, 7search.com, Looksmart.com, Brainfox.com) to get clicks and covert into sales and earn commission.

This method may sound simple, but PPC advertising is a complex system which needs a lot of research and tracking to make its campaign successful. Google Cash is a step-by-step guide is a guide for beginners to get started by searching for profitable product to promote, setting up Adwords campaign, tips and tricks of powerful heading for Ads. It also includes a 150 minute, 24 step video guide and an online resource area for extra readings regarding PPC advertising.

I don't recommend this product. Even though the method used by Google Cash still works, it is way too difficult to pentrate into the market now. I personally feel this particular market is currently too saturated for any new comer. But for a mere $67, you a welcome to prove me wrong!

The Forex Enterprise

2010-10-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

ForexEnterprise.com is the creation of Nick Marks and is supposed to by your guide to the Multiple Streams of Income System. Multiple Streams certainly isn't a new idea, we reviewed hundreds of sites that claim this same thing. We are not fooled by fancy graphics and promises. We want to see the money, so we tested this to see if this guide had some new ideas.

We found that Forex Enterprise supposedly offers a variety of ways to generate multiple streams of income. We did not find this anywhere as easy to set up as we were told. And found ourselves wondering how anyone could start and manage all of these different things.

The sales letter states that you can make $30,000 per month, so we expected to be able to at least make $2000 or $3000, then it might be worth the time. It would take a lot of work to do that and we were disappointed with what we were lead to believe. There is a lot of information that this program gives you about how you COULD make money on the internet, but the main way you could make money with this is to sell it yourself. And there are already a lot of people trying to do that.

This one does NOT get my vote!

The Number One Work At Home Scam Explained

2010-10-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

Working at home is very popular. As with anything that is popular there are people out there who like to try to scam those looking for work at home jobs. Scams can sometimes be hard to recognize, but if a person knows what to look for they can raise their chances of not being caught in a work at home scam. A popular way to get taken by a scam work at home company is when they ask a person to pay them money.

The first key that a work at home opportunity may be a scam is that the company asks for money up front. This is also something that can be confusing because some legitimate companies ask for money, too. The main rule abut paying money is that if the job were not work at home would it be reasonable to pay money up front to work with this company. If it is a job where the person is required to keep an inventory of products than it is reasonable to pay something upfront for the inventory. However, if the payment is for administrative fees that is a red flag. A work at home job is like any other job. Nobody would pay a company to process their employment papers, so it is unreasonable for a work at home company to request payment for this purpose.

What usually happens when a company is running a scam by asking for money up front is that the hopeful work at home employee loses their money and gets no real job in return. Many scam companies try to use the trick that they will refund the money after a person has worked for them for so long. Once a person pays the money and begins working for the company they learn there really is no refund. In these cases the work at home employee usually also finds out the job duties are completely different from what they were originally told. The whole concept is the scam company makes their main income off potential work at home employees, not through a real business.

Almost any good reference on working at home will mention not to ever pay money for a work at home job. It may seem like common sense, but can be confusing for someone who is new to the work at home industry. Many of these scams seem real and also come across as a way to make big money fast. This type of money scam is the biggest of all work at home scams.

Super Affiliate Handbook Review

2010-10-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Rosalind Gardner is a super affiliate marketer, who started out part-time online marketing back in 1998 and in 2 years time, she is able to earn $30,000 to $50,000 monthly. Today, she is even more successful and as role model to many online marketers.

Affiliate programs do require a certain amount of effort to make money online. However, with the detailed instructions on researching profitable niche, the ways of finding the best affiliate program, using Pay-Per-Click, marking your affiliate site online and offline method and building a powerful mailing list it is possible. The Super Affiliate Handbook is a step-by-step guide, which comes with practical techniques and real life examples to guide you through to become a super affiliate.

I recommend this ebook for beginners who are interested in making money online months after months. Price at $47.00 and comes with a 60 days, no questions asked money back guarantee, you got nothing to lose.

Email Cash Vault Review

2010-09-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Email Cash Vault is an essential internet marketing course for beginners. Their course comes with rich amount of resources and tutorial on different automated ways of making money with or without a webpage. If you are someone who needs real life example, they got dozen to show you.

After you have sign up with Email Cash Vault, you will be given access to the member's area. You will be given 3 ebooks, page generator software, steps-by-steps video guide, high paying keyword list, and a PPC technique guide. One technique taught was the ability to start making money without creating webpage by selling other people product. Another technique is by researching for profitable niches; follow by creating a webpage with their page generator software and webpage template to make your page rich with relevant content. Finally, put up Adsense into the page and start making money from Adsense.

I highly recommend this course for beginners. Even though it claims to start making money in 15 minutes, which I find impossible, I'm sure you can make money within a few days. Enroll now at $34.99 with Money back guarantee.

Data Entry Pro Review

2010-09-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

Two or three of my readers have been asking me about Data Entry Pro and my opinion on this system. Honestly, untill three days ago, I had never tried it. But you needed to know, so after being turned down for a free copy (even after I promised an online review and free advertising) I eventually shelled out the cash and bought it...big mistake!

Data Entry Pro has been on the top 10 product list at Clickbank Money & Employment market place for many months. From the sales letter, it gives you the impression that companies are willing to pay you typing ads at Google Adwords. This is not the case. After you sign with Data Entry Pro, you are given a membership ID and password to login to their members area. Firstly you are told to sign up with Google Adwords and yahoo overture, following that you are provided with basic information for you to start biding for ads in Adwords. Member area information is as long as the sales page, which is surprisingly short to make money with such a complicated method.There is no way newbies are able to make money, not to mention incredible amounts. The method they are using are the same as Google Cash. Google Cash sold an eBook of more then 80 pages to relay the information properly and additional information are required to make your PPC advertising even more effective. I do not see who is going to benefit from the membership.

