Deceptive Business Case Studies - Warnings and Statistics

There is a ton of material on the internet that gives you tips against being a victim of fraud. Google is your #1 source for researching the companies you will potentially be dealing with.

Source #1: WWW.FRAUD.ORG

This website provides you the most recent news and statistics about different types of frauds that exist online. Below you will find a link about WORK AT HOME schemes.

Fraud Tips

You can read the full list, however I do want to point out several bullet points.

• Know who you're dealing with
• Don't believe that you can make big profits easily
• Get all the details before you pay
• Find out if there is really a market for your work
• Get references for other people who are doing the work
• Know the refund policy

Now if you signed up for a service recently and you can't answer one of these questions, you should go back and do so. If you can't seem to find an answer for these questions or the answer is not responsible, be prepared to face the reality of fraud.

According to FRAUD.ORG, in 2005 1% of all reported online frauds was Work-At-Home schemes and ranged in the amount of $1,785 per victim.

Source #2: WWW.GOOGLE.COM

The best place to find the answers about the company you will be dealing with is on Google. Simply go to Google and type the following terms: (in the blank you will enter the company name)

RIP OFF _________

__________ SCAM

__________ FRAUD

__________ RIPOFFREPORT

__________ BBB

__________ SCHEME

__________ RIPPED

If the company had some bad press or bad feedback you will definitely find something using this technique. If you can't find anything on the company you are searching for, try filling in the blank with the CEO's name or the owner names.

Source #3: WWW.RIPOFFREPORT.COM and WWW.SCAM.COM

Both websites are highly ranked and allow regular users to add their personal experience about a company. This is a good source to find out if the company you will be dealing with ever experienced any problems.

Source #4: WWW.BBB.ORG

BBB (Better Business Bureau) allows you to see how many complaints a certain company had, how many were resolved and unresolved. If you see a company with lots of complaints in general and you are about to establish a long term relationship with them, RUN!

Research & Relationship

Using the above sources try to draw a relationship chart linking the original company with any other person or company that may be involved with. You will be surprised by how many links you will find with one fraudulent company working with another.

Deceptive companies often work in a Pyramid model, thus there is always a connection. Let's examine one such company.