What is The Best Way to Make Money Online and Is there a List of Internet Scammers?
People like you learn how to earn online money every day.
All over the World, more and more people are quitting their jobs because they’ve learned the secret of how to earn online money on the internet, with the ultimate prize being to earn money online free of charge.
And, around the world, people are completely changing their lives by building online businesses. This is true; online jobs earn money. This is now reality. And it’s a growing trend. You can work online and earn money too, but you need to beware the online scams out there.
Beware the Online Scam.
In a moment, I’ll show you what it takes to succeed online and where you can learn the skills you’ll need, but first, let’s talk about scams. The road to online success passes through some very dangerous territory.
Scammers and scams are everywhere. If you don’t know what to look for, you’ll quickly learn some hard and expensive lessons. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just list internet scammers?
Once you’ve lost money online, it’s doubtful you’ll ever get it back. My advice is to consider it a lesson learned and move on. I’ll show you how to spot make money online scams, so it never happens again.
If you follow my simple rules, you’ll be scam proof. Maybe it is possible after all to produce an online scammers list?
What is a Scammer?
A ‘scammer’ is a person who uses deception to trick you out of your money. In the old days they used to be known as Confidence Tricksters. If you’ve seen the film ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ you’ll know.
They are skilled at using your own emotions against you and making you feel responsible for getting scammed. They will blame you and believe you deserve to be scammed. Because scammers lack empathy, they are probably sociopaths.
Scams have been around since the beginning of time. Now the internet brings them into our homes on a daily basis, often with lots of publicity.
If you are trying to learn how to make money online, you may discover you must wade through legions of scams before you find what you are searching for.
This article will help you safely navigate through the minefield of online scams and find the good stuff.
It’s all in your head.
The truth is, most people who try to make money online are looking for something that is quick and easy. They want a shortcut, a gimmick.
They want to get-rich-quick. There isn’t one. So get that notion out of your head.
As long as you believe there is some secret system that will make you rich quick, you will be vulnerable to scammers.
The scammers prey on people’s impatience, desperation, and greed. Control these emotions and you will be far less vulnerable to scams and be able to realise your dream.
Let’s get personal.
Long before the internet was ever dreamed of, there was an industry selling so-called “opportunities.” There was even a magazine called Opportunity.
It was loaded front to back with ads for make money systems. Of these, very few had any longevity, and most were absolute rubbish.
The reason there is an industry selling so-called “opportunities” is that there are legions of “opportunity seekers,” millions of people who are desperate to live a better life, quit their job, get out of debt and to finally be respected. I know. I was one of them. Nothing wrong with that.
The problem is most of these ‘opportunity seekers’ don’t have a clue about how to build a profitable business.
They are in so much emotional pain they believe the scammers’ false promises, hoping, this time, it will be different, this time, it will work. It never does. They kiss goodbye to even more of their hard-earned cash.
Stop being an opportunity seeker.
I think being an opportunity seeker is kind of like being an drug addict. It was for me. When I bought into an “opportunity,” I felt good.
I was filled with renewed optimism. That feeling was hugely addictive. I used to think i’d discovered a secret no-one else knew.
Here’s the thing I finally realized, and the thing I want you to understand too, as long as you chase “opportunities” you will never succeed.
Opportunity products are not designed to make you successful. They are designed to separate you from your money, and that is all they will do. Quickly!
Stop being that opportunity seeker!
Instead, be an entrepreneur. Here’s the difference. An opportunity seeker believes there is a secret button or software system that will magically turn the internet into their own private cash machine.
On the other hand, an entrepreneur knows that if he wants to make money online, he will have to build a business. Building a real, honest-to-goodness business takes sustained effort. It takes time.
Successful online businesses are built on the same principles as successful offline businesses. They are built on integrity and service and a willingness to solve people’s problems or help people fulfill their desires.
In other words, real businesses create value for the customer. You need to know your market and you need to solve their problems.
The internet gives an entrepreneur a tremendous advantage once he has learned some basic skills.
Also, starting a business online costs very little money. It’s even possible to start without spending anything at all. I’ll show you how.
The Secret to Making Money Online.
The secret to making money online is to help people get what they want.
The internet is nothing more than a highly sophisticated communications network. The keyword here is “communications.”