I'll be honest, this is one of the worst money making products I have ever purchased. I don't recommend anyone to buy this. These kinds of product seriously damage the crediblity of internet marketing and other online money making programs.

Dave's Cool Little Website Review

2010-09-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the blog's been up for a month and I am impressed with the turn out. I have gotten great suggestions from some of you, but I'm always looking for more. One suggestion I have really taken to heart was that, at times, my posts have gotten a little too advanced or in depth in topics many of you may be rather new to. I agree...so I have decided to lighten the load.

Periodically I will post simple product reviews of any program you wish. As I have stated, I have a lot of experience with a lot of these programs. If you have questions, I can give you answers. For my first true review, I will uncover Dave's Cool Little Website, a product several of you have asked me about.

Dave's Cool Little Website is a dynamically generated website, it gives anyone without programming knowledge the ability to simply include Adsense, Clickbank, and eBay into their own website.

The instruction is clear and simple to set up. In fact, they do guide newbie through the whole process of setting up an account and obtaining affiliate ID with Adsense, ClickBank and eBay. By following the instruction closely, your little website can be up with all the dynamic features within 3 days.

What I notice from the little website created, it wasn't able display targeted ads from Adsense. Articles that are shown are all related to eBay. For example, you choose to design your website selling golf items, it doesn't consist of articles on golf, but articles on eBay auction, similarly Adsense ads display are not on golf but eBay ads. This is very disappointing. Worst of all, anyone without any idea of generating traffic, may find it tough to profit from it.

I don't recommend anyone to buy this product now. Hopefully, after upgrading their database to include more articles on various topics and allow relevant ads from Adsense then we may consider it a good buy. Keep a look out for update on Dave's Cool Little Website, this idea itself is an interesting one.

Rating :
Not Recommended

What to Do if You Become the Victim of a Scam

2010-09-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

First you need to write the company that you feel has ripped you off telling them you would like your money back. If they don't agree with you, then you need to let them know you plan to notify officials. The following people should be notified:

If you read about this work-at-home scheme in a magazine, let the editor know you've been ripped off by these people and you're not happy about it.
The Attorney General's Office in your state or in the state where the company is located.
National Fraud Information Center. Call them if you feel you are a victim of a "get-rich-quick" or an "easy money" scheme. Check out their web site for daily alerts or new scams. 1-800-876-7060
Your local Consumer Protection Offices.
Your local Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the BBB in the state of the scammer.
Postmaster. Notify if you received the information through the mail.
The Federal Trade Commission. While the FTC cannot resolve individual disputes, the agency can take action if there is evidence of a pattern of deceptive or unfair practices. To register a complaint, write to: Correspondence Branch, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580.
Lastly a comment on this blog wouldn't hurt, so I can document your tale of misfortune and keep my readers out of harm's way.

Low Cost Advertising And Scams On The Internet

2010-09-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

"A business without a sign is a sign of no business." This is an advertising banner or quotation that can be seen on large billboards along the roads and on the side or top of buildings that is vacant. Television and radio would say, "This program would not be shown or be heard without advertisement." It is true since most of us are watching the free television channel and programs are produced by payments of advertisements.

Business owners understand how important an advertisement is. It is in this manner that they would tell to everybody that they are selling products and offering services. They would not have sales, which in turn give them profit, if people would not notice and buy their products and avail of their services.

However, it is not happy to note that there are people who would try to steal money from advertisers and business owners by offering cheap advertisement packages and not delivering the agreed service. Business owners and advertisers should be informed of this because they would become victims of another scam.

The scam here is when the advertiser paid for these different kinds of services but none or some of them are not really even performed. The main point to consider here is to whom is the advertiser transacting with. To avoid being ripped off doing a background check by knowing the following will help:

past successful projects as evident on customers comments
a good reputation that will be confirmed by his references, (people that he's had past transaction with and that are also reputable)

The pay-per-click ad campaign is when an advertiser would pay a certain agreed amount by the search engine developers every time a user clicks on that banner. This was a good idea before it was not touched by hackers who developed a certain program to automatically click on that banner which increases the amount to be paid by the advertiser. The next paying scheme was the "pay per action", which is harder to hack since the advertiser would only pay the search engine developers an agreed amount every time a sale would be done on that customer.

One thing is for sure, advertising in the Internet is not easy but it is fun, especially when one understands fully the power of the Internet. It is not a unidirectional means of advertising like the television or radio, but it is an interactive avenue for both the advertiser and the prospective clients.

Legitimate Paid Autosurf Programs vs. Scams

2010-09-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Paid Autosurf programs pay members for surfing websites in their exchange. They allow advertisers to show their websites, for a fee, to other members who surf and earn cash or credits for their efforts. The advertisers hope is that as members surf, they will be interested in their offer and make a purchase or at least let them capture an e-mail address so they can try to up-sell these folks later. Also, as the name "Autosurf" indicates, surfers do not have to actually view each website as they surf. Members could click on the surf button and walk away for 5 minutes, grab a coffee and wait until the autosurf session is complete. But many members do in fact watch these advertisements. A majority of these paid autosurf members are always looking for something new to promote themselves or something new they've never seen before, in hopes of generating more income for themselves.

There has been a lot of discussion about the validity of many of these paid autosurf programs, and the fact is, there are far more scam sites than legitimate ones. The scam artists know this is a huge industry and it's very easy to get a paid autosurf site up and running, promise huge returns for their members, and at the peak of membership, close up shop just to do it all over again.

