In this article I will be showing you the best ways to avoid a scam on the internet. First I would like to share with you the definition of a scam. A scam is a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation. So in order to be a scam, the program would have to misrepresent and lie about what it is and what it can do.

Most articles, websites, and forums don't give you enough information when trying to avoid being scammed. They talk about scams on the internet, but information is lacking when it comes to knowledge of how to actually recognize them.

There are a few websites that will investigate whether or not an opportunity presented to you is a scam. Unfortunately they have hundreds of people emailing such information in to be investigated so the backlog on them is massive.

EBay and online auction scams are easy to spot and avoid. Normally the individual will approach you outside of the auction site offering you a well priced item. Because it 's such a well priced item, people are normally intrigued to learn more because they think it will be a steal, wrong ! The individual will then ask for a payment and it's in your best interest to not give them any payment information. Do not pay them or anyone who has contacted you outside the auction site. When you're thinking about purchasing something in an auction site, always choose safe payments methods so you can keep tract of your purchase and cancel it at any time; Paypal is a good example . User feedback is great and I personally look for someone who has over 200 comments and 99% positive feedback.

Email scams are so easy it's unbelievable . Remember this one simple rule, in life NOTHING is free. Their motive behind offering you something free is to get you to opt-in to their site so that you will be enticed to purchase their products. There are many kinds of email scams such as people saying they want to give you money, I'm surprised at how many people actually believe this one. When someone asks you for money in order to help them complete a transaction, mark them as spam in your inbox and never fall for this scheme.

When searching for a legitimate home business do your research . I will offer you a few tips on how to find a legitimate home business opportunity.

1. Research the business opportunity through the search engines, such as google, yahoo and MSN.

2. Make sure it's a legitimate company with a physical address and phone number.

3. Try to find anything negative about the company or the business. If nothing negative is being said, you've probably found a good online business opportunity.

4. Email an anti scam website and ask them for their advice or any information they have on the company. Sites such as (then given them some sites to go to).

5. Do your research on online forums to see if people have tried these opportunities before. No company can keep the public quite and this is why so many have to shut down and reopen under a different name or program.

I hope this information has been helpful. If I manage to stop one person from being scammed because of this article , I will see that as time well spent. I have been involved in my share of internet businesses that didn't provide me with the support, product or compensation package that was promised. There are numerous online businesses that really do offer what is presented so do your research and you will be on your way to making a really good income online as well.