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Featured Money Articles

Can Fast Money Be Made by Investing Online?
The answer to that question depends on what one means by fast. Let's just compare it to your average 9 to 5 job. Then, by that yard stick the answer is yes. Comparing the question to the lottery, the answer becomes not quite that fast. That does bring ...

Self-Employment - Managing you Money: Tips for Living with a Fluctuating Income (Part One)
The way you manage your money is one of the first things you'll change when you move from employment to self-employment.It's one thing to budget and manage your money on a regular income-as you do when you receive a salary. It's quite another when your ...

The Lure of Easy Money
The Lure of Easy Money © 2002 Elena Fawkner You might be forgiven for thinking that competition is fierce if you run an online business. After all, every day - day in, day out - you, me and everyone else is constantly bombarded by offers from every man ...




How To Avoid Losing Money To Scam Sites
 
The internet is full of juicy offers to make money fast. Hundreds and thousands of people lose money fast daily because they get trapped by scam offers. These web sites look very attractive. They lure the people with the hope for solving their financial problems. They display pictures of smiling people who tell you that they have made their way. They provide you with testimonials. Be careful about what you see: Webmasters buy pictures of smiling, attractive people at internet photo agencies. Testimonials can be false.

You need to do some research before you spend money for any of these internet businesses. The following checklist might be helpful for you:

Are There Any Exaggerations?

Does the website promise profits that sound too good to be true? Do you believe, if a profit of 5, 10 or even more percent a day is realistic and does sustain? Some websites offer a profit of 30% a day. Others promise you to convert $30 or so into $100,000 within an unbelievable short time. An ad even claims: Be a millionaire in weeks! No wonder that these websites disappear within a short time along with the people's money – or they just leave a lot of frustrated people behind.

Are the Contacts Reliable?

Is there at least a reliable contact at the website? Do they answer to your requests? It is even better if there is a working live support, a working telephone number (not just a recorded voice, answering the phones).

Check at Alexa

You can check at the Alexa website. There you can type in the URL of the website. Alexa shows you if there is a name, a company, an address or a telephone number behind the website. If it is a well known scam website, you already can see some bad comments about the website at Alexa.

Check out the Environment

You can check out easily, what is going on around the website. You just go to Google, type in the name of the website and click search. You will detect, if there are bad news about the website. The internet is an open world and you find complaints about bad offers quite soon.

Be aware: If you type in the full URL, Google only displays you the exact website. If you just type in the name or title of the website, Google lists you many background information.

Check out Black Lists, Forums, Monitors

There are monitors and forums about the issue, in which the website is active. Do you find any opinions about the website there? Is the website black listed? Do not spend any dime, if a website is on a black list. Are there any ratings about the website? Does the website have a certificate, e.g. one by NetIBA? The Internet Identity Bureau and Associates verifies the identity behind websites. Merchants can get a certificate if they comply with the NetIBA rules.

You need to be aware, that forums can be manipulated. Scam websites can spread out favourable news about their website. They can use false internet addresses and nicknames. Scam websites have affiliates, who still go on promoting them, even if more and more people start complaining about the website.

Trace the IP Address and Hosts

You can find out the IP address and server of the checked website at network-tools.com. There you can type in the URL of the website. Certain scammers use always the same server and IP addresses. This hint could help to detect, if a well known scammer starts a new website.

There Is no Warranty

Even, if you do your home work: there is no warranty that you do not get trapped. A scam site might be new and a blank leaf to the internet community. It is recommendable to observe matters for a while before you spend money. The more the people become alert and the more transparency is achieved – the less chance new scammers get to do their fraudulent activities.






Money News


Fed expands liquidity program for money market funds
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
By Rex Nutting WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- More institutions will be eligible to participate in the Federal Reserve's Money Market Investor Funding Facility ...
Video: Money Minute: Money Markets; Deficit, Autos AssociatedPress
FACTBOX-The Fed's evolving liquidity toolkit Reuters
More cos. can tap Fed program to aid mutual funds The Associated Press
Another Financial Portal - Forex Hound
all 152 news articles

Colo. complaint filed against NY money market fund
BusinessWeek - 14 hours ago
Colorado's securities commissioner has filed a complaint against a New York money market fund saying it violated Colorado's anti-fraud provisions. ...
Colo. securities commissioner sues money-market fund Bizjournals.com
State regulators sue money fund manager Rocky Mountain News
State sues money fund, claiming fraud Denver Post
Minneapolis Star Tribune
all 21 news articles

S.Korea Nov L money supply growth steady
Forbes, NY - 4 hours ago
SEOUL, Jan 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's broadest measure of money supply showed steady growth in November, central bank data showed on Thursday, ...
S. Korea L money supply Growth Stable in November RTT News
all 3 news articles

Most locally-owned banks not applying for TARP money
MSNBC - 7 hours ago
Someone's got to want to borrow the money. "It's hard to grow loans in a down economy," said Keith Sanford, executive vice president for First Tennessee ...
Few area banks get money from federal bailout program Trading Markets (press release)
all 2 news articles

Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Obama's Chilling Impact on the Markets
TheStreet.com - 6 hours ago
on his "Mad Money" TV show Wednesday. "What if the stimulus fails?" asked Cramer. What if slow growth prevails for the foreseeable future? ...
Cramer's Mad Money (1/6/09) China Saves the World Seeking Alpha
Who Knew ‘Mad Money’ Host Jim Cramer Was A Biggie Fan? MTV.com
Cramer: It's Curtains for Wall Street's Financial Mobsters CNBC
TheStreet.com - TheStreet.com
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