Top 10 Internet Based Get Rich Quick Scams

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If you are looking to make money online you have to watch out for scams. There are lots of them out there and when you are just starting out it can be difficult to separate the legitimate from the scams. My basic rule of thumb is that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

For this top 10 list,  I have purposely avoided mentioning the most obvious scams such as pyramid schemes (or pseudo pyramid schemes like multiple level marketing (MLM)), chain letters or any other program where you make money by recruiting people rather than selling or investing in something.

I figure most of you are smart enough to figure out that those programs aren’t all they are cracked up to be. What is more difficult are programs that fall into a gray-area; they work but not to the extent claimed.

The following is a list of common make money online programs that all have some potential problems. Not all of them are 100% scams and some of them do actually work to some extent. However, the one trait they all share is that their claims fail to live up to their hype.

So, exercise caution when looking at make money online schemes that resemble any of the following. And, always use common sense: if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

10. Paid Surveys

There are some legitimate paid survey programs, but I guarantee you will not get rich from them. Any legitimate survey program should be free to join. However, many sites claim you can make money from surveys if you first pay a fee.

I would highly recommend you stay away from any survey site that requires you to pay. You may make some money, but it will take you a long time to recoup your investment. Instead opt only for free sites.

Red Flag Claims: Fortune 500 Companies Need You!, Get Paid Up $75/Hour, etc.

9. Government Grant Programs

It is true that local, state and national governments in the United States and other countries often have free grant programs. You can usually find information about them for free online just by using Google.

However, scams have developed to try and make you pay for this free information. Spend a little time on your own and you find out everything you need free of charge.

Red Flags Claims: Billions in Free Money, Over 30 million People a Year get Grants, etc.

8. Earning Money in Virtual Worlds

Again some of these may be legitimate programs but many of them are scams promising you more money than is realistically possible. Usually they promise easy money in World of Warcraft or Second Life.

A few people do make full time incomes through activities in these online worlds but they are few and far between. If you want to learn how to make money this way by all means look into them, but don’t expect to make big money fast.

Red Flags Claims: Collect Tons Of Gold, Online Games Are a New Goldmine, etc.

7. Beating Casinos or Other Gambling Programs

Again under certain circumstances I am sure it is possible to create an edge over the house in certain games of chance. However, unless you have a huge bankrole you are unlikely to get rich very quick with these programs. Gambling is still gambling even if you have a system Plus, it is really not a long term business idea.

If you are looking to improve your poker skills or horse betting skills by all means buy one of these guides. Just don’t expect to be making the money claimed anytime soon.

Red Flags Claims: The Secrets The Casinos Don’t Want You to Know, Beat The House. Etc.

6. Automated Stock Market and Other Investment Programs

There is certainly no shortage of books and guides out there telling you how to make money in different markets. Some of these may help you but others probably won’t.

Programs to avoid tend to be those that promise you that you can make money automatically, without having to do your own research or work. I know you can made a lot of money in the stock market, forex and futures markets (I have a friend who is doing so right now) but it takes work and is not automatic.

Again, the rule if it sounds too good applies very much to these programs.

Red Flags Claims: Totally Legal, Fully Automated, Predict the Market, etc.

5. Real Estate System

Personally given the real estate climate in the United States I would be very wary about any so called real estate system. Even if ones that did work in the past, are unlikely to continue to work given the current housing market. Be especially careful of claims of fast profits for little or no work.

Red Flags Claims: No risk, No Money Down, etc.

4. Clickbank Get Rich Quick Schemes

Clickbank has a great affiliate program and if you are looking for a place to find affiliate products I highly recommend looking at them. However, this is not the type of thing I am talking about.

The questionable programs are the ones that claim you make huge money with Clickbank for little or no effort. This simply is not true. The gurus will show you screen shoots of their earnings, but keep in mind these are probably their earnings from selling products to you, and not as a result of their own affiliate activity.

Red Flags Claims: Like an ATM, No Work, Easy etc.

3. Winning the lottery

This is an even more obvious scam than the gambling guides mentioned above. It is at least theoretically possible to beat casinos at certain games of chance under certain situations. I guarantee that no book, psychic prediction or other scheme to win the lottery will help you.

If you happen to win then it was by sheer dumb luck and nothing else.

Red Flags Claims: Winning the Lottery

2. Million Dollar+ Make Money Schemes

These are easy to spot. Once you get claims of making money into the millions you know you have found one of these sites. Now some of these programs may work to some degree, but you will almost certainly not be the one earning the millions of dollars (the creator of the program will).

Red Flags Claims: Make $100,000 a month, Make $7.5 million in a year, etc.

1. Getting Anything From Google For Free

These are the worst of the bunch. Google did not get to be a multi-billion dollar company by giving away free clicks from their advertising program.

Moreover, if there were any holes in  their system that allowed this, they would be sure to fix them very quickly. Usually these programs claim of free clicks, is noting more than offsetting. Basically, if you pay for clicks and make more than the clicks cost you then you essentially got the clicks for free right?

Don’t Get it? Don’t worry it never made much sense to me either. Just stay away from these programs and you’ll be alright. Google didn’t get to where they are today because they are stupid.

Red Flags Claims: Get Google Clicks For Free, The Secrets Google Doesn’t Want You To Know About, etc.

So if you want to start a successful online business be extremely cautious about these and other online programs promising to make you money. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make money online.

I have not tried most of these programs first hand so if you have tried them please let me know about your experience, good or bad. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.