There are also many legitimate paid autosurf owners who generate a lot of money from their advertisers and are more than happy to give a small percentage of their money to a captive audience so their clients can get their sites shown to a very wide audience. Since they promise their paid advertisers will get traffic to their websites, they are expected to perform this service and deliver. It's a win-win-win for the advertisers, the autosurf exchange owners and the surfers.

Most paid autosurf programs require members to pay a small fee to purchase ad units and allow these members to earn a certain percentage on their money. When a member pays their ad fees, they not only receive credits to have their websites shown to other members, but they can also make money by surfing so many websites each day. The amount of credits you receive, the amount you are paid to surf each day and the number of sites you're required to surf daily, all vary between paid auto-surf programs.

When joining these programs, it's make good sense to stay away from the paid autosurf programs that promise high returns. Since most paid autosurf exchanges pay between 1% and 2% per day, if a program offers 10% per day or higher, that should raise a flag. There are also paid autosurf programs that market themselves as higher paying services, but if you do a little reading, you'll quickly see the 7% per day gains break down to about 2% or less per day. Those are still great returns for your time and money, but you will not receive 7% per day for your efforts. It's all in the marketing. Other programs that do promise higher percentages and do in fact pay those high percentages, in my opinion are Ponzi or pyramid schemes just waiting to collapse at some point. Some people can make money if their timing is right, but my recommendation would be to stay away from these programs or you do risk losing all your money.

Honest Business Opportunities Review

2010-09-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, my posts lately have been rather depressing...and I've only scratched the surface the internet's dirty side. However, there are ways to actually make the web work for you. The first step is to avoid all the holes I have steped in (and metioned in previous posts). Next would be to seriously consider some of the products I recomend below. Remember I don't sell any system, I have nothing to gain or lose. It's all up to you. Now, I have used or reviewed nearly all the top selling programs on the Internet today. Below you will find 3 reviews of the top opportunities that I have found to actually work.

The key to making money online is knowing how and where to start. Without the right starting point you will waste precious time and a ton of money. The following products guarantee your online success, all you have to do is read them and follow their expert advice! Another nice bonus is that all 3 products come with a 100% money back guarantee (which they count on you NOT using ... prove them wrong!)

Ultimate Wealth Package - $49.95

This will make you money
Proven Strategies & Tips
Step By Step guide
100% Money Back Guarantee

By far the most complete guide to making money online I have come across on the internet. If you are just starting out or if you have been at it and are struggling to make money online I can not recommend a better product than the Ultimate Wealth Package. It literally takes you by the hand guides you step by step on how to get started. I feel this is by far the Best product on the Internet and I think it is a must have if you are serious about making money online. LEARN MORE

The Rich Jerk - $9.95

Straight to the point
For advanced marketers
Unique Strategies
100% Money Back Guarantee

If you are new to the Internet and you don't have any Internet marketing experience you probably won't understand parts of this ebook. However if you are an Internet marketer this is a wonderful product with tons of useful information. The author reveals many internet marketing strategies that are not widely known about. This is a great product and well worth the price. This book is mainly focused on affiliate marketing using clickbank and Google Adwords to profit. LEARN MORE

Beating Adwords - $67.00

#1 Google Adwords Guide
Great Strategies
100% Money Back Guarantee

Beating Adwords is a guide to internet marketing written by Kyle and Carson. These guys are both 24 years old and very successful from marketing on the internet. This guide provides an in depth look into Google Adwords and simplifies how to make money online with Adwords. The guide is priced a little high at $67.00 which is still a good buy. Carson and Kyle provide great support to their members LEARN MORE

Now the coolest part about all three of these systems is that they all come with a 30 day full refund...and because you'll be ordering e-books, there's no way for these companies to collect on the refund. Basically, if you act fast you can get these wealth of knowledge and keep it forever while never actually spending any money at all!

High Yield Investment Programs: Risks, Scams, and Profits

2010-08-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

If you are an investor looking to truly double your money, you might want to look into HYIP or high yield investment programs. This type of investment always carries a high risk, but when you consider the potential profit, you might find that the risk is well worth it. High yield investment programs have always been around, but have become even better known in recent years as investing online has become more and more common. Despite the risks, many investors continue to take advantage of the awesome selection of HYIPs out there to double their money.

Choosing your HYIPs is something that has to be done on an individual basis because what each person will feel comfortable with is different. There are HYIPs out there that show very little in way the way income, but have high risks. On the flip side, there are HYIPs out there that show a lot of promise for profit, yet they have the same risks associated with the programs that don't guarantee much in the way of profit. You'd obviously want to stick with the second choice if you can tell which HYIP would be more profitable than the other. The key to getting involved in the right type of HYIP is research. Though it may be exciting and easy to just jump at a very promising looking program, you'll want to put the brakes on for long enough that you can check out the company. You want to stick with companies that offer high revenue, but only if they actually payout and give you access to your currency. Do your homework to make the risks worth it; otherwise you'll end up losing money! The more you participate and research HYIPs the more familiar you'll get with the tricks that many of these programs have to keep your money.

If you've invested in high yield investment programs in the past, you know what to expect in the way of scams. If you have never participated in an HYIP before, you'll be want to be extremely careful when first getting your feet wet. Because there is a lot of money to be made with an HYIP, scams are often associated with this type of investment. There are people, and even companies out there, who want you to invest and event to make money, but then they won't want to give any of it back. This is where the research that we mentioned above comes in really handy. Even if a friend or business acquaintance recommends an HYIP to you, you should still research it to be sure it's something that you feel comfortable with. If after looking into it you feel as though the investment and possible income is worth the risk, then go for it. If you do not feel this way, simply do not invest. When it comes to your money, you shouldn't feel pressured to invest at any time. Often, these scams will require you to invest is something that does not even exist, and then, the fraudulent people are off with your money and that of other investors!

