Self-Publishing: Common Scams to Avoid

Are you an author who has decided to go the self-publishing route? If you have received numerous rejection letters from publishing companies, but you still believe that you have a sellable book, you may be. Self-publishers also like the freedom and control that they have.

As nice as self-publishing is for many authors, it is still important to proceed with caution. Did you know that there are a number of self-publishing scams out there? There are and these are scams that you will want to avoid.

If you are self-publishing a book, you should not be required to sign any contracts. What you will want to do is search for a printing company that will turn your words into a real book. You do not need to sign any contracts or agree to give away your work for this to be done. Often times, all you need to do is agree to pay the already agreed upon fee. If you are sent a contract, chances you are dealing with a vanity publisher, as opposed to a printing company.

Whether you examine vanity publishers or a printing company, be cautious of any recommendations that you receive. For example, if an individual in your travels says “I know of a great designer who can design an amazing cover for your book,” proceed with caution. Of course, the individual or company in question is more than worth the look, but you should know that many companies do not recommend others out of the goodness of their hearts. Many do so because they receive a percentage of each sale made by working as an affiliate.

Even if you make the decision to self-publish a book, there is still a good chance that you will turn to other experts. You may be interested in hiring the services of a professional editor or a designer to make your book cover. When hiring a designer, give them an outline of your book or your expectations, but never hand over your completed work. A designer does not need this. If they ask for it, they may have bad intentions.

As for hiring the services of a professional editor, know who you are working with at all times. Do the proper amount of research first. You can honestly never tell if an editor actually reads your books and make changes. Be leery of anyone who says “everything looks good to me,” and then hands you a bill. It is also important to remember that when you hire an editor, you essentially hand them everything that you have worked on for the past year or months. Make sure you hire a trusted editor who will not run with your work and then later claim it as their own.

In keeping with hiring assistance, one of the downsides to self-publishing is that you, as the author, are responsible for selling your book. This is something that many authors do not have the time and experience to do. That is why outside help is often used. If you do use help, choose a different person. Do not let the same company publish your book and then sell it. This is often a sign of a scam. Instead, hire a marketing specialist who can help you develop and market your own website where your book can be offered for sale. Or, approach local retailers, like your local bookstores, to see if they can carry your book.

Although there are a number of scams associated with self-publishing, it is a great way to get a book published. Just be sure to use your best judgment.

Secret Methods of Home Work Business Opportunities Scams

Home work business opportunities scams have become the order of the day on the internet. And the menace continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Each day you come across newer and newer scams and scammers. In fact, if you happen to be a bit net savvy and have ever scoured the net looking for 'Get Rich Quick' home work business opportunities or a proven income opportunity, you already know what I am talking about.

Reportedly, more than 90% of these so called home work business opportunities are outright scams. What they actually do is capitalize on peoples hopes and dreams, take advantage of human weaknesses and finally succeed in emptying the wallets of the common man. Most internet marketers (scamsters included) are well aware that its not just making money with home work business opportunities but making easy money that is one of the single biggest motivational factors for anybody. It's therefore not surprising that its the number 1 searched topic by millions of net surfers each and every day. What people look for in the real world applies equally well in the online world too. It is common knowledge that given good home work business opportunities that work, most people would be far happier working for themselves than under a boss who is breathing down their back. No one really enjoys work pressure or work politics, right. And above all we would like to work to our own schedules, not someone else's. Perhaps, these are some of the principal reasons why the most heart attacks occur on Monday mornings!

In case you haven't noticed it yet, internet marketers and clever scammers alike draw heavily on this knowledge while drafting their sales letters especially those relating to home work business opportunities. Just recall how many times you have come across a sales letter for home work business opportunities or a proven income opportunity that harps on themes such as-'Work in your pajamas', 'Fire you Boss', 'spend more time with your wife and kids', 'work whenever you like to' or 'work from your vacation home' or island or whatever it is that really pleases you. Sounds familiar ? Savvy marketers understand that the act of buying a product is driven by human emotion and is therefore impulsive in nature. It becomes logical only afterwards in order to uphold the wisdom of the purchase decision. That's why you will invariably find these themes built into sales letters for home work business opportunities because they are meant to appeal to exactly that - your emotions.

Close scrutiny of effective sales letters for home work business opportunities will almost always reveal a distinctive pattern. So much so that, you can safely conclude that the more effective they are, the more likely it is that they have stuck to the pattern. It is well researched human psychology that people respond positively if you can instill hope or fear or cause a sense of urgency or appear as an authority or appear to be unbiased or even unusual. Taking the cue, today's cyber sales letters are deftly crafted, cutting edge works of art that have all these concepts and more woven into them for best effect. Some examples of this in action are- 'Learn how I made a million dollars in 15 minutes' (kindles hope), 'Don't be spied on' or 'you don't want any legal trouble' (evokes fear), 'prices to go up in 2 days' or 'the discount ends today' (creates a sense of urgency), 'I made $300000 from Google last year' or 'I am a member of the International Home Business Entrepreneur's Association'(appear as an authority), a 3rd party or reviewer like style to the letter (to appear unbiased), 'Stop reading and leave if you can't invest in your future' or 'Don't buy this unless you are convinced the others are bad' (appear unusual to earn your loyalty).

Even a savvy surfer who is proficient in these techniques can occasionally fall prey to one of these cunningly crafted devices blinded by the lure of easy internet riches. But the vast majority of those that do so are enterprising young men and women from all walks of life who are often unaware of the powerful sales conversion techniques in operation here and mistake it to be a proven income opportunity. Its a matter of much regret and concern that the internet in the short span of time since its advent into the larger public sphere has already transformed itself into a safe haven for spammers, scammers, pornographers and fraudsters touting home work business opportunities.