For the first time in human history, an obscure individual in the middle of nowhere is connected to billions of people around the world and can reach them.
If that individual has a real, honest-to-goodness business that solves people’s problems or fulfills their desires, AND people come to know, like and trust her/him, that individual will make money…possibly a lot of money.
Take the Long View.
While the internet can connect you with these billions of people, it will take time for them to find you and to realise you offer something of value and get to know, like and trust you.
It’s important to be patient when you’re building your online business and to take the long view.
You’ll have to learn some new skills. I’ll talk more about that in a minute. For now, I hope you have abandoned the opportunity seeking mentality and embraced being an entrepreneur instead.
Just to be sure you never get scammed again, I’ll tell you my methods for spotting a scam a mile away.
It begins with understanding the difference between manipulating the search engines and creating value for the customer.
Manipulation vs. Creating Value.
In the world of make-money-online products, there are two schools of thought. One is to manipulate the search engines with gimmicks and software so your website artificially ranks high (so called black hat strategies).
The other school of thought is to honestly create valuable content that helps people solve their problems or fulfill their desires.
Manipulating the search engines is a losing battle. The search engines are getting smarter by the minute. The primary purpose of search engines is to deliver to the user what they are searching for.
If you trick the search engines into believing your website is valuable, when it isn’t, your website won’t be there for long. You’ll be dropped, never to be seen again by the searcher.
You could work for months to rank with these manipulative methods and then see your website banned from the search engines forever.
All your work will be for nothing, and you’ll have to start over again. It may take years to get back to a point where you were.
OR…you could simply create valuable content that really does help the people who visit your website. That’s the honest way to do it. That’s the way to build a proper online business, one that lasts.
If you do that, the search engines will love your website and reward you with lots of traffic from people who want to learn, succeed themselves and buy into your solutions. You’ll build a personal brand and be trusted.
How to Spot ‘Make Money Online’ Scams.
Now that you know what it really takes to properly make money online, you are better prepared to spot the scams. However, I can make it even easier for you to avoid getting ripped off.
Here are my rules for spotting make money online scams a mile away. I haven’t been able to list internet scammers exactly, but it is instead a list of how to avoid internet scams. I hope you find it useful.
Rule #1: Can you try it before you buy it?
If you cannot try it for free without plugging in your credit card number, it’s probably a scam.
A genuine make-money-online product is focused on helping you learn the skills you need to succeed online.
It’s not a one-shot blast off. Instead, it’s continual training and support that keeps you on track as you journey towards online success.
If the offer is legitimate, you’ll be given the chance to thoroughly investigate it at your leisure.
Think of it as checking out a college before you enroll. It shouldn’t cost you to check out a learning program online.
Rule #1 trumps all other rules. There are more rules, but if you just remember rule #1, your risk of getting scammed will be minuscule.
Rule #2: Assume online guarantees are worthless.
Scammers all have some sort of guarantee, which they’ll wave at you before you order, but you have no way of making them honor it.
This is why it’s so important to be able to try before you buy without giving out your credit card info.
When you give someone your money online, you probably will never get it back. Refer to Rule #1.
Rule #3: Beware the Penny Sale.
You get an email offering you an insane make money offer that guarantees you’ll soon be making thousands of dollars or pounds and it only costs £10, or £7, or £5, or some ridiculously affordable price. That’s the penny sale.
The scammer is dangling the bait under your nose.
Once you bite and give them your credit card info, you will be immediately offered something a little more expensive; maybe it costs £19 or £29.
You haven’t even gotten the thing you paid £10 for, and they are already trying to dig deeper into your wallet.
STOP RIGHT THERE and run the other way. Cut your losses with the $10 purchase.
If you keep going, you will be met with a more expensive offer, say £49 or £79. You get the idea. They hooked you with the penny sale, and now they are reeling you in with an upsell (would you like to supersize that?).
This offer is not about learning anything that will help you. It’s about the scammer grabbing as much of your cash as he can get at the start.
When you are offered a penny sale, the scammer is using a very powerful psychological trick against you.
Once you buy in at the low price, your subconscious wants to prove that you made the right decision and will be inclined to buy the next offer and the next to prove that you did indeed make a smart move.
Don’t fall for this. Cut your loses as soon as you’re offered an upsell. If you got this offer in an email, unsubscribe. Whoever sent you this offer is only trying to extract as much money from you as possible.
