Top 3 Products & Services

Dated: Aug. 13, 2004

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By Najmi

The online consumer market is growing exponentially. Although making transactions online offers convenience and saves time, it has its serious drawbacks as well.

The Internet is a fabulous tool for shoppers and investors as well as for scam artists. The commercial possibilities of the Internet are endless. Marketers are flocking to it since emailing as a cheap and easy way of reaching millions of consumers with their commercial messages. Analysts estimate that advertising which totaled approximately $301 million in 1996 has swelled to $4.35 billion by the year of 2000 and now considered to be raised to $10 billion.

Everyday people make money using the Internet. Unfortunately, every entrepreneur who buys into an Internet "opportunity" does not automatically find a reward. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of America, business on the Internet could explode from $2.6 billion 1996 to $220 billion in 2001, if the Consumers must feel confident that the Internet is safe from fraud.The Net has its share of "snoopers" and con men. This article will provide you with tips on how to successfully protect yourself from scams on the web.

Safeguarding against flop opportunities

According to the FTC, scam artists are cashing in on the Internet's potential by selling fraudulent Net based opportunities. Many of the scams are targeted at taking advantages of an entrepreneur's "Internet innocence".

You must investigate Internet related business opportunities as carefully as you would check out any business opportunity. Some deceptive business opportunity schemes that are likely to arrive in your email box are given as follows:

Bulk email marketing

Junk email, bulk email and Spam are unsolicited commercial messages flooding the Internet each day. Usually junk email does not contain the recipient's address on the "To" line of the message. Instead, the addressee is anonymous, such as: good@business.com"Bulk email solicitations offer you a list of email addresses to which you can send your own bulk solicitations. Others offer software to automate bulk email and others offer to send bulk email solicitations for you. Most ISP providers prohibit the sending of bulk email. If you do send it your ISP may shut you down.

Chain letters:

These are emails that claim you can make big money by sending small amounts ($5 to $25) to people on list. You replace one of the names on the list with your own, and forward the revised list to thousands of new people using bulk email. Do not believe these schemes. Chain letters are almost always illegal no matter how they are presented and the majority of participants lose money.

Health products:

According to the FTC, more than 22 million US adults had searched online for health and medical information in 1998 and 29 percent of Americans use the Internet for medical Information. The FTC has evidence that consumers are coming up with less than credible medical advice. The FTC warns consumers against some of these marketing techniques used to make false health claims about products. The email promotes programs or products for effortless long term weight loss or for impotence in men like Viagra tablet. The product is advertised as an effective cure for a wide range of medical problems.

Envelope stuffing:

This is basically a craft assembly work scheme that requires an initial investment of hundreds of dollars and many hours of your time. In return you will get instructions on how to send the same advertisements to others using bulk emails.

Online auctions:

• The major difference between these and traditional "live" auctions is that in the former you do not deal with the auction house. The highest bidder directly deals with the seller to complete the sale. The FTC offers several tips for buying at an online auction


• Avoid doing business with a seller you cannot identify. Some may use a forged email header making it impossible to be contracted.


• Ask about the return policies and availability of follow up services.


• Analyze whether you are getting the best price.


• Ask about paying by Cash on Delivery


• Pay by credit card so you can challenge the charges with your credit card company if you do not get the goods.

Guaranteed credit and credit repair:

These scams promise home equity loans that do not require equity in your home, as well as a guaranteed, unsecured credit card, regardless of your credit history. You will end up with a useless list of lenders who will turn you down and the promised credit cards will never come through.

Some email messages offer to erase negative information from your credit file enabling you to qualify for auto loan, home mortgage, or credit card. Those who promote the service cannot provide you with a clean credit report.

Business opportunity schemes:

Email solicitations offer easy to start businesses that will bring lots of income without much cash outlay or work. Some investment schemes promise outrageously high rates of return with no risk. Most of these are a good investment for the promoters, but not the participants. Investigate all Internet opportunities and earning claims carefully before you invest or buy into any business opportunity.

Travel programs:

Don't be overjoyed if you receive an email saying you have been "specially selected" to receive a fabulous vacation for a very attractive price. This same message goes to thousands or millions of recipients at the same time. Often the cruise ship may actually be a tugboat, the hotel accommodation shabby, and the upgrade costs maybe high.

Internet consultants:

These emails promote free seminars to teach you how to "make money on the Internet". Seminar training or consultants are often present to sell you a business opportunity. These free seminars are basically high-pressure sales pitches for the company's Internet mall advertising or Internet yellow pages business opportunities. You spend thousands of dollars, never get the training and moreover never earn the promised amounts.

Pump and dumps:

The potential to use the Internet for stock manipulation is enormous. Using chat rooms and private WebPages, a con artist will give false information and advice to people about a legitimate security, encouraging them to buy or sell.Once the frenzy begins the con artists sells/buys the security at an artificially inflated or a false low price. Ask yourself if the deals too good to be true or why would someone share such a good tip.

Conclusion

Millions of people travel through cyber space. With the click of a mouse you have access not only to a global array of goods and services but also to a vast amount of information that enables consumers to make better informed purchasing decisions. However ecommerce leaves much room for improvement. These concerns fall into two categories: over burdened hardware infrastructure and fraud and deception.

Delays and access limitations caused by overburdened hardware will be solved as communication technology advances. However as in any other place the Internet has its share of fraud and con men, and educating the public is the best way to prevent it.

Now that you've gotten free know-how on this topic, try to grow your skills even faster with online video training. Then finally, put these skills to the test and make a name for yourself by offering these skills to others by becoming a freelancer. There are literally 2000+ new projects that are posted every single freakin' day, no lie!

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