If at all there is something that we can console ourselves about, it is the fact that there are still a few really good and legitimate home work business opportunities out there that truly work. However, like the proverbial pin in the haystack, it takes more than mere foresight to identify genuine home work business opportunities from the vast and ever increasing population of internet fraudsters. You will always do well to conduct a fairly in depth review of prospective home work business opportunities by doing a Google search on it or by visiting popular or eclectic forums on home work business opportunities where you will have the chance to enquire with present users of the program as to how they are doing with it. This will go a long way in helping you make an educated decision for yourself as to whether it indeed is a proven income opportunity. If anybody tells you that he's got a secret to share with you on how to make a million dollars in 15 minutes flat or that there are residual income home work business opportunities out there that require little or no investment of your time, money or effort, you better watch out. Unfortunately, there are no home work business opportunities that give you returns for no investment of your time, money or effort. Its against the Common Law of Business or for that matter home work business opportunities to not invest anything at all in a venture and yet earn an income from it. There are simply no home work business opportunities or even an already proven income opportunity on the surface of this earth that will succeed for you without good old hard work, patience, dedication, investment and enterprise.

Do you have what it takes to devote 1 or 2 hours of your time every day and I stress the words- 'every day' ? What if I show you one of the genuine and most popular home work business opportunities that will work for you provided you work it? A proven income opportunity. Its called the Plugin Profit site. Its one of those few home work business opportunities on the net that has stood the test of time and is still going incredibly strong. You will have to join 5 affiliate programs. Relax, for all of them are free except one. And the investment for you on that one program is just under twenty dollars per month apart from a monthly fee of about twenty five dollars which goes to your web hosting account with Host4profit that they recommend. Once you join these 5 programs you get a dynamic, profit pulling, home work business opportunities affiliate web site for free created specifically for you with tutorials, great bonuses, user forums and 24 hour customer support. The 30 Days to Success guide that comes free with the program literally holds you by your hand (explaining every silly detail) and walks you through the process of getting everything up and running in a very short while. One of the many bonuses that come with the program is a free membership to the webs most respected forum -The Warrior Forum, where you will get to rub shoulders with some of the giants in the field of internet marketing on an everyday basis for free! You can also seek the help and advice of other members through the exclusive Plugin Profit site members forum hosted within the Warrior forum. This one bonus alone can take you places. You will find links to this proven income opportunity as well as to my main web site at the bottom of this page.

It is worth re-iterating that none of these home work business opportunities will work, not even a genuine and proven income opportunity if you are new to the concept of hard work. Its becoming increasingly difficult to identify good home work business opportunities that work thanks to the continuing proliferation of fraudsters who constitute the vast majority. Good home work business opportunities like the one mentioned above which is a proven income opportunity can only provide you with the system and the tools, its up to you to make the best use of them. You can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make it drink it.

What are the Most Common Ways to Commit Identity Theft or Fraud

It's the number one source of consumer complaints at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and unfortunately, it's one of the simplest crimes to commit. Identity theft involves information from your daily life, from shopping, bill-paying, and even applying for a job. Thieves take advantage of everyday opportunities to discover your personal information, including your Social Security number (SSN), bank or credit card account numbers, income, name, address, or phone number, and use it to commit fraud or other crimes.

How can a stranger get to your information? According to the FTC, identity thieves may pose as legitimate representatives of an organization, as business professionals or agents of the government, conning you into revealing sensitive information. Common scams include impersonating employees from banks, credit card companies, Internet service providers, and utility companies. If someone calls you claiming to represent a legitimate organization, confirm this by calling the customer service number listed on your statement or bill.

Thieves may also use your place of employment to get the information they need. A co-worker may steal information from your employer; someone could hack into your company's computer and copy employee records; or a criminal could resort to the old-fashioned method of bribing someone you work with for your information. Check with your employer to find out the company policy on securing your records and disposing of them when you're gone.

If your employer is authorized to pull credit reports on employees or potential customers, someone could take advantage of this access to retrieve illegal reports. Criminals may also pose as employers, landlords, or collection agents to pull your credit information. It's a good idea to order a copy of your credit report once a year to check for unauthorized entries.

Shredding your documents before you throw them away is also good idea, whether at work or at home. Identity thieves have been known to sift through garbage, in the trash can or at the dump, to find sensitive information.

The most common form of identity theft is credit card fraud. Technology has allowed criminals to begin stealing your credit or debit card numbers as you use the cards, "skimming" them with an information storage device. In addition, thousands of drivers' licenses and credit and debit cards are stolen each year. Keeping your Social Security card in a secure location and safeguarding your purse or wallet while at work are necessary precautions.

Even your mail is a source for identity thieves, who may complete credit card applications in your name and go on a spending spree. After stealing your bank or credit card statements, tax information, or box of replacement checks, criminals are able to access your accounts and spend the funds in your name. They may even change the address on your existing account, diverting the bills to keep you from recognizing the problem until it's too late. Being aware of your billing cycles can help you catch a discrepancy in the arrival of your statements.

Identity thieves have a variety of ways to use your information for their personal gain. They may shop for big-ticket items using your credit or bank account information and then sell the items for cash. With your SSN and date of birth, they can open new bank accounts or apply for lines of credit. In fact, banks have granted loans to criminals using stolen identities for purchases as large as cars.

Telephone or internet service can be set up using your SSN. Thieves can avoid impending eviction or accumulated debt by filing bankruptcy in your name. Perhaps the most emotionally traumatic, police could issue a warrant for you if a criminal was arrested using your name and failed to appear at a court hearing.

The ways that identity thieves have conceived to acquire your personal information are numerous, but your vigilance and heightened awareness can curb their ability to make you a victim. And, if you sustain credit damage, go to apscreen.com to find out what you can do about it.

How to Avoid Scams With Make Money Writing Articles

If you want to make money writing articles online, there is a good chance that you will turn to the internet in search of paying clients. Unfortunately, you are likely to come across a number of scams along the way. Writing articles for money is a great work-at-home opportunity, but, work-at-home opportunities are often common fronts for scammers. So, how can you avoid these scams? You may be surprised just how easy it is.

First, it is important to know what types of scams are out there. You may find what appears to be a great client who wants you to write 15 articles on fashion jewelry. However, after submitting your articles, your client is nowhere to be found. They took your articles without paying for them. For a writer who takes great pride in their work, this is one of the worst types of scams to fall victim to. There are also scams where companies, claiming to provide you with article writing jobs charge you a fee and then just take your money and run. Some scammers will also create fake article writing jobs in hopes of getting your personal information.

