Can You Avoid Scam? Yes, of Course.
Internet opens new horizons, brings us loads of opportunities
and vast possibilities of all kinds. As everything, it has two
sides: it can be a dangerous weapon for anyone not knowing how
to handle it right, and a great, helpful and obedient servant
for everyone knowing how to use it.
One of the major problems is scam and waste of time because
still too many people don't recognize it in time, before they
lose either their money or credibility or even all business. It
is crucial to tell the hype, scam and waste of time, and protect
yourself, your business, your time and your money. To protect
your name, your business, your brand, and in the first place
your credibility is the same important as to protect your money
and your time.
First, let's try to clarify the mysterious words 'scam' and
'hype': it is an activity aiming at getting other people's money
using unethical tools. Purposely I don't say 'illegal' but
'unethical' because many of the tools are legal. However, the
result is scam or waste of time anyway. And the result decides.
It is also necessary to realise that there are basically two
kinds of 'scam': intentional and unintentional. I consider the
latter even more dangerous. I will explain this in a minute.
Second, your credibility: All of us make mistakes. It's OK, but
the way you treat your mistakes decides about your success or
failure. Once you are in business, you must care about your name
and your credibility. Sometimes it may happen that you lose some
money. It's 'fine' if you yourself lose the money, but you can
survive and no one knows. You at least know the way wasn't the
right to take. You received your lesson, and will be more
careful next time.
However, you must be extremely careful to lead people trusting
you into such a loss. Even if you can survive financially,
mentally, your business will not because your credibility is
ruined. So, be very cautious before you recommend something to
another person.
And in spite of this, we can see literally thousands of people
claiming to be netpreneurs recommending scams and hype all over
the Net. If we suppose that most of them don't do it
intentionally, then there are only two reasons: carelessness or
inability to recognize scam. And both are absolutely
unacceptable within an entrepreneur.
So, how to tell the scam and not only on the Net. The immediate
signs:
1) unrealistic promises, one-time opportunities 2) upfront
payment to join an opportunity 3) unprofessional behaviour 4)
lack of proper communication 5) misleading information 6) hype
advertising 7) fraudulent conduct
Now, you say you can't imagine much.
So, let's have a look at the individual items:
ad 1) unrealistic promises, one-time opportunities - this says
it all. If someone claims you can develop a steady income of
thousands of dollars within a week without work, you must know
it's a lie. If someone invites you to copy a one-time
opportunity, he's either a liar or not a professional, business
person able to recognize a one-time opportunity. Of course, you
can sell scam, even be making some money on it though not for
long, but definitely you can't successfully copy a one-time
opportunity.
ad 2) upfront payment to join an opportunity - you should
realize that once you join someone's opportunity, you help to
build his business, you take up the obligation to work for him,
you endorse his business, so never pay for this. The other point
is that it is an opportunity for you to build yours as well, a
chance for a successful business relationship -what quality the
co-operation will be is up to both of you, and beyond the scope
of this short article.
ad 3) unprofessional behaviour - a couple of examples: a) you
receive an ezine singing chorals about a hype and/or having your
first name all around the issue, b) you come to a website and
you can't make out a business theme, the actual offer, their
business line (please don't confuse with the technical side, nor
the products offered, we're talking about the people behind
now), c) showing your cheques.
ad 4) lack of proper communication - a couple of examples to get
the feeling: a) you receive a reasonable email offer, you reply
and that's it - no response b) you come across an interesting
service or product on a website, you contact the webmaster for
more info, and again, no response c) or you receive a response
but it's clear that the person just replies without reading your
mail at all d) correspondence containing bad language, no
structure, no names, no facts, you don't know why the person
writes you, just advertising.
ad 5) misleading information - eg if someone promises something
free to you but you've got to pay a membership fee or any other
cost to get it.
ad 6) hype advertising - as soon as you see an ad or receive an
email promoting hype or scam you know that you're not dealing
with a proper business professional, so it's a waste of time for
you to start a co-operation.
ad 7) fraudulent conduct - a completely different category is a
person intentionally trying to get your money ie a person who
knows he's promoting hype or scam or behaves fraudulently on
purpose, trying to rob you of money or time and credibility -
just a little example: companies trying to make you promote
them, work for them or offering a service or product but knowing
that you wouldn't for a reason, so they don't tell you but they
(=the better ones) state this in their terms of use, knowingly
expecting that you won't read it, others (=the worse) don't tell
you at all until you sign up a contract and learn yourself on
the way, companies not paying out your earned money within an
acceptable period though cashing their commissions and using
your money to finance their business.
The above are just little examples occurring in thousands every
day. And now you're asking how to cope, what to do to avoid it
and to protect yourself, your time and your business.
The only way to go is to develop your sense to know at once, as
soon as you come across such an item.
How to learn: experience is the answer. Learn, read, apply,
test, take your time to study, listen to others, learn from
others, stop your chaotic run from one opportunity to another,
don't think you miss something if you stop for a day, a week, a
couple of months and study and grow. The vital point is to read,
and to learn how to read: once you utter you have no time to
read, you're finished. The real start is to grow yourself into a
true entrepreneur, and you can't without reading and studying.
It needs a complete change in thinking, in the attitudes, in the
life values, responsibilities, discipline.
An entrepreneur is not a person making a few bucks for a couple
of months without working, but who is able to work hard, to
accept risks, to be responsible for himself, for his business in
good and bad, for the people dependent on him, to develop and
accept the lifestyle he imagines, and support it and retain it
not for a couple of years but for a couple of generations. An
entrepreurship is not a seasonal job, it's not a job at all,
it's not a business opportunity, it's a lifestyle, a specific
way of thinking, it's the ability to accept obligations, hard
work, discipline - the bigger and tougher, the higher the
lifestyle you want to have for yourself and your people, not
only your family.
The good news is that it's not necessary to be born an
entrepreneur (though it's much easier if you are) but you can
grow yourself into one. And the other good news is that good,
real opportunities will always be around because true
entrepreneurs invent them all the time, and as soon as you grow
into a real, professional, a true entrepreneur, you will
discover your own inventiveness, you will be able to develop
your own ideas into opportunities for yourself and the people
you want to help to achieve what they imagine for themselves.