Choosing the proper HYIP is something that you will need to do very carefully, and you should only do if you feel completely comfortable with the risks associated with any one investment. Even the most legit HYIP should be approached with caution, and followed up by extensive research. You have to remember when looking at HYIPs that even those that are not scams cannot promise you much in the way of a return. The potential to make a lot of money relatively quickly is there, but it is not a guarantee. Because there is no guarantee when dealing with HYIPs, the more you understand the investment, the better chance you have to succeed with such an investment.

The bottom line is that you stand to earn a great profit with an HYIP, but there are extreme risks and even scams associated with this type of investing. If you know what to expect when you get into the high yield investments, and you know what to look for through research, you'll probably be fine. If you get into an HYIP because you've just heard that it's profitable, you stand to lose a lot of money! Invest smart.

Scam, Fraud and Phishing - How To Avoid The eBay Plagues

2010-08-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

If you surf around a little on the internet, you can't avoid hearing of the countless people, that have been scammed at eBay. It seems as if scam, fraud and phishing mails have become the plagues of eBay nowadays.

It's easy to complain about all those desperados and defrauders on a gigantic platform like eBay is one. The eBay empire is a hard to be controlled multi billion dollar business and a fun flea market at one time.

If you have been ripped off, in most cases you can kiss your money goodbye. It's much easier and the best option to avoid being defrauded.

Being a buyer on eBay, it is essential to look at the feedback of a seller. Analyzing the feedback is helpful preventing scams. Sellers who have a large history of sales and a rating of about 98% positive feedback are usually professional to deal with. More than 2-3% negative feedbacks should be a red alarm. The same thing applies for those who do not have feedback ratings at all. But even if you are careful in this point, it is still possible that a scammer has hijacked an account that has positive feedback. Do your background research, knowing as much as possible about the products and the sellers is the best way to protect yourself.

As a buyer you should always make sure to have read the entire product description on an eBay listing. Things to look out for are disclaimers, damages, current item condition, and others. If this information is not specified, it would do well for the buyer to contact the seller regarding such. By the way: if the seller does not respond at all, take your hands off! The price is the next critical point. Think a bit about the value of the item you are interested in. Do a quick research on eBay and the internet. If the price for an item is too good to be true, it not only probably but certainly is. My advice: Auctions at outrageously low prices should be taken skeptically.

As a seller, you can easily avoid many scams with by carefully choosing your payment method among the existing payment processors. eBay owns Paypal, and in most cases accepting only Paypal is indeed the payment method you should use. In case of trouble this way the buyer must dispute a charge back through Paypal.

What you hardly can avoid as a seller is a buyers bidding scam. This type of scam is run with two cooperating separate eBay accounts. A very small bid is placed on your item using the first account. This is followed by a very high bid placed by the second eBay account. This high bid discourages other bidders Seconds before the bidding ends, the high bid is cancelled by the high bidder, leaving the low bid as the winning bid.This bidding scam you can only be avoided by setting a reserve price.The lowest bid that can be placed will be the same as the reserve price that you set.

As both a buyer and a seller, also beware of spoofed emails which appear to be from eBay. The email may claim that you need to verify your information, and ask you to login to your eBay account, using the link provided. If you follow that link, the site looks exactly like eBay, but it is actually a scam to get your eBay login details, as well as your credit card details.

In this connection, one point is obvious: the passing away of common sense. It's a phenomenon not only on eBay, where more and more people disregard the most simple safety rules in handling their eBay-accounts -- wether they are buyers or sellers.

Let us just look at this example: even if you have more than one email-address, would eBay ever use another than your registered email address to send you a members question? It is easy for you to checkl it. Just go to youre my-eBay-site and look, if there is a message for you. If not, delete the mail you've got or report it to eBay.

There are many, many scams and phishing mails which never would damage anyone, if folks would act only a little more carefully! So the most simple advice really is: be careful, use common sense and you will already avoid the majority of scams and frauds, wether you are a buyer or a seller on eBay.

The First Scam I Uncovered

2010-08-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

There are a million scams lurking around on the internet. I sure hope you've never been the victim of one, but chances are you've probably noticed a least one scam. A lot of these scams can be luring and tempting, but they can also easily be detected...if you know what you're looking for. I'm very passionate about alarming people of various internet scams, in hopes that they will save their money (and eventually put these scam artists out of business!) For this reason I would like to take the time and inform you of the first scam I discovered.

I was in the comfort of my own home, searching around on the internet for various wholesale information and companies. There are literaly thousands of "wholesale" services on the internet offering discounted, bulk items to be resold using eBay. To me this seemed like a great opportunity to earn a full time salary at home in my underwear...and really, that's what we all want. Anyway, I received an email from a "wholesaler" that claimed to have a small yet successful electronic business. At a first glance this person seemed to be a legit supplier of very well priced electronics. He provided me with an eBay ID, web address, and a few comforting words.

The first part of the puzzle that didn't fit came when I searched for his ID on eBay. The ID showed up with a very large number of positive feedbacks, but none of those feedbacks were as a seller. That seemed somewhat suspicious to me, I contacted him and was told that they were looking for resellers of their products for that reason they didn't sell on eBay. I thought to myself, well, I guess that is a decent explanation.

I asked many questions, many of which were answered. The only questions that he "forgot"/avoided to answer were questions of personal information (phone #, address, etc...). I also was concerned because the seller was located overseas and there is not a lot of recourse in case a problem a rised. I let him know and he directed me to an escrow service. He reassured me that by using escrow neither parties would be able to scam one another. Ideally escrow services are very secure. They collect the buyer's money and won't release it untill the seller has lived up to his end of the bargin. Basically they are an unbias police in any deal. However, anyone can set up their own escrow service...and often they turn out to be a lot more biased than promised. He directed me to http://www.global-parcel-service.org and at first glance this "company" looks to run a legit business.