As for acquiring your personal information and using it illegally, a legitimate business owner may need your social security number, as they need to report this information on their taxes. Unfortunately, this is how many scammers get personal information out of hopeful writers. To prevent this from happening from you, know the difference between a well-established website and company versus someone who is only asking you to write four articles. Work with a new client a few times before providing them with any personal information. If you are paid and without problems, the individual or company in question really may need your personal information.

As for someone taking your articles and running, without paying you, there are a number of ways to avoid this scam. Be cautious of new clients. For projects that are large in size, request a small amount of the payment upfront or at the halfway point. If you aren’t paid, don’t write more articles. For smaller projects, where you may feel uncomfortable asking for payment upfront, use you best judgment. If your articles are not paid for, you retain the rights to them, meaning you can resell them.

As for "companies", who request you pay a fee, you will also want to use your best judgment. There are legitimate companies online that will charge you $5 or $10 a month to participate in their article writing programs. A small fee doesn’t mean that the site is legitimate, but run away from fees that are high, like $20 or more. Also, never pay a company that claims you can make thousands of dollars a day. Article writing can be a well-paying gig, but since it is a legitimate job, so you should have reasonable expectations.

As previously stated, be sure to use your best judgment. Although some online scams can be easy to fall for, most are easy to spot and from a mile away. As long as you know that article writing scams do exist and what to look for, you can better protect yourself. By steering clear of the above mentioned scams, you can enjoy a long and profitable career as an article writer.

Low Cost Advertising and Scams on the Internet

"A business without a sign is a sign of no business". This is an advertising banner or quotation that can be seen in 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 a 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.

Fight against Identity Theft with Fraud Alert

One thing you can be proud of always is your self-identity -- your individual difference among other persons. It reflects your whole being and your personality in general. It also shows your uniqueness with other people. It is something that cannot be stolen from you.

However, don’t you know that nowadays other people can steal your personal identity already?

Yes. You should be alarm with this fact. Maybe due to the continuous search of men for wealth, they happen to commit this kind of calcification to the point that they are already intervening in one’s privacy, the personal identity of others.

This is how worse the situation is in the world today. Imagine having your identity stolen by others and used for criminal acts. Isn’t it a grave offense and a deep insult in your person? Identity theft evolved when there is numerous numbers of people already practicing this form of violation.

Identity theft is indeed a crime of a different kind of dye. In simple term, it is the stealing of your personal identity. It can be comprise of your identification information. It will include your SSS number, licenses data, bank accounts, your full name and other details that reveal your identity.

Are these people gaining benefit from you? Precisely yes. Those people who are stealing one’s identity can profit a lot. Just take it as an example, if another person knows your bank account number and your full name, he can make transaction with the bank. In other words, he will be given the privilege to withdraw from your money.

There are many ways on how you can prevent yourself from being one of the victims’ of identity theft. Aside from the personal means that you can do it by yourself, you can also engage in the so-called fraud alert. Try to know more about it.

However, you are not yet aware about identity theft, it is necessary that you apply your credit file with fraud alert. This is one way to protect your account from being stolen by other people especially if they are attempting to do so.

Fraud alert refers to something attached to your credit report. This is usually done by most of the major credit bureaus where you are connected. This fraud alert works simple. If there is someone, who is going to make transaction concerning your account the credit bureau will make an immediate call after you.

This will be a prior notification for you. If in case the call cannot reach you, it only means one thing that, your account should not be opened. This will somehow inform the credit company that the person is not really given the authority to make transaction on his account.

It is easy to set up your fraud alert. All you need to do is to coordinate with the fraud alert department op the credit bureau that you are engaging. Afterwards, you can simply notify them to top flag your credit file for fraud. To secure this, you will be asked to record your voice in an automated voice response system because this will be utilized when they are calling you.

If it there comes a time when you already want to remove the fraud alert not flagged in your credit file, you can immediately inform them requesting for a removal through writing. It is necessary that you should place your full name, SSS number, your current and previous addresses, the date of your birth, and your contact number. You have to send it on the fraud alert department of the credit bureaus where you apply your fraud alert.

Fraud alert is a big help for the security of your account. However, you should also beware that sometimes fraud alter is disregarded by some creditors. If you are a previous victim of identity theft or you know that somebody is planning against your account, fraud alert can help. Nevertheless, you also need to check on your credit report if it is still updated.

Securing your identity is the most important thing that you should always put into consideration. Do not let these thefts conquer your privacy. They do not deserve a wealthy living with their kind of act.

What is accounting fraud?

Accounting fraud is a deliberate and improper manipulation of the recording of sales revenue and/or expenses in order to make a company's profit performance appear better than it actually is. Some things that companies do that can constitute fraud are:

* Not listing prepaid expenses or other incidental assets

* Not showing certain classifications of current assets and/or liabilities

* Collapsing short- and long-term debt into one amount.

Over-recording sales revenue is the most common technique of accounting fraud. A business may ship products to customers that they haven't ordered, knowing that those customers will return the products after the end of the year. Until the returns are made, the business records the shipments as if they were actual sales. Or a business may engage in channel stuffing. It delivers products to dealers or final customers that they really don't want, but business makes deals on the side that provide incentives and special privileges if the dealers or customers don't object to taking premature delivery of the products. A business may also delay recording products that have been returned by customers to avoid recognizing these offsets against sales revenue in the current year.

The other way a business commits accounting fraud is by under-recording expenses, such as not recording depreciation expense. Or a business may choose not to record all of its cost of goods sold expense fore the sales made during a period. This would make the gross margin higher, but the business's inventory asset would include products that actually are not in inventory because they've been delivered to customers.

A business might also choose not to record asset losses that should be recognized, such as uncollectible accounts receivable, or it might not write down inventory under the lower of cost or market rule. A business might also not record the full amount of the liability for an expense, making that liability understated in the company's balance sheet. Its profit, therefore, would be overstated.

Senior Citizen Scams

If you have a senior citizen in the family, there really is nothing more heartbreaking than to discover than to find out that your loved one has been the victim of a senior citizen scam which robbed them out of their precious retirement savings and puts their retirement at risk. When you come to the realization that this wholesale robbery has occurred, you don't know who to be angry at. It's easy to want to be angry at your parent or grandparent but its they who are the victim here. They need your love and help more than ever now, not guilt and anger.

