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Scam Library! Did you receive an email or letter offering you a VA contract or work from home job that sounds too good to be true? Post here for the truth and browse previously posted scams.

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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 09-28-2009
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Exclamation Google Fortunes Program SCAM

I just thought I'd let everyone know about this. I got caught out by this and could have potentially lost a lot of money. Thankfully I was able to stop the payments going out & managed to get a refund. But I understand that most are not so lucky as I was.

Anyways, there is a scam going round to the effect that Google are paying boat loads of money for people to work at home, for just a few hours of work per week. I've received emails to this effect, but I've also seen banner ads with the same message (When I got caught out, it was from a banner ad).

Either way, you are directed to a website or squeeze page that tells some "wonderful" story about some person or other who was sinking into a financial quagmire of debts, etc., etc. who then came across this Google program and is now making big bucks. This is backed up by several other "success" stories (which are in the main, "fictional") and you are then told that it only costs about $1 or $2 for a "kit" which will tell you everything you need to know (if only life was that simple, huh?). When you sign up, you don't get any pack at all. In fact, you are in reality giving authorisation for the scammers to take more money out of your account (I had two lots of $80 go out of my account).

If you want more information about this then Snopes.com has a good write up on the subject: http://www.snopes.com/fraud/employment/google.asp

The crux of the matter is: Don't get caught out, it could cost you dearly.

Regards,

Jason
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Old 09-28-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

Ouch! An expensive lesson, certainly. Thanks for the 'heads up.' It never ceases to amaze me how many crooks are out there preying on those of us who choose to WORK for a living!
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Old 09-28-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

One other thing is to read the "fine print" before giving out any personal or payment information. The fine print might be in the form of their "Terms of Service," or something similar, and will state that you are signing up for a "program" of sorts and you will be charged through your credit card X amount of dollars monthly. This "fine print" is usually found at the very bottom of the web page in a link.
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Old 09-29-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

Lily, yes I agree with you on that. There are so many crooks out there. My mind boggles as to how they can sleep @ night.

Jules, thanks for that info. Yes, it is essential to read the fine print. Although sometimes (as was true in my case) to read the fine print you have to click on a link that is hidden away @ the bottom of the page & hardly noticeable. It's therefore good to look @ the bottom of the page and make sure you find the fine print.

Regards,

Jason
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Old 09-29-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

Jason, Thank you for sharing this important information, many times you feel so bad about having being taken you don't want anyone to know.

Regards,
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Old 09-29-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

Thank you Jason for sharing this information with us and possibly protecting others from being taken. I'm sorry it happened to you.
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Old 09-29-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

I have newsletters sent to me from WAHS (Work At Home Success) it is actually a website that gives a lot of information about scams and good links to find legit information.

Anyway, I just got this email from them in regards to Google.

"Hi Erika Glem,

The Truth about Google Money

I get email frequently asking about specific "Google" programs or if it's possible to make money from Google in general. While it is possible to make money from Google, many of the "Google Money"
systems are deceptive. Here are some of the deceptions and truths about making money with Google.

Deception 1: Google is hiring people to place ads.

Truth: Google simply offers tools that allow you to advertise
(Adwords) or make money placing ads (Adsense) on your website.
It's not a job.

Deception 2: Top name companies are hiring people to place ads on Google.

Truth: Top companies aren't hiring people to place ads. Instead these "top" companies have affiliate programs and will pay you if you help them sell their goods and services. Google Adwords is a tool you can use to help sell your affiliate items. However, it's not the only way. I don't use Adwords and I still make money with affiliate programs.

Deception 3: All you need to do is "data entry" or "type" ads into Google to make money.

Truth: This is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to offers about Google money. Done incorrectly, using Adwords can cost you a fortune with no return on investment. Adwords is an advertising tool in which you can Google to run your offer (they show up on the right hand side of a search page) and you pay only when people click. Sounds simple but if you don't understand keywords you can be paying for clicks made by people who don't meet your target market and that's wasted money. If you pay 10 cents a click and get 100 clicks a day, you'll be paying $300 a month in Adword advertising. You need to know keywords, your market and how to write an ad that has buyers clicking otherwise its wasted money.

It is possible to make money using Google's programs. But you aren't simply going to sign up and type ads. Like any other work-at-home venture, you need to study and understand how it works and how to market. You need to develop a plan and stick to it.

So how do people make money using these programs? Here's an example I just started. This month I launched a blog/site called BusyMamaWeightLoss.com. In a keyword search I knew that weight loss was a popular search term. Because it's important to niche and I know moms struggle to find the time and energy to work on weight loss, I focused on the mom target market. The site offers free information about weight loss and is monetized using Adsense (banner at the top of the first post and within the post itself). I use Clickbank affiliate products in the box under "More Resources"
and rotate other affiliate offers under "Great Offers. Right now the site is marketed using SEO (search engine optimization), articles, and social networking. Because it's new, the traffic and income is low. These things take time to build up.

WorkAtHomeSuccess is supported by affiliate and paid advertising. I once had Adsense, but recently removed it because scams were getting fed to the site. This brings up another point in that you need to choose your affiliate partners carefully. I screen all ads and offers, and for the most part have used every affiliate product I recommend.

Do people make LOTS of money using Google resources and affiliate programs? Some make obscene amounts of money. Most hardly make any at all. The success of such a venture is up to you and how well you understand and implement what's required. If you think you can just post a site or blog and make money, then you'll likely fail. But if you take time to research your keywords, set up a good marketing plan, implement and maintain your site, then you can make good even great money.

If you're interested in learning the details on how to make money using Google Adsense and affiliate programs, there are a couple of resources I can recommend. I have used all of them so I know they are good.

Super Affiliate Handbook
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=53R...ZlemrkwMkaTSeA - This is a great resource on all the aspects of finding a topic, picking keywords and getting online. Plus it offers tips on using Adwords if you'd like to take a try at that. I bought this eBook several years ago and saw a big increase in my affiliate commissions once I implemented a few of its ideas.

The Niche Blogger
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=53R...gcseocgxzGbZsg - This program was put together by a mom who paid of over $70,000 in debt using blogs and affiliate programs. Many online entrepreneurs, myself including, have starting using blogging platforms
(Wordpress) to run their sites because it's so easy and search engines love them. Niche Blogger is an online course that takes you step-by-step through the entire process of picking a topic, searching for quality keywords, knowing the competition and more. I also like that it uses videos to show you how to set up a Wordpress blog...for the technically challenged, the videos are great! Plus she sets up in a day-by-day fashion so you can pace yourself and not get overwhelmed. Plus there is a forum to ask questions, get feedback, and read about the success of others.

Super Affiliates
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=53R...iPArXshlNf.5jA This is a huge program that also takes you step-by-step through the process of choosing topics and keywords, and getting online. But there is so much more. Almost too much. It's easy to get overwhelmed by how much there is... eBooks, videos and more. What I like most about this program is that each month it offers a "Business in a Box"
that includes everything you need to get a site online including the squeeze page, keyword rich articles to use in marketing, PPC ads, autoreponder emails and more. It's basically all the prep work done for you. You just need to implement."
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Old 09-29-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

Erika,

This information is great! It clarifies a lot of points and I personally have found it useful.

Thanks loads,

Jason
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Old 09-29-2009
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Default Re: Google Fortunes Program SCAM

Jason, talk about timing! I am glad it helped and I hope others find it useful as well.
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