After I thought about it for awhile I realized how fishy a company with a UPS-like logo that I've never heard of. I typed in a few variations of global parcel service into the Google search engine and to my astonishment there were very few results. The only results I received were message board posts of http://www.global-parcel-service.org being a front for scams!

The lesson of the day is to do your research! And...as a rule, I NEVER trust any escrow service other than the most reputible http://www.escrow.com.

Work At Home Scams Thrive on the Internet

2010-07-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

The ability to earn a living from home is one that millions of people would enjoy. No one likes being a slave to a time clock, and no one enjoys working for a difficult boss. The notion of working from home is appealing to everyone who has ever had an unpleasant job, and thousands of Americans try their hands at it every year with varying degrees of success.

Where there is opportunity for success, there is also opportunity for fraud, and the work at home sector is no exception to that rule. Offers to work from home are common subjects of spam e-mail, and there are thousands of Websites devoted to lavish descriptions of the riches one can acquire while working from home. Unfortunately, most of these offers are fraudulent, and the only thing that most people will get out of them is a lighter wallet. Offers to get rich at home while stuffing envelopes or processing medical claims for physicians earn far more for the people selling them than they do for the victims who buy them.

These are but two of the common work at home scams that can be commonly found in e-mail solicitations or in the classified advertising sections of business-related magazines. Anyone who is considering investing in a plan to work from home should first consider the following:

You can't get something for nothing. If a company promises that you can make thousands each week from doing little or no work, you should be suspicious.
Do not respond to solicitations that come via e-mail. These messages are literally sent out by the millions in hopes that a few people will believe the offer and send money. Don't do it.
Find out what it is you will do to get paid. Then do some research on your own. Is there a market for the work you will be doing? Look into it.
Research the company involved. Thanks to the Internet, it's as easy as looking them up in a search engine. See what others have to say about the company.
Do you have to invest money? How much? What do you receive? Can you get a refund if you change your mind? Find out.

While there are legitimate opportunities to work from home, most offers to hire people to do so are fraudulent. By doing a little homework before you invest your money or time, you can avoid being another victim of a work at home scam.

Is The Rich Jerk More Than Just a Jerk?

2010-07-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Finally another positive review. You can't seem to do a search for home business, online marketing, or get rich quick schemes these days without hearing something about The Rich Jerk. There are articles ranging the spectrum from ranting about his "bad attitude" used to market his product, right up to glowing testimonies about how much money people (like me) are making in a day thanks to his advice. Some people certainly may find his blunt, arrogant way of bringing his point across to be somewhat offensive and unnecessary. For those of us who have practically fallen asleep reading some of the other boring, uninformative e-books about making money online; or the over-hyped sales letters for get rich quick schemes, the Rich Jerk is a welcome alternative.

I came across his e-book about a year ago during my endless search for home business ideas. I was impressed to find that the information he gave actually made sense, with little to none of the html confusion of other e-books I'd struggled through. He also didn't waste time like some e-book authors by going through the most basic details of how to build a website, or explaining in great detail how adsense works. With all of the different site-building programs and D.I.Y web-hosting companies these days, truly anyone can build a good looking website, and Google has plenty of help when it comes to adsense. (There are also some really great e-books on the net if you are looking for something specifically about adsense.) I've read e-books that were supposed to be about online marketing, but consisted of nothing more than a few pages telling you to; a) build a website, b) join an affiliate program, c) join adsense. There wasn't even any real info on how to go about doing those these things, and yet the comment was made in the script that "I know you paid a lot of money for this". No wonder people are skeptical of get rich quick schemes.

What information does The Rich Jerk give you for your purchase price?

How to choose which affiliate programs to promote, and a listing of the best affiliate networks to join.
Pay-Per-Click and SEO (search engine optimization) strategies, useful for any type of website.
Advice on creating and selling your own e-book/product, and selling other companies products on e-Bay. This is his weakest chapter, in my opinion, but there are still some good points.
A list of affiliate products and programs he personally recommends to aid you in your venture, and some alternative online business opportunities for the more adventurous.
A full chapter for "beginners" to expand on all the topics, and make further suggestions for success. And he even explains all the above terms that you never heard of. For a jerk, he's a great teacher!

This may not sound like a lot of information, and while the Rich Jerk is only 65 pages, there is more useable info included than in some books twice the size. There's a very good reason as to why so many articles and reviews have been written about this product, if you’re looking to start an online business, it is worth your time and money to read this e-book.

As for the issue of the Rich jerk's "attitude", it's called anti-marketing. While people like to complain about it, it does get results. It grabs your attention when you're looking at a bunch of run-of-the-mill ads. After all, you're taking the time to read about him right now, just as I'm taking the time to write about him, so he's achieved his goal. It's also a matter of doing what works for you; celebrities have been doing this sort of thing for decades. (We can all easily come up with a half dozen or more names that are remembered for exactly this tactic.) I personally felt that it was refreshing to have someone be blunt and honest about what is deemed by some to be a get rich quick program. Make no mistake. What The Rich Jerk talks about is a legitimate online business, which will require you to spend some time and money before you can start making money.

Please understand that any online business or home business is going to take some work, regardless of what you're promoting; and it will take some time to actually start making money. The Rich Jerk does have some great ideas for how to make it all a lot easier though, and a lot more affordable too.

