What exactly is a scam?

Identifying and avoiding scams within Internet marketing is key to being able to be successful. So first of all how do we define a scam?

Starting with the dictionary definition ; Scam - trick, swindle, fraud or a story or rumour.

These are all negative words but they do not convey the damage that is done to the victims of a scam. Not only in terms of financial loss (which can be extensive) but more importantly in loss of confidence and self belief.

So how do we spot a scam? Actually this is not that easy, particularly within the online world. This is largely due to the fact that almost anyone can produce a great looking website with convincing arguments to invest in their system. So if they are hard to spot by just looking at the surface, how do we avoid getting 'sucked' into the hype.

The only two tools that we have at our disposal are own own common sense and time.

Common Sense:

1. Use your head not your heart.
2. Do not spend more than you can afford to lose.
3. Research the system in question.
4. Ignore any testimonials unless they can be independently verified.
5. Understand how the revenue is generated.
6. Remember that there really are no get rich schemes.

Time:

1. If this is a new system be wary.
2. revisit the site a few days / weeks or even months later. If its still going strong then perhaps you can go ahead.

I know that some of these are obvious and that some seem extreme. This list is not exhaustive so you will always need to be on your guard. I do understand that it's easy to get swept along with the hype and promise of easy money (it's happened to me and in hindsight they are easy to avoid).

Personal recommendations are generally OK as long as you do actually know where they're coming from.

So the old saying of "buyer beware" has never been more apt.

Finally if you check out my previous post you'll see how I use these principles for my own system. On my main site I actively encourage potential prospects to investigate, and I also provide measures for people to make their own judgements and encourage them to revisit my site when they are ready. I also show advertisements on this blog that may illustrate some of the issues discussed here. As always comments on this or any subject are welcome.