Caution Required

Being active users of the internet, we all come across so many tempting
business offers. Most of us would love to be able to quit our mundane job
that takes all of our time and energy. Most of us think "I know there is a
way to make money on the computer, and some day I will sit down and figure
it out."

Every time an advertisement or website catches your interest, you can not
help but wonder if it could actually work, and then you could work from home
and spend more time with your family. There is nothing wrong with that!
Sometimes change is good, or sometimes you just have to take that chance.
But since there is so much riding on any decision you may make, especially
money, shouldn't you step back and take a second look?

First off, and very important, never ever take an ad for what it says.
There are no guarantees that advertisers tell the truth. They want to sell
to you, and they will tell you whatever it is that you want to hear to get
you interested. Now, there are many legitimate businesses that will not
steer you wrong. But, please do not take them for face value. Don't jump in
with both feet without taking the time to investigate.

I have always felt that MarketingTrendz.com has done a good job in trying to
educate our readers as far as dealings on the internet. But the fact is,
most of the people I hear from have all learned the hard way about the
offers they find on the internet. My thinking in sitting down to write this
warning to you is- Do you need to burn your hand to know that fire is hot?
Can we not learn from other real experiences and save ourselves from a lot
of trouble?

There are many ways to verify that a person or business is what they claim
to be and believe me (and everyone who has gone through this) it is worth
the extra time and research to protect yourself. Below are some web
addresses that I personally find useful and have book marked for my easy
access.

- Check the website registration.
http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois
Do this with all domains you are interested in buying from. Of course, they
need their OWN domain for this to work.

- Verify names, addresses and phone numbers.
http://www.infospace.com/
Not everyone comes up in these directories, but it only takes a few seconds
and can make you feel more sure.

- Look for a membership to an association for protecting consumers.
http://www.scaminator.com/cobra/directory.htm
There are solid guidelines that members must follow. Remember: Also look
for their listing in the association's directory. That way you know they
haven't just stolen a graphic and are pretending to be a member.

- Stay up-to-date about circulating scams.
http://www.scaminator.com
http://www.scamwatch.com/scams/sacm001.html
There are many other places to read about scams. Look around, you might save
yourself a lot of problems.

Other things you should do:

- Contact the actual people of any testimonies that are given. This can
shed a lot of light on the business in question.

- Check out the company at your local Better Business Bureau and Attorney
Generals office in your area.

- Make sure all phone numbers to the company are working numbers. Call them
or check with the local phone companies and directories to see who the phone
number is listed to.

- Look for a street address for sending payments. Never send to a PO Box.
If they refuse to give the street address to you, that is a good indication
that there is something not quite right.

These are just a few things you need to get in a habit of doing. Even if it
seems like a huge pain, it is the best action to take for yourself. No one
else will be looking out for you.
Your Caution is Required.