FJ Tips on avoiding scams and scammers.

[fjworld]

There are many red flags out there that direct me away from a particular site or program.

FJ #1 Tip:
Know who gets my time and money. I will do a search to get a better idea of who is trying to sell me on something. There are many ways to get information and that can be a topic of discussion on it's own. If my search does not raise my comfort level high enough I will contact the site owner and ask...why should I buy from you? You will be surprised how much time and money you can save just by following FJ Tip #1.

FJ #2 Tip:
Know what is being offered. I will read all the information that is available before I join a site/program. If it involves a direct transaction with someone I will ask several questions so I completely understand what is being offered. The seller or the recruiter needs to come to me. After all, they want my business. My time is valuable and I can easily walk away to the next offer.

FJ #3 Tip:
Know what is in the back office. The back office is essentially everything you do not see when you visit a site. All the impressive stuff is visible but often it is what that is not readily visible that should cause the greatest concern. There is a long list of possibilities here but I will mention two items to consider. The hosting and the underlying script for the site/program. Both items can be a big red flag because both can be used as an excuse form not delivering on what was promised or expected.  First the hosting. Some hosting is cheap, and I mean cheap, not just low cost with value added. The site owner may not have any money or knowledge of what they are getting into when it comes to hosting so they rely on their provider. Well, the provider may also be in a similar position with little money and even less skills to provide hosting. In fact, there may be several people/parties in the food chain before you get to the real provider that has the resources to provide a quality service.  So your new site/program that you joined could suddenly disappear and you are the one that suffers. About the underlying script. Here there is the risk of legality, proper licensing, poor coding, improper settings and more. The site/program, owner may not be knowledgeable about the product they are using to deliver the service. Often, you will see cases that the site owner has no control in resolving software related issues because they did not pay or subscribe to sufficient support. Before I commit time and money to a program I need to have a warm feeling about what is in the back office. Maybe you should too to help avoid scams.

FJ #4 Tip:
Know your history. If you do not know your history you are destine to repeat the same mistake. With little effort a person can find lots of history. In fact, this forum is extremely valuable because it has history. So start your search on this forum and there is a very good chance you will avoid joining sites and programs that are destine to scam. Use your favorite search engine and search for the site name, program name and or owner name and include the word scam in your search. You make get some hits that are just from disgruntle people but a genuine or very suspicious scam will have lots of content that should help you decide if you spend time and or money on a particular site.

FJ #5 Tip:
Know who to follow. You are human and humanoids need a good leader. So find a leader that you can trust and that will help you remove obstacles. It is a fact that successful people hangout with successful people. The same applies when it comes to avoiding scams and scammers. So if you can align with a team that has a proven and winning track record then you will likely reduce your online risks.

FJ #6 Tip:
Don't get caught by the BBB hype. By BBB I do not mean the Better Business Bureau. I mean Bullshit Baffles Brains. If everybody is promoting and saying how great it is or will be then start reading carefully and make time to digest what you read.  Hype will always be with us because it is a money making catalyst and its use is viral. If you don't care about scams and you just want a quick buck and you can afford risk, your not concerned about harming your reputation, etc then continue to support the BBB methodology. But if you are planning to build a portfolio that will outlive you and can be pass on to your kids then you need to avoid the BBB syndrome.
 

[CoderTony]

Good tip, I also like using wot (http://www.mywot.com/).

[fjworld]

Thank you for the feedback.

I just joined MyWOT and I will make time to investigate what they offer. I have looked up my sites and it looks good.

CoderTony can you give me an idea how you use their service?

[PapaiMark]

I think that a typical clickers research is better.
Sites to general people like this can do some harm to good sites and vice-versa.

When someone is upset with something in the site, they go there and complain, but don't return if it was a mistake.
Also owners in disguise and enthusiasts can make good reports without knowing what they are talking about.

Just a point of view.

[fjworld]

I think that a typical clickers research is better.
Sites to general people like this can do some harm to good sites and vice-versa.

When someone is upset with something in the site, they go there and complain, but don't return if it was a mistake.
Also owners in disguise and enthusiasts can make good reports without knowing what they are talking about.

Just a point of view.

Are you referring to WOT ?

You mean it is not always good because of false reviews or reporting?

[PapaiMark]

wot.

[fjworld]

I just submitted a request to Web of Trust (WOT) for review for my corporate site. Now that I have looked at more closely what WOT offers, I think I will add it to this list of tips.

[fjworld]

Just added another tip that may interest some readers.

What do you know about the back office of the site/program you joined?

[fjworld]

FJ #4 Tip:
Know your history. If you do not know your history you are destine to repeat the same mistake.

[emvspeed]

experiences in the industry are also important.