Bewarned of Western Union

2010-07-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

When purchasing wholesale items NEVER buy products from anyone who wants to be paid by Western Union. If someone asks for payment by Western Union, do not respond to them, and block their email. I know their low priced merchandise is tempting, but it is a scam EVERY TIME. Western Union advises the following on their website:

Make sure you know to whom you are sending money. If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, it is your responsibility to verify the reputation and legitimacy of the seller. Western Union is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services

Common Western Union scams include, but are not limited to the following:

Scam # 1: Seller asks you to pay by Western Union and tells you it will be safe because you can make out the payment to the name of one of your friend's or relative's names, but put the seller's address on the payment. You will then tell the seller the control number (identification #) of the payment so he can go to Western Union and verify you have made the payment. Once you receive the shipment, you will go to Western Union and change the name to the seller's real name so that he can pick up the money.

Why it's a scam: Once the seller knows the address or control number of the payment, he can go get thepayment and send you nothing. Many Western Union agents in foreign countries never ask for identification.

Scam #2: Seller asks you to pay by Western Union and tells you to make the payment using Western Union's "secret question" feature. This feature is designed so that the Western Union agent will ask a secret question to whoever is picking up the money, and he must get the answer right in order to collect the money.

Why it's a scam: Again, many times Western Union agents do not ask the question, and only care if the person knows the address or control number, especially outside of the United States. Western Union even advises on their website not to rely on the secret question feature.

How I Made A Fortune On Ebay Using Dropshippers... And Then Lost It All

2010-07-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is the true story of how during the summer of 2001, I made $40,000 selling dropshipped goods on ebay only to lose it all and end up with $4,000 of debt. Read my cautionary tale to prevent yourself from making the same mistakes that I made.

I first found out about dropshipping back in June of 2001 a little after I started a not-so-profitable business on eBay selling cell phone accessories and such. I saw dropshipping as an all profit method of business. You don't pay for shipping. You don't pay for inventory. You basically just advertise the product on auction websites such as eBay (that's what I used, and still do today), take orders, collect the money, and pay the set amount for each item to the dropshipper keeping the remaining amounts for yourself as profits. I now realize that it is only that easy when you're dealing with the right dropshipper.

My first dropshipper was NOT the right one. I don't recall the company, and I'm sure it went under by now anyway, but the guy I delt with was named Chris. I was selling Nike Air Jordans on eBay. I saw that Jordans were real popular on eBay and people paid huge amounts for them. I'd even seen some pairs go for $1,000+. Chris only charged me $67 a pair. So, I basically just doubled the price and sold them on eBay for $134 a pair. I sold about 20 pairs of shoes within a week giving me a profit of $1,340. I suddenly became happy with the success I had because obtaining over $1,000 in a week at the age of 19 is pretty rare. So, I wanted to start putting up way more auctions so that I could make way more money. Unfortunately, this is when Chris became unreliable. He never returned any of my e-mails and never got back online. Plus, he only had shipped half of the 20 orders I had. So, I decided that I needed a replacement quick before I started to have some unhappy customers on my hands.

This now brought me to dropshipper #2. I talked to the guy about the situation and he said that he would be able to handle it. I paid him for the remaining 10 orders I had left and he shipped the shoes off to my customers. I respected the fact that he picked up right where my previous dropshipper had left off at and took care of business. So, I assumed that this guy was all about business and was a very reliable and legitimate dropshipper. So, I started to put up more buy it now auctions and these shoes were selling faster than I could put them up for auction. This is the unbelievable part. I had sold 250 pairs of shoes in a matter of 4 days. I collected over $40,000 in 4 days. That's $10,000 a day! This came as an amazement to me especially since I was only 19 at the time. I've made some people's yearly salaries in a matter of only 4 days. Little did I know though that I was in over my head.

I got a little too greedy and started to splurge on money that wasn't even mine yet; buying clothes, shoes, and even put a $1,000 down payment on a new car. My dropshipper shipped my first 30 orders only to find out that he had shipped off nothing but all wrong sizes and wrong colors. So, I had a lot of complaining customers. Some even went straight to PayPal to complain causing PayPal to limit access to my account. So, now I had over $40,000 sitting in my PayPal account that I had absolutely no access to and over 200 orders that need to be shipped off. So, my only option was to refund everyone their money back to get my PayPal account back to regular standing, which brought me to my next dilemma...

I spent almost $4,000 of the $40,000 I thought would be mine to keep. So now, my Paypal balance was negative $4,000 and I needed to come up with that $4,000 quick before PayPal took legal action to get that money. I thought the only way to get me out of this mess was by the same way that got me into this mess. This is what brought me to dropshipper #3.

I stumbled upon a guy named Jarell. I found him through a legitimate dropshipping database, so I decided to sell enough pairs of Jordans to make up the $4,000 and then I'd call it quits because this was too much for someone so young. Everything went smooth and I was able to make the $4,000 using my girlfriend's PayPal account. That was then, this is now.

After reviewing my whole experience with dropshipping in hindsight, I realized all of the mistakes that I had made. For anyone who is looking into working with dropshippers, please pay close attention:

My first mistake was choosing the dropshippers I did. I looked for the best deals and highest profit percentages instead of a reputable, established business. I kind of set out looking for scams. I suggest beginning with The Wholesale Detective or The Ultimate eBay Dropship Power Pak. These programs offer great databases of best honest wholesalers and dropshippers. I still don't trust a dropshipper unless The Wholesale Detective lists it.
The real dropshippers do not have words like "Free", "Wholesaler", "Dropshipper", "Dropship", "Club", "Store" or "Mega" in their names. And, if any company tells you they are making no money on the merchandise, it is a bold lie.
I suggest that you do not start off having the dropshipper ship the merchandise to your customers. Order some of the merchandise for yourself and examine it thoroughly before you go into business. I started to recieve e-mails from angry customers stating that the Jordans were of terrible quality when I was told by my dropshipper that they were of authentic quality.
Don't bite off more than you can chew. As stated previously, I sold 250 pairs of shoes in 4 days. Within those 4 days, I had to deal with about 600-700 e-mails which is almost impossible for only one person to deal with that also has school to worry about. Patience is the key to success.

