Step 1
The first thing to consider when reading an article about making money
online is, does the article sound believable? Does it sound legal?
Does the program or system that you are buying into produce anything
tangible or of any real worth to anyone? Does it offer a guarantee or
trial period?
Step 2
If everything seems to be legitimate at first glance, then
it's time to do some investigating. Does the website offer contact
information? Is there a phone number listed? If so, call the number
and try to speak to a living human being. If you can't get through to
anybody now, imagine how hard it will be to get a refund later if
needed.
Step 3
Visit the Better Business Bureau's website (www.bbb.com) and
search for the website address (url) for the company that you are
considering paying for services. Are they registered? If so, do they
have any complaints against them? Do a whois lookup on the domain name.
(ex. makelotsofmoneyovernight.com) Web sites like register.com are
useful in performing a whois lookup. What name is the website
registered under? If you search on this name, what information can you
find online? If you find other web sites associated with the original
website, search for them with the Better Business Bureau as well.
Step 4
If you decide to make a purchase from a website, check to see
if the "check out" page is on a secure server. If you are using
Internet Explorer, look for the yellow lock symbol at the bottom of your
web browser. Also be sure the web address begins with "https". When
making a purchase, use a credit card rather than a debit card. Credit card companies usually cover
fraudulent spending if someone obtains unauthorized access to your
account.