Rule #4: Beware of artificial urgency.
The real opportunity the internet has created isn’t going anywhere.
If you are presented with a make-money-online offer but are rushed to make a decision, it’s a scam.
The SOB making the offer has created an artificial sense of urgency to try and force you to make a hasty decision, a decision that is not in your best interests.
The scammer knows if you have time to think about it, you’ll see it as the worthless offer it really is.
Sometimes a legitimate offer will have a timer as well. The difference is how much time you have to make a decision. No-one can make a good decision under pressure.
Typically, a legitimate offer will first give you a free trial and the timer is for a discount on what you have already tried.
The way to decide if a timer is part of a scam or not is to ask yourself what you are risking. If a countdown timer is pressuring you to make a hasty decision that will cost you money, it’s probably a scam.
However, if the countdown timer gives you days to make a decision and you have a free trial to thoroughly evaluate the offer, it’s probably legit.
Rule #5: If they flash money, luxury cars, or houses, it’s a scam.
Flashing pictures of wads of money and luxury items are blatant attempts to press your ‘greed button’. Everybody has one.
Once your brain trips into greed mode, they have you by the short and curlys. They are playing you for a fool. It’s insulting. Steer clear.
Rule #6: Read the Disclaimer.
Always read the disclaimer. A typical scam will be all love and sunshine up front in the big print and then take it all back in the disclaimer.
If there is no disclaimer or you are blocked from accessing it, it’s a scam. If the disclaimer is (deliberately) confusing, it’s a scam.
A scammer will use the disclaimer to legally cover their backsides. Be sure to read it and understand it.
Rule #7: Search for the Offer Online
If you are still in doubt, take the time to research the offer online. See what others have to say about it. Keep in mind that positive reviews do not mean it’s not a scam.
Often affiliates for a product will create glowing reviews in the hope of you buying it through their link.
If you find a positive review but there’s an affiliate link in the review, take it with a grain of salt. Also, search for the offer name plus the word “complaints”. You’ll often turn up the information you need.
Rule #8: Don’t Give Out Your Phone Number.
Your mobile phone number is valuable. Do not give your phone number, any phone number, to an online business you do not know, like and trust. Scammers want your number for one reason.
They want to call you. Specifically, they want to set professional telemarketers on you. This is annoying at best and can cost you a ton of money and may even cause your identity to be stolen.
There is an online industry that is constantly gathering information on us and then selling this information to the highest bidder. Your phone number is a key factor in assembling a complete identity package ready to be sold.
How to Start an Online Business from Scratch.
Let’s assume you don’t know anything about making money online. Here’s a brief explanation of how to start an online business from scratch.
You build a website and fill it with content that solves people’s problems or fulfills their desires.
Because this is useful content, the search engines help people find your website. In time, the visitors to your website get to know you, like you and trust you. They buy into your personal brand.
You honor their trust in you and only recommend products that will help them. And, because they know, like and trust you, some of your visitors buy the products you recommend through links on your site. When they do, you make money from commissions from the vendor.
It’s as simple as that.
Before you can build a website and get it ranked in the search engines, you’ll need to learn some new skills.
And, once you have these new skills, you’ll know several ultra-legitimate, non-spammy ways to make money on the internet. Let me show you the best place I’ve found for learning what you need to know.
Where to learn the skills you need to succeed online.
If you have ever tried to find honest information about how to build a legitimate online business, you will discover that the path is a dangerous one.
The aforementioned scammers are ready to promise you the world and take your last penny. Or, worse, they will convince you to load the cost up on your credit card, so you will be paying for years to come.
The truth is, making substantial money online requires that you build a real online business. The good news is it isn’t particlarly difficult, but it does require patience and commitment.
Actually, building an online business is easier than slogging away at a dead-end job, but you still need to be dedicated. However, it has been done many times before, so once you learn a method that works, you just copy it.
If you would like to learn how to make money online, the right way, I recommend the Wealthy Affiliate Online Entrepreneur Certification Course.
In this FREE starter course, you’ll discover the industry’s best practices for building an online business. You’ll get comprehensive training, support and one-on-one mentoring.
You’ll also have the ability to earn through the affiliate scheme if you enhance your training by joining the Wealthy Affiliate Premium Program.
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