Ten Ways to Determine if an Internet Home Based Business is Legitimate

There are literally thousands of scams on the internet promising ways to earn money from home, and determining which are legitimate and which are not can be difficult.  But there are a few things you can do to determine whether the internet home business you are looking at is bona fide or a fly-by-night scam.

Look for Address and Contact Information

Legitimate companies will provide contact information.  Send them a message and let them know you are interested and then wait and see what response you get.  Also look for a physical address and avoid businesses that use a post office box as their corporate address.

Look for BBB and/or TRUSTe Logos

Check to see if the business website shows any sign of being Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) approved or carries the Truste.org logo.  If they do, click on them – it should take you to a site that provides additional information.

Look up the Domain

Use DomainTools.com to check for registration details on the domain the business is using and see if they look legitimate.  Is there a proper phone number provided (versus a string of random numbers)? There is a lot of information to be found at this site, so take your time and do some research.

Look for Guarantees and Offers of Training

Does the business offer any guarantees or is there a free trial offer?  Is there any training provided?  If you are going to be successful in an area of business you are not yet familiar with, there is good chance you will need some training.

Is There a Free Newsletter You Can Sign up For
By signing up for the free newsletter you can 1) see if they are consistent with delivery, 2) provide quality content rather than just marketing jargon, and 3) gain insight into the opportunity being offered.

Be Cautious of Home Based Business Opportunities That Pay You For Referring Others
While not all network marketing jobs are scams, many of them are.  So be cautious and research the company thoroughly before committing to anything.

Ask if the Company is a Member of Any Professional Associations
If they say yes, you can check with those organizations to find out more information about the company.

Find Out if the Company is Registered with any Business Directories
You can easily verify registration on the internet through sites like dnb.com (Dun & Bradstreet) or Hoovers.com.

Beware of All Hype, No Substance
Any successful online home business will require work, a business plan, realistic goals, and time to build  a revenue stream.  All of these things need to be reviewed and talked about – as does your personal abilities and how your experience and skills fits in to their business model.

If it Sounds Too Good to be True, Then it Probably Is
Watch out for companies that promise the unattainable.  For the average person, making $10,000 in a week simply isn’t doable.  While this doesn’t mean the business touting it is not legitimate, it does indicate that they are recruitment driven rather than success driven.