But its you who feels victimized as much as your loved one. By robbing your parent or grandparent of their savings, they could be come a liability to the family which will be costly to you and your siblings. You are not going to let your own flesh and blood go hungry or go with out medical care or a good place to live.

These are good motivations to know what can be done about senior citizen scams so you can have a plan of attack. Now, once the scam has been executed, there may be some resources to track down the crooks and recover the lost funds. Scams come in all shapes and sizes. They may come in the form of an internet scam that steals thousands from your parent or grandparents credit cards. They may come from home repair scams that cost them big bucks and deliver nothing. They may be "get rich quick" schemes that targeted your loved ones because they were concerned about retirement savings.

If you can locate who scammed your loved one, be relentless in pursuit of them. Don't be afraid to enlist the aid of local media. Local television news teams often have groups trained to go out and target these scam artists and expose them to public scrutiny and distain. Scam artists are like cockroaches. They don't like attention and they don't want to be noticed. If you can get your scam artist under that kind of microscope, they will often crack and return the stolen funds rather than face further attention.

But there is a limit to what you can do legally and it's not a good idea to go after them personally. Not only do you not need to commit a crime yourself but these people are criminals so they may not be the kind of people you want to tangle with. So be smart but if the funds cannot be recovered, just get control over the situation, stop payment on any checks and cut off the funds quickly to stem the hemorrhaging of funds from your senior citizen loved one's accounts.

The real defense against senior citizen scams is prevention. Even if it is just this article that raised the red flag for you, start now finding out how your retired parents or grandparents are using their funds. One way to do this is to offer taking over the management of their money. They may love to see you handle paying their bills and worrying about their taxes so they can relax and enjoy their retirement. Then you can be sure that any money that goes out through those accounts goes to proper and worthwhile uses.

But talk to your senior citizen to inform them of the dangers of scams. Many times people of the previous generation are too trusting and easily convinced of the validity of a scam. They need to have that high level of distrust so they become virtually scam proof. One rule you may put in place might be that they have to review any investment or new expenditure with you so by talking about it, proper questions can be asked. Convince your senior citizen that anything that cannot stand up under scrutiny is probably a scam. Make sure you emphasize to them that any offer that must be done now or could be lost if you require documentation is not a worthwhile business no matter how enticing their offer is.

By instilling a measure of caution and skepticism in your senior citizen and by becoming a watchdog of their resources yourself, perhaps you can spare your senior parent or grandparent from the heart ache of a senior citizen scam and deny access of crooks to the ones you love.

EDC Gold: EDC Diamond, Home Based Business Reviews - Scam Or Not

How to get started making money online with a home based business program such as Wealth Funnel System or EDC Gold / EDC Diamond.

If you're considering starting a home based internet business program or work at home business system such as "The Wealth Funnel System" or EDC Gold & EDC Diamond There are a few things you should consider when making this decision.

The first and foremost question we should answer is: Is EDC Gold, EDC Diamond, or Wealth Funnel System a SCAM?

The answer, NO! The Wealth Funnel System & EDC Gold / EDC Diamond are by far the best and the originators of the internet based home business programs available today. The true benefit to working with Wealth Funnel System, EDC Gold, and EDC Diamond is the education in marketing and support you receive.

The products and software that come with the EDC Gold & EDC Diamond program as well as The Wealth Funnel System are all marketing software that you'll use in the training you receive with becoming a member of the business. Now, if you expect to "get rich quick" with "no effort" or if someone has lead you to believe that you can make thousands of dollars for doing NOTHING – then yes they are attempting to scam you.

However, if you take the lessons of the 14 hours of LIVE WEBINAR training per week, the personal training from your mentor, and the constant support from the help and support personnel you receive with "The Wealth Funnel System" & EDC Gold / EDC Diamond you'll find you've gotten something that usually cost much more than 997.00.

You'll find you've gotten a "REAL WORLD" education in practical and functional internet marketing of a home business or any business that you can think up to work from home or work at home while you make you living and earn income online.

It's really not rocket science to market online. You simply need a little support and the right training. Once you learn to market online with the methods we teach you to run your home based business program with The Wealth Funnel System, EDC Gold & EDC Diamond. You'll instantly start earning 997.00 per sale several time per week.

Depending on the amount of effort you put forth to start learning and watching the LIVE training the faster you'll start seeing you're business grow. Most of my personal team members that are instructed by me (Derrick Harper) or one of my team members typically can expect to begin making between 5 to 8 sales their first 30 to 45 days.

As you generate more sales and put forth more efforts in the marketing of your home based business making money online I and or Craig Garcia, Michael Corcoran of The Wealth Funnel System, EDC Gold & EDC Diamond will show you even more effective ways to market your online business from home.

If you decide to become a member of The Wealth Funnel System then after you've become a savvy Internet Marketer you'll be shown how to set-up other affiliated marketing products to sell that yield you even more streams of revenue to assist you in making more money online while you work from home with your home based business.

Something else you should consider before you decide to join a home based business program such as EDC Gold, The Wealth Funnel System, or EDC Diamond. I personally started my attempts with making money from home with an online business as a failure. I failed miserably at my first home business that I joined because of ONE THING. No support and no training. My so called "mentor" disappeared with my money and never answered a call again. However, don't let this story discourage you. If you will take the time to find the right mentor and right home business program you CAN be successful and generate a great income online wile you work at home.

Remember, the REAL value of a home based business program is to give you and education on HOW TO MARKET ONLINE. I personally put my own training DVD's together to assist those people whom have signed up with a failure program and gotten NO training or support. If you fall into this category and don't want to spend another 997.00 or 999.00 to start with a better system such as EDC Gold, Wealth Funnel System, or EDC Diamond then I recommend you try my Definitive Video Guide to Starting and Growing Your Online Business, or The Definitive Video Guide To Using Google Adwords to assist you in advertising your current business that you're already invested in. You can learn more about these Internet Marketing Training Courses at DefinitiveVideoGuide dot com.

If you're just starting out with your search for the best Home Business Program to join and learn from then I highly recommend you at least take the time to read the information on "The Wealth Funnel System" and call me, Derrick Harper and feel free to ask me a any questions you may have about starting your own home based business and how to work from home using your computer to make money.

