If you’re trying to make money online, then you’d better protect yourself from internet scams because there are a lot of bad people out there who are running all kinds of schemes. Some scammers are out there to steal your personal information or identity, while others just want to get their hands on your money.

So before handing over your information or your money, here are some ways that you can check to see if a website is legitimate or not:

Review Search – go to your favorite search engine and type in the website’s name and the word “review” “scam,” or “complaint” after it. You may be able to uncover other people’s opinion about the site. Look for any negative comment that people may have written about the website on forums, blogs or other places like this.

Email Search – you can also do the same kind of search as above for a website’s email address to see what comes up. Again, look for any negative comments or anyone complaining about internet scams

If none of these searches turn up anything, then go to some of the websites below and type in the name of the site or url to do another search to see if anyone has lodged a complaint about the website or company:

http://www.complaints.com/ -  at Complaints.Com you can check to see how an online business is performing or treating customers. You can also post your own complaint about the business for public view.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/ – “Ripoff Report is a service to the world’s consumers. The Ripoff Report enables YOU the consumer to be armed with the opinions and comments of your fellow consumers. This report will help you exercise your first amendment right to freedom of speech. You will have an opportunity to speak out against companies, businesses, governments, and individuals that have treated you unfairly. The bad Business Bureau’s … Ripoff Report will help you do that! Once your report is posted, millions of fellow consumers worldwide will have access to your information!”

http://www.complaintsboard.com/ – at ComplaintBoard.Com you can enter the name of the website or company and check to see if they have any complaints. You can also write a complaint about a company as well.

http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/ – “Scam Victims United offers support and resources to victims through message groups and networking with other victims. This provides for a safe environment in which they can share their stories with other who have been through the same experience without worry of blame or judgment. Resources for reporting crimes and recovering monetary losses will be shared and added to the website as effective means are found.”

http://www.scambusters.org/scamcheck.html- curious whether or not a site or business is a scam? Find out at the Internet ScamBusters Scam Check Station.

http://www.scam.com/ – Scam.Com is a huge message board where you can get help from other people and report a scam

http://www.bbb.org/ – at the BBB, you can check out the reputation of a business or a charity either in Canada or the United states.  On their website they say, “BBBs issue reports on accredited businesses and non accredited businesses alike. We, as a matter of policy do not endorse or recommend any business, product or service, apply the same standards to reporting on businesses, regardless of their BBB accredited business status. Our reports may, however, note the fact of a business’ accredited status in the BBB. Because BBB accredited businesses must qualify for accredited business status by adhering to certain standards, a business with a bad report will be disqualified for accredited business status. However, this does NOT mean that a business that is not an accredited business has a bad report or would not qualify for accredited business status”.

Apart from the above, you should also look for the following:

1. Contact information – if a website is trustworthy – especially if it’s selling something, it should have contact information, a physical address, a mailing address, an email address or contact form and a phone number.

Misdirection – if a websites redirects to a different web address that can be a sign of a scam. This is not always the case because there are many legitimate reasons why a website may be redirecting you to another site. This is just one thing amongst many things that you should look for.

Term and conditions – If the website is offering a product or service but doesn’t have a web page for which contains their terms and conditions, then this could be a red flag. Any website that’s offering something to the public, should tell you what their terms are so that you know what you’re getting into. Also, reputable websites should also have links to their privacy policy for the same reasons as I mentioned above.

OK, so there you have it. This is not a foolproof method for checking out all Internet scams, but it’s a start. It’s also important for you to trust your instincts. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, then trust yourself and stay away from it. And remember the old saying, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

To report a scam to your local authorities, see this article: http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/reporting.php#InternetScams

About Amber: My name is Amber and I'm the Editor of TeenMoneyMakingIdeas.Com. As a teenager, I started making money when I was 13 years old. I had all the typical jobs that teenagers have such as working in fast food joints and retail stores. At 19, I formed my own cosmetics company. And shortly after that I started my own import business. Now I'm earning money online. Join me as I discuss all the ways I've discovered for teens to make money. Read more about me here.

Related posts:

1. How to Make Money Online as a kid While Searching the Internet
2. Why Make Money Over The Internet?
3. Master Resale Right Products: One Of The Best Ways To Make Money On The Internet?
4. Teens Required to Learn Money Management in High School
5. Teens Get Paid to Click and Browse the Internet