If you want to avoid being scammed online the rule of thumb should be:   If it looks too good to be true - then it is most probably a scam site.   You can also do some background checks - search for their reviews on Google etc.   Cheers

By participating in forums like this one we are connecting and learning; govt. regulation is not the answer.  The net is an amazing virtual world that makes the impossible possible for many businesses and Non-Profits.

The internet is full of scammers trying to get our money.  At the same time there are millions of legitimate business bringing us products and services; regulating the net and scammers will also put a halt to the opportunities it provides for all of us.  The unregulated internet has helped many people achieve what would have been impossible 10 years ago.  When the net becomes regulated it will hamper the hones t folks trying make a difference or a living. 

Thank you so much, I googled a name and got this site, now I know someone was trying to scam me (things just didn't ring true) but after reading this I know not to proceed with such enquiries.Thanks again           Message Edited by mickeyy on 01-09-2010 06:29 AM

As per my experience on internet, most of survey websites which claims that we can make hundreds of dollars every hour with them by just filling simple surveys are scams.

Most of Hyip are very scam. I have lost my money using with those scam Hyips.

This is why due diligence is the first line of defense. Research the company in question, check out reviews including the Ripoffreports and other sources before buying into this. There are too many scammers to rely on the government to take care of them all.

Its not just home based businesses or grants. It is very thing. Too many people think (and will) try to scam someone just to fatten their pockets. I guess people have been getting away with it for so long - they have no fear of the consequences. It was scams from realtors, apprasiers, lenders, brokers, and investors that led us into the financial mess - and, with all the bailouts (the rewarding this bad behavoir) it keeps going on. In my industry - the thing is to promote Business Credit - how people who have screwed up their personal credit can get business credit and use that credit only to get large sums of money from lenders. First, it is not true and then these scammers charge $900 to $2,500 to help these innocent people set up something that will not work. I guess not enough people are coming forward - probably too embaressed and or government just does not have the resources to stop it. Business Money Today

I do hope that these online offers would be somehow regulated. I've been scammed a few times already by High Yield Investment Programs, so-called internet gurus, etc.

There is an old saying, 'If it's too good to be true, than it's too good to be true' and this needs to be followed whenever looking for a so called online business. In fact, I can't even think of one 'Work at Home' business that isn't a scam or MLM program. If I were you, I would consider building a business via a website from scratch. Consider if this website will earn money via selling products, affiliate marketing or advertisements. Then, you'll just need to work on marketing the site and driving traffic to it via SEO or maybe paid advertisements.