I'll be happy to speak with you about the process of learning to marketing online and starting your online home based business.

Data Entry Scams

Many people have grown weary after trying many Data Entry programs only to have lost their time and money. It is very easy to get scammed on the Internet now days. Whenever there is a lot of people that are making money, the old scammers will come to get their share.

It is good to see people at least trying to do some fundamental research. You can see the phrases being searched for by checking the online search engines. They are phrases such as data entry scams, data entry job scams, data entry online scams and data entry work at home scams.

I have written in many of my articles that research is the key in my opinion. No one has a crystal ball, but with the proper research you can put yourself in the best chance for success. You can't just join the first program you find that promises you the world, and expect to be successful. You will either have to find a website like mine, but not necessarily mine, that has done some research for you or spend the hours to do the research yourself. It's that simple, otherwise you can expect to have limited success.

In my research I wanted Data Entry companies that had good, customer support, product, track record of on time payments, step-by-step guidance on how to be successful with their program and a money back guarantee when possible. I also encourage feedback from my customers to ensure that if there is any change I am able to respond quickly.

There is another side to this whole scam thing. Many times people will see the ads, join a program, not do any work and expect to be paid a lot of dollars. It's simple if you are not prepared to do any work at home, then don't join, because chances are you are not going to be happy or make any money. The folks that join under these circumstances typically end up quitting and calling the program a scam and move on to lose some money somewhere else. Many times programs are called scams when actually its either someone wanting to get paid for doing nothing or it's simply not a good fit for that person. That's why I particularly like the money back guarantee programs, because this minimizes this problem. Sometimes when a company gives the person the refund, it does not help, because the person goes around on forums posting that they have been scammed anyway. Sad!

It's sad because viable programs get scammed and lumped in with the really bad programs that are out there. There is plenty of the bad ones out there already without anyone adding to the list. You need to either do the research or use a website that has done it already to have a chance for success.

If you are reading this article you more than likely have the skill sets and equipment necessary to work from home doing data entry.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Find a good program using the methods mentioned above

2. Join the program

3. Start working the program either full or part time

4. Have some patience, while you get your work at hope program up and running

With some research, discipline, patience and yes a little luck you will be on your way to making a nice income while sitting in the comfort of your home.

Please feel free to read more of this article by visiting my link in the resource box below. I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles or my site. Your feedback is important to me.

eBay Users: What You Need to Know About Phishing Scams

Are you an eBay user? Whether you use eBay to do your online shopping or if you use eBay to generate extra income for yourself, as an eBay seller, there is something that you need to be aware of. As an eBay user, whether you are a seller or a buyer, you need to be on the lookout for phishing scams. Phishing scams are rapidly increasing in popularity and many are using eBay as a front. To protect your identity, as well as you finances, you need to be on the lookout for them.

If you are relatively new to eBay or online shopping in general, you may not know exactly what phishing scams are. Do you? If not, you should know that phishing scams are actually complex online scams. A shady individual or a scammer makes a fake website that is similar to eBay or at least a fake eBay sign in page. You are then sent an email that appears as if it was from eBay. The only thing is that it wasn't. The goal of a phishing scam is to get you to visit the fake page and enter in your eBay sign in information, including your eBay screen name and your eBay password. Once a scammer has your information, they get access to you personal information stored on eBay, as well as free use of your eBay account.

One of the reasons why phishing scams are so easy to fall victim to is because they give you the impression that is something is wrong with you eBay account or that you did something wrong yourself. For instance, many phishing scams contain a message asking why you didn't pay for an item that you ordered or outline the fact that your eBay account has been suspended. The goal is to get you so worried that you will automatically click on the link to get the problem solved; however, as previously mentioned, the link takes you to a site that looks just like eBay, but it isn't. There is where the trouble comes in.

If you get an eBay phishing scam email, you will want to do a little bit of detective work, before actually clicking on the link. In fact, you shouldn't even click on the link. The first thing that you will want to do is look at your name, as most eBay phishing emails start with “Dear eBay Member,” or something along those lines. Real eBay messages will refer to you by your eBay screen name or even your real name. You can also roll your mouse over the link provided to you and see where it will actually take you. In most cases, you will find that you are being directed to another site, not eBay.com. All eBay messages should appear in your “My eBay,” message box. To see if eBay really sent you an email, you can log into your eBay account, from a brand new window that you open up, and check your messages, if you even have any at all.

If you do receive an eBay phishing scam email, you are advised to contact eBay or examine eBay's help center. There you will find instructions on how to report the email or send a copy of it to eBay. Although your first thought may be to delete the eBay phishing scam email, you will actually want to follow eBay's reporting instructions. You may know that you are being scammed, but other may not. Reporting an eBay phishing scam to eBay allows them to take care of the problem; thus likely reducing the number of eBay users who fall victim to similar scams.

Now that you know exactly what eBay phishing scams are, you are urged to be on the lookout for them. Keeping an open eye is your best line of defensive against eBay phishing scams or any phishing scams for that matter.

Diamond Scams

When it comes to diamonds, there are numerous scams to avoid. Most scams are minor, but there are some major ones that come up from time to time concerning the buying and selling of diamonds. Scams occur simply because most people who buy diamonds – for whatever reasons – don't know that much about diamonds. Therefore, they are easily fooled.

A common scam that most jewelry stores participate in is the Carat Total Weight scam. The tag on the piece of jewelry, usually a ring, only states the total carat weight of all diamonds in the piece, instead of listing the total weights separately for each diamond. This leads consumers to believe that the main diamond in the piece is actually bigger than it is. Ask what the total carat weight of the center stone is. Also beware of fractions. Jewelry stores are allowed to round off diamond weights. This means that if the jeweler tells you that it is a ¾ carat diamond, it is probably between ½ and ¾ carat – but closer to ¾.

Jewelry stores often run 'fluorescence' scams to varying degrees. Referring to a diamond as a blue-white diamond is such a scam. A blue-white diamond sounds very unique and special, but in fact, this type of diamond is of lesser quality – even though the jeweler will try to make you think you are getting something special. Jewelry stores also like to show their diamonds in bright lights. Lights make diamonds shine. Ask to see the diamond in a different, darker type of lighting as well.