These were a few of the mistakes that I made dealing with dropshipping. I had a price to pay for my mistakes. I owed $4,000 to PayPal and I had a $2,000 eBay bill that I ended up working during the summer to pay off. I honestly ask that everyone considering going into business with a dropshipper to take precautions and use the tips I provided. I would also like to say that even though I had a bad experience dealing with dropshipping, that is not always the case. I know there are some people who have become very successful and wealthy off of dropshipping.

Five years have passed since I began my journey in this industry. I finally did pay off all of my debts that summer and now I have made it my mission to educate and inform people of the scammers out there waiting to ambush the inexperienced and naive. I don't want anyone else to go through the experience that I did. There were times where I felt hopeless and bitter for falling into a trap that left me feeling depressed. Needless to say, I have learned from my soul-crushing mistakes and now make decent money selling on ebay.

Hate To Burst Your Bubble: Identifying 6 Common Internet Scams

2010-06-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

I've spent years of hard work trying to find a way to not work hard, and just now it's almost starting...but it still has a LONG way to go for me. However, if you've been online for more than a week, you've probably already seen them. Ads that promise great wealth, in little or no time, for little or no work on your behalf. They then go on to tell you how simple and easy it is to work from home, being your own boss and setting your own hours.

Sounds great, doesn't it? But is it actually true? So far it's not for me. Ok, so you get to decide your work hours, but let me tell you, there's a LOT of hours involved here, and a LOT of hard work, and even then, you may not succeed in making enough money to quit your day job (IF any at all...)

There are tons of business opportunities out there to get involved with. Here's a list of some of them, with their "TRUE" colors...and I've fallen for all of them at least once. I'm NOT saying every individual opportunity IS a scam, but a lot of them are, and you need to do your homework before you embark on the journey as an "internet marketer".

MLM, Pyramid Schemes etc:

Promise: You make money from sales, be it services or products. You recruit other sales people, and earn from their sales.
Fact: Most of the time, you'll find that the people you're trying to sell to are other distributors, and you're all trying to sell to each other, which ultimately means no sales.

Vaction and Travel:

Promise: You get dirt-cheap or even free tickets, with tons of extras.
Fact: You could end up with no trip, or with a trip of a much lesser quality of services and accommodation than promised. Sometimes there are hidden charges and costs that you don't find out about until you've paid.

Credit Cards:

Promise: Give us your credit card number, we need it to verify that you are over 18, then we can give you X, Y, and Z for free.
Fact: There are a lot of these that will run up charges on your credit cards

Health Care:

Promise: Our products can cure serious, or even fatal, health problems.
Fact: A lot of people will believe this one, without checking it out thoroughly. This can result in people not getting the neccessary treatment they really need for their illness.

Investments:

Promise: Make a huge return on your investments with us, and make it FAST!
Fact: A big profit always carries a big risk, which mostly means you stand to lose your investment.

Chain Letters:

Promise: Pass this on and you'll earn a truckload of money.
Fact: Chain letters inolving money and/or valuables are illegal! Even the ones that tell you they're legal and endorsed by the government. By starting, or passing these on, you are, in effect, breaking the law.

While a lot of programs truly ARE legitimate, there's thousands more that aren't. There are certain questions you need to ask the promoteur of any program/opportunity/offer before you make your decisions.

What is the FULL outlay expected of me for membership fees, equipment and supplies?
What will I get for my money?
What exactly do I have to do (step by step)?
Will I be paid a regular wage, or will my pay be based on commission?
Who will be paying me?

Take your time. People promoting scams will likely use high-pressure sales tactics to get you to buy in to them. If the business opportunity is legitimate, it'll still be around when you're ready to decide.

WARNING: E-Bay Scams to Look Out For

2010-06-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

There are many eBay scams out there to keep an eye out for when you are buying or selling on eBay. Today's post will cover some of the known and not so well known scams to be aware of. Whether you're a causal buyer or seller, or a professional on eBay, you need to know about these scams so that you can take measures to prevent or recognize if it's happening to you.

