Have you ever seen something online that sounded too good to be true?
Chances are what you saw was an Internet scam. It’s the type of thing that sends consumers running to an Internet attorney after the fact trying to recover their money.
Fortunately, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has put together an easy-to-understand list of these online scams so that you can identify and avoid them.
As an Internet attorney, one of the most common frauds that I see online is fake business opportunities. The FTC describes these as:
Business Opportunities
The Bait: Be your own boss and earn big bucks.
The Catch: Taken in by promises about potential earnings, many consumers have invested in a “biz op” that turned out to be a “biz flop.” There was no evidence to back up the earnings claims.
The Safety Net: Talk to other people who started businesses through the same company, get all the promises in writing, and study the proposed contract carefully before signing. Get an attorney or an accountant to take a look at it, too.
You can find the rest of the FTC’s Dot Con list here.
Best wishes,
Mike the Internet Attorney
P.S. Con artists rarely take the time to use proper website legal documents. To help your visitors have more trust in what you sell online, you will want to have a website privacy policy, terms of use, and other important website legal documents.