Some truly unscrupulous jewelers target those who want appraisals on diamonds that were given to them as gifts or that were purchased elsewhere. They will try to tell you that the diamond is worthless, or worth less than it actually is worth – and offer to take it off your hands or trade it for a much better diamond, along with the cash to make up the difference. This is called low balling. Get a second, third, and even a forth opinion before taking any action.

Another common dirty trick is to switch the diamond you have chosen and paid for with one of lesser quality and value when you leave it to be set in a piece of jewelry, or leave a diamond ring to be sized. The only way to avoid this is to do business with one trustworthy jeweler. Avoid jewelers that you have not done business with in the past.

There are many more scams that jewelry stores commonly pull on unsuspecting consumers. Just use your best judgment, and purchase your diamonds with the utmost care and consideration.

Beware Of Job Fraud Scams

Searching for a job can be difficult enough, but when you finally spot the 'job of a lifetime' – just consider that if the job sounds too good to be true – quite likely, it is.

Imagine the job of "Designer - Developer/Applications/IT" with a tax-free salary of $120K for 6 months work.

Perks including Paid Overtime at $300 per hour, paid first-class accommodation, $3,000.00 flat rate travel/entertainment allowance for every intercontinental trip, free comprehensive healthcare, two weeks of paid vacation, a free laptop computer and free transportation/vehicle.

WOW! – Where do I sign up?

This is just one of the many recent postings on Monster.com – other jobs with the same salary and benefits are also available – including:

* Project Manager - Project/Infrastructure/IT

* Analyst - Systems/Support/IT

* Technical Advisor - Computer/Security/IT

* Analyst - Data Manager/IT/

Sometimes the scams are easy to spot – other times it can be more difficult. Quite often the job titles and job descriptions are often stolen from other legitimate employment sites.

You may be able to enter a snippet of the job description in double-quotes and find the original source through your favorite search engine.

For example, the position I mentioned earlier contained the text "(C++, Java, HTML, PHP, Visual Basic)" in the job description.

Search for this in Google (including the double-quotes) and you’ll quickly see how often this exact string has been used in scam-related job postings.

These companies (more likely individuals) have absolutely no intention of hiring you – they are simply after the "Administration Fee" you need to send in advance.

Here is an example of some terms on a recent posting on monster.com:

You are liable to make charges of about USD$950.00 for the procurement of your working and residential permit documents which covers:

1, Administrative charges:

2, Diplomatic Courier Charges:

3, Working Permit charges:

4, Residential Permit charges:

5, Hard copies of the terms:

They promise reimbursement of fees and travel expenses to attend the interview, but only AFTER you’ve shown up for the job and discovered they never existed!

In addition to money sent to the fraudsters in advance -- you could be suckered in for airfare, hotel and thousands of dollars in other expenses.

Some obvious clues that should send up bright red warning flags:

* The job is in Nigeria, or posted on behalf of a Nigerian company. Quite often the jobs are IT-related in companies involved with oil, banking or mining.

* The contact is using @hotmail.com or some other free email service. Legitimate offers generally come from legitimate companies with real email addresses.

* The telephone number is a fake. Don’t even try to call. Most often, if the number even works at all, it leads to a mobile phone in Nigeria or a similar country. Check the country code before calling and see if it matches the company’s address (if they even provide one).

* Beware of requests for detailed personal information, such as a copy of your passport, birth certificate, SSN card and so forth. This trick is used to make the application more ‘real’ but if they can't sucker you on the ‘application fee’ – they may just sell or use your identity instead.

* Quite often, there will be many errors in the references, spelling and/or grammar. Here is another example:

"You are to receive the hard copies of the contract terms and agreement and also your working and residential permit altogether, it will be delivered through Diplomatic Courier Services(DHL) to your various designated addresses respectively."

Do a Google search for "Diplomatic Courier Services(DHL)" and you will again see dozens of listings discussing or exposing the scam.

There are many variations to this new type of scam. Currently, IT professionals seem to be the major target. Monster.com and Monster's country-specific sites have become the hot target for these scamsters.

Although Monster does remove bogus job postings fairly quickly, the process to complain about them is difficult and time-consuming.

In many online job boards, there is no 'filtering' or human review process for job postings -- otherwise such fraudulent listings would be need to be much more difficult. Many job boards also allow free postings for advertisers -- making them even more attractive for scammers.

The important thing to remember is that few legitimate employers will ask for fees of any kind up-front – in fact, many employers will pay for your travel expenses in advance.

Don’t let the job of your dreams become a financial nightmare – be cautious when dealing with any business you can not easily identify or verify. Best of luck on your job search.

Popular Scams Online Survey Companies Use

Anyone who's ever been online should, by now, be aware of the hundreds of "work from home" internet based companies that are consistently advertised in various websites. One of the more popular is "doing surveys for cash."

There are literally hundreds of online survey companies. Most of them are not legitimate ways to make money, although a few of them can earn you a few bucks. These companies target stay at home moms who want to make a few extra dollars while taking care of the kids, the unemployed who want to make a few extra dollars while watching dozens of daytime court TV programs, the elderly who are not afraid to use the computer and teenagers who think they know everything, but aren't yet wise to the ways of the world. And let's not forget the very greedy people of low intelligence who think they can get rich by answering a few simple questions to which a five year old can respond.

These people are prey to unscrupulous methods used by some online survey companies. These scams include the following:

1. The fee for joining. There are some sites out there who charge a "fee" to join. They promise you an opportunity to earn up to $100,000 a year, sitting home at your computer taking surveys. The fee is usually less than $50. These sites are always a scam. If it was possible to earn $100,000 a year doing surveys online, the roads would be empty because no one would be going to work. Everyone would be home, in front of their computers, earning easy money. These sites prey on the greedy and/or lazy people of little intelligence. By the time they figure out that their "get rich quick" scheme isn't working, they're out $50. It's not a crime to be greedy, lazy or stupid. And, unfortunately, it isn't a crime to prey upon them in many cases. These sites are careful to add "disclaimers" stating that not everyone will earn this amount of money. They promise nothing, but include testimonials on their site from people with no last names who claim to be living the high life from the comfort of their homes. They usually have photos of flashy cars and huge houses on their websites. People need to stay away from these sites like they would avoid the bubonic plague. Unfortunately, PT Barnum was right when he said that there was a sucker born every minute. Which is why these sites continue to exist.