Bid Shielding - This scam is something you need to watch out for as a seller on eBay. Basically the scam is run using two separate eBay accounts. The scam works like this. You put your item up for auction. Let's say your item is worth $100 and you have no reserve. The first bidder (scammer) comes along and bids $5 on your item. Right after that, another bidder working with the first bidder comes along and bids $200 on your item. Since your item is only worth $100, you receive no more bids for the duration of your auction. Right before your auction ends, the first bidder backs out and cancels their bid, leaving the $5 bidder the winner, effectively shielding all other potential bidders because of the $200 bid. Because of the potential for this scam it is always good to have a reserve on your auction. Also, I would put some sort of disclaimer on your auction stating that if you suspect bid shielding on your auction, you reserve the right to back out of the sale. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on your auctions and watch for this type of behavior. If you suspect this is happening to you, be sure to report the parties involved to eBay right away.
Wholesale List Scam - This scam takes advantage of the fact that many people don't pay close attention or read the fine print on an auction. This scam is targeted at buyers who are looking for deals on electronics and technological items on eBay. The wholesale list scam is basically an auction that looks like the seller is offering a great deal on a product like an iPod for example. They may have a buy now price of $40 for an iPod that is worth $150. However, if you actually read the fine print on the auction, you will find that you are not really buying the iPod. In fact you are purchasing a wholesale list. To avoid this scam, just be sure that you read the entire details of the auction before making a bid or a purchase. Basically, just use common sense. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is, so read the auction carefully.
Bad Check Scam - This eBay scam is exactly what it sounds like. The bad check scam is simple. Someone purchases your item and sends you a check as payment. You receive the check, and send out the item. However, 2 weeks later you find out the check bounces and now you are out your item and the money. To avoid this, simply do not send out any products until the check has cleared.
Spoof eBay Emails - This eBay scam is an attempt to get your personal information and/or eBay account information. Basically the scammer sends you an email that looks like it's from eBay. The email may direct you to a website (that also looks like eBay) where it asks to you verify your information. In reality, the website is created by the scammer to collect your personal information and use it for identity theft. The scammers can be very tricky and make everything look very official.To avoid this scam, you need to be wary of any emails that you get. The first thing you need to check is the email header. Emails from eBay, will have "@eBay.com" as the last part of the senders email. Also any links that are in the email may be directing you somewhere other than where they say they are. Also copy and paste the links into your browser, and only visit official links that start with "www.eBay.com". If anything seems suspicious to you, forward the email to eBay and wait for their response. They will let you know if it's legitimate or not.

In conclusion, most people you run into on eBay are good honest people and not out to scam you. You may do business on eBay for years and never run into any of this. However, occasionally these things do happen so it's important to use common sense and use your best judgment when it comes to this stuff. Just be aware that it can happen, and take the necessary precautions and you will be fine. There's a lot of money to be made on eBay, so don't let anything scare you off. Keep yourself armed with knowledge and information and you will be successful out there in the auction world!

Take My Advice...Don't Get Scamed!

2010-05-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

My name is Fredrick McValentine and I'm a reviewer. I'm not a professional writer. But what I have to share with you is so extraordinary and so powerful, I had to write this myself. This is my first blog, so bear with me...

Wouldn't it be nice to make a bundle of money quickly, with minimal effort, working at home in your pajamas? Of course it would. I for one would love to have money flowing into my bank account, working only a few hours a week from home, so I'd have more time to spend with my wife and daughter, without any boss looking over my shoulder.

Whether it's real estate investing, selling by classifieds ads, stock market investing, internet affiliate marketing, or something else, we've all seen the fantastic claims people make about making tons of money, AND how they can show you how to do the same thing. I can tell you right now...that 99% of these people are total frauds.

You may have even fallen prey to one of these scam artists, selling you their latest "Home Job" program. Me too. I've bought so many of these programs that I can't even recall how many. I don't know why, but I tend to find the "good" in people, and I was "sold" by these marketing schemes time and time again, even after being scammed by another. Finally, after so many disappointments, I got FED UP.

I decided to get to the bottom of this fascination we all have with Home Job programs, and find out if there really were any LEGITIMATE programs for making money. I literally contacted the administrator of every Home Job website I could find.

Posing as an investigator, I managed to convince the owners that I was seriously interested in purchasing...their entire website and business. That way, once the dollar signs flashed in their heads, they would give me free access to their member's areas to review what I would be "buying".

Well,...I was disgusted with 99% of what I found. Many of the owners actually boasted about how many people bought their useless programs. I repeatedly found:

OUTDATED INFORMATION
NON-WORKING LINKS
LINKS LEADING TO SITES THAT ASK FOR MORE MONEY
NO HELP SECTION
NO REAL EMAIL SUPPORT
NO REFUNDS

I quickly realized that these so-called Home Job programs were totally useless. And the owners knew it, yet they were laughing all the way to the bank! Needless to say, I didn't respond when they asked if I was still interested in buying their websites. Surprisingly, while sifting through all of the scam artists websites, I was able to locate a couple of individuals that actually ran legitimate programs.

The owners were everyday people like you and me that found a way to make extra money working from home on their computers. Their membership areas were impressive, with a good amount of quality information on how to make $100-$200 per day on your computer doing very little work. I even chatted with a few of their customers in several online forums, and they verified that they were making extra money through the sites.

It was like I found a few diamonds in the rough. But don't take my word for it, you can visit the site I found below. See what you think. They do charge a minimal fee for access to their program, which is to be expected for any legitimate company that actually has people on staff who are dedicated to helping you get started.

What a friendly group of people! Anyway, if you do decide you are interested in either of the programs below, I advise you to join quickly, as the owners have informed me that they are getting so many new members by word of mouth referrals, that they will be closing off membership completely soon. (By the way, you didn't hear this from me!) They don't have a large enough staff to accommodate many more people, and they are dedicated to providing excellent service to each person.

Well, this is just the begining in my search for legitimate Home Job programs. I've failed with far too may of these "programs", and I don't want you to repeat my mistakes. I have to say I was thoroughly disappointed with most of what I found, and I strongly advise that you do not take chances joining any programs other than the two listed below! Whatever you do, I wish a healthy, prosperous year for you & yours.

The Rich Jerk - This is by far the best program. Nice people and a system written in a humerous style most are afraid to go. He may be a jerk, but he sure helped me!
Ultimate Wealth Package - If you're just beginning in internet marketing or a seasoned pro, this guide is sure to have many tricks in it that would never cross your mind. The methods used by the author have enabled him to make millions of dollars.

I'll try to keep this blog updated with all my ventures into those so-called "Get Rich Quick" schemes...both the successfull ones and the ones for you to watch out for. Stay tuned for WHOLESALE PRODUCTS and THE RIGHT WAY TO USE eBAY. Feel free to leave a comment if you have suggestions or questions on any product. Odds are I already tried it!