Avoiding Online Money Making Scams

Supposedly, there are opportunities on the Internet for the average person to become a millionaire overnight with little or no effort. I have spent time and money "investing" in some of these opportunities and I want to help you avoid spending money on something that will offer you no return.

The first thing to consider when reading an article about making money online is, does the article sound believable? Does it sound legal? Does the program or system that you are buying into produce anything tangible or of any real worth to anyone? Does it offer a guarantee or trial period?

If everything seems to be legitimate at first glance, then it's time to do some investigating. Does the website offer contact information? Is there a phone number listed? If so, call the number and try to speak to a living human being. If you can't get through to anybody now, imagine how hard it will be to get a refund later if needed.

Visit the Better Business Bureau's website (www.bbb.com) and search for the website address (url) for the company that you are considering paying for services. Are they registered? If so, do they have any complaints against them? Do a whois lookup on the domain name. (ex. makelotsofmoneyovernight.com) Web sites like register.com are useful in performing a whois lookup. What name is the website registered under? If you search on this name, what information can you find online? If you find other web sites associated with the original website, search for them with the Better Business Bureau as well.

If you decide to make a purchase from a website, check to see if the "check out" page is on a secure server. If you are using Internet Explorer, look for the yellow lock symbol at the bottom of your web browser. Also be sure the web address begins with "https". When making a purchase, use a credit card rather than a debit card. Credit card companies usually cover fraudulent spending if someone obtains unauthorized access to your account.

Protecting Your Company from Fraud

Stressful times often bring out the worst in people.  People who are desperate to support their family may make bad decisions and turn to crime as a solution.  And then there’s the usual cast of thieves and scammers who do things like that on a daily basis.  It’s unfortunate, but many businesses will become the target of crime this year.  As a business owner or employee it is in your best interest not to leave your company unprotected.

As technology provides the business world with new opportunities, it also opens the door for new threats.  It’s not enough to rely on the security measures of yesterday to protect your computers and sensitive data.  If you do not have a properly configured firewall isolating your computer network from the Internet, then you might as well hook up a networked computer in the parking lot for anyone to use.  Employee training and good communication about threats is also important.  Employees can open the door from within the company network and unleash all manner of evil upon you if they are not closely monitored and educated.  Spend the time and money to hire an IT professional or train someone within your company to perform in that role.

How secure is the building where you work?  Are there monitored security cameras?  Locked gates and doors?  Keypad entry protection?  These are not really options but rather necessities unless you work hundreds of miles from civilization.  Companies should keep all doors locked to keep intruders out.  Special measures should be used to keep sensitive information and company equipment from leaving the premises as well.  All important company documents should be destroyed instead of just thrown away.  Familiarize yourself with different types of fraud, like check washing, and identity theft.

Another key protection is to have a good legal representation in place to assist with legal decisions.  Don’t trust your skills with searching the Internet to know the right decision to make.  Know exactly what the law entitles you before you go in any new direction and keep your company from being the target of frivolous lawsuits.  Also, educate each employee as to the level of authority they have and do not let them make decisions for you, especially when they are dealing with an unknown caller.  Monitor all bills, especially from utility companies, who under law can now allow third-party billing by other companies in most states.

As strict and tedious as this all sounds, it is in the best interest of your employees and the company as a whole.  Good prevention keeps your company from having to apologize for stupid mistakes later.