2. The cell phone scam. In this popular scam, you'll be asked for your cell phone number to "confirm" your membership. Seconds later, you will receive a call on your cell phone. The call will end up costing you anywhere from $1.95 to $4.95; depending on the company. These companies don't usually end up charging you too much because they figure you'll never miss a couple of bucks. But it adds up for them and that's how they make their money. They will then periodically send you text messages telling you you've won a prize and to claim it, you simply need to reply to the text. This will end up costing you more money. Do not give out your cell phone number to any website.

3. The Switcheroo. In this scam, you will be participating in a survey and then be directed to another website. They will ask you to show an "interest" in obtaining more information from one of their marketing partners. You will continue to answer "no" and keep getting more offers; the survey will never end until you answer "yes." Now this scam might not cost you any money, but it will cost you time. Because when you say that you are interested in learning more about health insurance, expect to receive an average of 10 calls a week from telemarketers trying to sell you health insurance. And the insurance they are trying to sell you is a lot more than you can expect to pay than if you contact an insurance agent in your area. I know this for a fact as I've actually done price researching. And the telemarketing company will ask you for both your social security number as well as your bank information (so they can send in a deposit with your application). It's dangerous to give out such information to anyone over the phone; legitimate companies will send you any information you require by mail.

4. The phone bill scam. You'll sign up for a survey company and provide your telephone number. Then you'll proceed in completing a survey and receive an offer for a free issue for a magazine. You'll think to yourself - what's the harm? You'll give your name and address for the magazine and hardly notice when a fee for a year's subscription shows up on your telephone bill,. If you read the fine print, however, you will see that when you provided the company with your name and address to receive your "free" magazine, you authorized them to bill you via your telephone bill. They figure that you won't even notice the extra $12.95 attached to your phone bill. And many people don't.

These are just four of the scams that I've actually encountered during my foray into the world of online survey participation. I consider myself a half-way intelligent person, but I got caught for $1.95 for the cell phone scam and $12.95 for the magazine subscription. I've also been called about 20 times so far by different "health insurance" company representatives who requested my social security number and bank information over the telephone. These companies have yet to send me anything by mail. Luckily, I know better than to give such information over the telephone.

Online survey taking can be fun, but be careful. Do not give out your cell phone number under any circumstances. Do not give out your social security number or bank information. Do not ever express any interest in receiving information from health insurance providers. And avoid the "online education" inquiries as well. Do some research prior to joining any company, do not pay a fee, and beware of anyone or any website that promises to make you rich.

Avoiding Online Money Making Scams

Are you tired of finding online "opportunities" that promise you all your dreams, but, deliver a nightmare. You end up no better off than when you started, except now you are out a few hundred dollars.

I'm sure that if you are reading this, then you are interested in making money over the internet. you are probabally wondering how much money you can make, what is the fastest way to do it, and what is the easiest way to make money online. Most people dream of a job that they can do at home, in their pajamas, and make real money doing it. But, the reality is that most of the money making "opportunies" online are really just scams.

They will tell you that all you have to do is buy their ebook and all of your financial dreams will come true. But the real truth is, that they are telling you things that you alreaky know, and you end up no better off than when you started, except now you are out a few hundred dollars.

You could waste lots of time and tons of money trying to get your foot in the door of financial success on the internet and still never make it. The key is knowing where, and how, to start. If you are really serious about making money online, skip the scams-do your research.

Don't just take the word of the person that is trying to sell you the information that it is for real. Check to see if there have been any complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau or the Better Enterprises Bureau. Also, look for reviews and forums where you may find people with more information, it takes minimal time and is well worth the time it takes. Remember, a little bit of homework goes a long way.

Avoiding The Scammers

In the issue of repairing your credit, it is best to do it yourself. Most often, you may hear or see advertisements claiming outstanding credit repair services offering you "legal" and "guaranteed" solutions for your credit problems. These services may use mottos that are quite enticing to those who are in dire need of credit repair. There are even others who get easily convinced after reading "authentic" testimonials from several customers, who might not actually exist.

When you are really in need of credit repair, the first thing you want to do is to act immediately. You should remember that this action should be done by you and not anyone else. Luckily, there are several factors that can help you avoid scam credit repair services.

The Fraudulence

Day after day, several companies appeal to consumers who have awful credit histories. Often, they promise to tidy up credit reports, for a price, to help consumers loan a car, mortgage a home, or even get a job. The horrible fact is they cannot deliver; you should keep this in mind especially if you do not want to worsen your debt. These companies would only take the cost of the services with them and vanish into thin air.

The Signs of a Scam

If you had responded to a credit repair service, there are warning signs that can help you determine an authentic credit repair offer from a fraud. Firstly, be aware of companies that wish for you to pay the cost of the repair before providing any services. In addition, avoid those companies that do not divulge any possible legal rights you are entitled to and what processes you can do yourself without payment.

There are companies that advise consumers to directly contact a credit reporting agency - you should avoid such companies. More so, if the company you have responded to suggests that you to create a new credit identity and then make a new credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use rather than you SSN, you should immediately stop contacting that company.

Lastly, those that advise you to argue all information included within your credit report or take actions that may seem illegal, i.e. generating a new credit identity, should be avoided.

Remember that you could be prosecuted for wire or mail fraud if you use the telephone or mail to apply for credit and give information that are not authentic. Lying on a credit application, misinterpreting your SSN and acquiring an Employer Identification Number from the IRS under false pretenses are all federal crimes.

Most importantly, you should remember that included within the Credit Repair Organization Act is the rule that credit repair companies should not require you to pay until the services they have promised are complete.

The best possible way to avoid poor credit history, and totally keep you safe from fraudulent credit repair services, is to do a periodic credit report review. Reviewing your credit report is important because the information in your report affects your chances of getting an insurance or loan. Make sure that the information is correct, complete and regularly updated before applying for a loan. Lastly, by doing periodic check-up on your credit report, you can be safe from identity theft, which can create a major problem not only in your credit report.

Avoid Being Scammed By Survey Websites

There are lots of paid survey sites out there, most of them out to get your hard earned money. But like everything there are some exceptions. I myself have been tricked more than once. Is everyone out there really willing to give you cash and free merchandise for your opinion? The answer is NO. But there are a few out there that are for real.

In this article I will try to clear up the mystery surrounding “paid surveys”.

While some people may find it hard to believe, it’s absolutely true that companies are willing to pay you to take surveys. Why? Simple there interested on what you have to say.

A paid survey, are a serious of questions that are presented to individuals to get their opinions on a product, this product may already exist or might be a new product the company surveying is planning on launching. Their purpose might be also just to improve their current product or to make changes due to the fact that its not performing like they planned.

How does it work?

Its actually very simple you just need to join a market research panel. The more panels you join the more paid surveys you will get. The good news is that there are real survey sites out there that can provide you with this opportunity; the bad news is that for every legit survey site out there are at least 20 more that are out there just to get your money.

Be careful before joining one of this paid survey sites out there. You should really do your research before you join one of these companies. Make sure to read testimonials, read their FAQ and make sure they are the right pages to join.

How much can I make?

The potential is up to you there are companies out there that will pay you anywhere between $1 to $75 for 12 minute online survey, and there also some companies that will pay you with gift certificates or products. Take into account there is no limit on the amount of paid surveys you can take so the possibilities are endless.

How am I Paid?

Normally they pay by mail with a company check. But there are also some that will do direct deposit, or online gift certificates.

Are these paid survey sites worth the money?

Yes, in my opinion they are very worth the money. They establish relationships with hundreds of survey companies; they usually carry the best opportunities out there.

In conclusion

Its very important to do all your research and find out all that you can regarding paid surveys, you can definitely make some good money online. Good luck.

Act against Identity Theft Scam, Preserve your Wealth and Identity

"One significant thing that I can be proud about myself is none other than my identity. I was born unique over all other people. I was given name by my proud parents, I struggle hard for my bank accounts, I'll be expecting a lot of benefits with my SSS when I arrive at my retirement period.

So, what do you think will my life be if someone steals all of my wealth, my identity? I will feel so much disgusted. Identity theft is my greatest fear in life."

"I do not want to grow old without anything left to me. Let us all join hands in fighting against identity theft because the thieves do not deserve a place in our society"!

Did you hear the enlightening statement? US citizens demand for the security of their identity. The main reason behind is the continuous existence of identity theft.

This crime is a grave threat to the personal data and property of the citizenry. They want possible actions that will combat the crime.

As much as possible, every precaution should be done to protect your identity. Once you have settled your identity, you can ensure that you will be out of risk from the identity thieves.

If only there is a way to trace the origin or the person who discovered the tricks of identity fraud, the entire US citizen will surely condemn that person because of bringing so much suffering to them.

From an individual to a group of persons who promoted identity theft, the idea that was later handed to other people.

Starting on that point, identity theft fraud spread out. Until now, the Bureau of Investigation finds it quite hard to eradicate the problem.

The thieves use several unpredictable strategies to operate the crime. This make hard for the investigators to identify the thieves.

Aside from personal business transactions, identity theft fraud is also flourishing on the web. You need to be meticulous about the websites that are usually selling highly demand items.

Most of the items such as the iPods and the high-tech cellular phones are sold in minimal prices. Sometimes, the site also bargains the product for almost free to the subscribers.

What kind of operation does the identity theft fraud carry on over the Web? Be careful and listen to the trick properly before you will be the next in line to become the victim of the fraud.

Oftentimes, majority of the previous victims are advice to pay nothing not unless they already receive the item that they are going to purchase.

Afterwards, the person who is behind the scam will use the name of the victim and an account number of another person will also be utilize to pay for the original prize of the item to the legitimate website.

In other words, the moment that the customer will already pay for the item, the money will directly go to scammer. The scammer can now present to you a valid receipt coming from the legitimate website who receives the actual payment from the account of another person.

On the other hand, there is also identity theft fraud that happens using your e-mail. Listen, this is being addressed to those end-users who dedicate much of their time in surfing the Net.

Somebody who claims to be from your credit company can send you messages in various forms. The scammer will ask to give all the personal data regarding your account as they site you different reasons.

One can be by having them note all the information about your account because their database may crash anytime. The scammer can also reason out that they are doing this to protect your account.

After you are convinced to give all your personal information, the scammer will grab the chance. He can already use it for fraudulent transactions. He can also make withdrawal from your account with your consent.

See. This is how identity theft fraud works. It can bring you so much destruction, even more crucial than what you think.

What are you waiting for?

Before you fall victim to their trick, make initial precautions as early as possible so that you will have no regrets.

Scams Artists Around Us

The world is full of all kinds of people. If we just examine the family and friends we are close to, we'll see a wide range of values and behaviors and different levels of integrity. While it's unfortunate, every profession has its bad seeds. This is particularly true of psychic and astrology scams. Let's face it.

When you're happy and fulfilled, you have little need to delve into why things are happening to you the way they are. When a relationship is not fulfilling or you have a run of bad luck, that's when it's easy to get taken in by scam artists who claim they can help you – at a price of course.

Additionally, the world of psychics is a much unregulated one. Therefore, there is no real way to check a psychic's qualifications, or experience (everybody seems to have 20+ years of experience), or morals. Consequently, anybody can get up one morning and declare themselves psychic without any problem.

It is important to be able to make the distinction between serious practitioners and the charlatans. While the following advice cannot guarantee that the psychic you will choose is a good one, it nonetheless will help you avoid a good bunch of scammers.

Also, there are a few of my clients that have been scammed by very ingenious, shameless and heartless con artists who have no trouble using personal faith and Christianity itself as a vehicle to gain a victim's trust and scam them out of substantial money.

Trust that all that you need and want will come to you easily when you learn love yourself and live fearlessly again. That will take some time. Be assured, a psychic can neither hurt nor benefit you by asking for large sums of cash to help you with a curse ... you'd be better off taking the money and going on a holiday.