Youth CEO Clubs
"When the Student is Ready, The Teacher Will Appear!"
For Ages 7 - 18
Copyright 2008 Angels Press. All Rights Reserved
Youth CEO Clubs
Cathy Harris, CEO
P.O. Box 870849
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
Phone: (770) 873-2072
Website: http://www.YouthCEOClubs.com
Is Your Business Involved in any Type of False Advertising
on the Internet?
Whether you are engaged in advertising on t.v., radio, print or the internet, businesses have to be careful of “false advertisements.”
When you put up a website, it shows that you are serious about your business. It levels the playing field for any business. However, what really hurt businesses once they put up a website is that they start engaging in false advertisements.
Nowadays with the economy in such bad shape, business owners are desperate to make money; therefore many are not ethical in how they are operating their businesses.
The issues that really bother me about business owners that engage in false advertising are:
- Placing goggle.com ads on their websites
- Not being truthful about Multi-Level Marketing (MLMs)
- Not being truthful about business grant information
- Online business scams
Goggle Ads – Ethical or Unethical:
Google.com ads are everywhere on the internet! Everyone knows that goggle.com and yahoo.com are the two largest search websites on the internet. However, the reality is - some of the businesses that advertise on these two sites are not always ethical in who they are and how they are operating their businesses.
They are simply paying to advertise on these sites. No investigation has been conducted by goggle.com or yahoo.com to confirm that these businesses are legitimate or ethical so why would you place these ads on your websites?
If you connect yourself with businesses that are not ethical - you are telling the world that you ARE NOT ethical! And who in their right minds want to be bothered with businesses that are not ethical?
This is why it’s extremely important to investigate any business before you form an alliance or strategic partnership with them or place their ads on your website.
Instead of placing these ads on your websites, business owners need to fill this space with relevant information on their sites that will help grow their business.
If your website shouldn’t be about your business, what should be the primary content? Sites that work to sell products and services attract prospects because they provide information that prospects want and can use to solve a problem or meet a need. Such as:
- If you’re a lawyer, your site should focus on legal tips and strategies your target market can use.
- If you’re a graphic designer, include ideas on using design to improve communications.
- If you’re a computer systems expert, give your site visitors tips on keeping their customers from crashing.
- A writer could include a tutorial on writing with examples of copy makeovers of web pages, press releases or brochures.
The educational focus for your website works for a number of reasons. People usually search the internet for free information. Prospects will want to visit your site because they know they can get a couple of ideas they can use, and by providing this information, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Finally, your information educates prospects about opportunities they may not have been aware of.
Multi-Level Marketers:
Because of the economy, there is an explosion of Multi-level Marketers which results in homelessness and crime. Multi-level Marketers (Noni-Juice, Melaleuca, YTB Travel, Pre-Paid Legal, Primerica, ACN, Quixstar, etc.) are never successful!
Some of the reasons that people get involved in “Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)” also called “Network Marketing” or “Pyramid Schemes” and why each maybe wrong for you:
- It’s a business that seemed like a good idea.
- I saw other people doing it, so I thought I’d do it, too.
- I know people who make a lot of money doing this.
- Doing this type of thing interests me as a hobby.
Choosing a business based on someone else’s instincts, or quick money making possibilities (Multi-Level Marketing) will sink you in the long run.
Every business owner can bring their own creative talent to their new business. So why would you get involved in a business simply because others are involved in it? Remember being a business owner means you have to be a “leader” not “follower.”
Many Multi-Level Marketers are nothing more than predatory lenders so if you are approached by anyone involved in these types of schemes - walk away before it’s too late!
The Truth about Business Grants:
If you have high expectations of getting a business grant to start or run your business, it isn’t going to happen.
Would-be entrepreneurs often ask the Small Business Administration (SBA) “Where can I get find grants to start a business?” And, sadly, some of these individuals pay big money to attend business financing seminars that travel from city to city talking enticingly about “FREE” government money for your business. All you have to do is pay these folks up front and they will fill out some paperwork for you to apply for these grants.
Also be careful of business owners who invite you to join their networks and promise you that will assist you in seeking out or writing grants or business owners who allows agencies with grants to advertise on their websites. Again this is nothing but false advertising!
The trouble is these grants are so rare and highly specialized in different research fields that the odds of getting them are really slim. In other words, it’s a dead end! If you continue in the direction of seeking out these grants, you will just get discouraged and exhaust yourself so you need to forget about government grants to start or grow a business. It won’t happen!
Also check out "The Truth About Grant Money and Businesses" and "The Truth About Grant Money and Non-Profits."
Online Business Scams:
When it comes to internet businesses, the old adage holds true: “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Email messages inviting you to spend money to work from home are not different than their offline predecessors. Legitimate businesses typically do not ask you to purchase their products as a prerequisite for working for them.
Before you even think about responding to those emails, stop by the Federal Trade Commission’s website (http://www.ftc.gov) and read “FTC Names Its Dirty Dozen: 12 Scams Most Likely to Arrive Via Bulk Email.” When it comes to unsolicited offers via email whether it’s a chain letter, work-at-home, Multi-Level Marketing venture or investment scheme, you need to delete them immediately.
Remember if you are engaging in false advertisements on the internet - then you are risking your business! Small business doesn’t have to be risky. Being risky is a choice that many small businesses can avoid. Small businesses simply don’t have the resources available to them that their large counterparts do, so they must learn how to focus their resources on a more predictable and bigger bottom line and stop wasting time and money fighting trouble that could have been avoided in the first place.
Who is Watching the Better Business Bureau?
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) reputation as an objective consumer watchdog is probably unsurpassed by any other national consumer group.
Small business owners join with membership dues just for the credibility the affiliation provides, and consumers make significant purchasing and investment decisions based on whether or not the Better Business Bureau gives a company a satisfactory rating.
Did you know that a majority of unethical business owners or businesses engaging in false advertising - will steal the BBB logo and put it on their websites and other literature? That’s why it’s always important to check with this company by contacting their offices when investigating a company in which you are thinking about doing business with.
However, the BBB should not be your ultimate business watchdog group. Do your own research because after all - who is actually watching the Better Business Bureau?
Cathy Harris is a Business Coach, Founder of "Youth CEO Clubs" and author of "How To Take Control of Your Own Life." She is available for seminars, workshops and consultations and can be reach through her company Angels Press, P.O. Box 870849, Stone Mountain, GA 30087, Phone: (770) 873-2072, Website: http://www.cathyharrisspeaks.com.com and Email: info@cathyharrisspeaks.com.
Copyright 2008 Cathy Harris. All Rights Reserved
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC) NAMES ITS DIRTY DOZEN: 12 SCAMS MOST LIKELY TO ARRIVE VIA BULK EMAIL (http://www.ftc.gov)
Email boxes are filling up with more offers for business opportunities than any other kind of unsolicited commercial email. That's a problem, according to the Federal Trade Commission, because many of these offers are scams.
In response to requests from consumers, the FTC asked email users to forward their unsolicited commercial email to the agency for an inside look at the bulk email business. FTC staff found that more often than not, bulk email offers appeared to be fraudulent, and if pursued, could have ripped-off unsuspecting consumers to the tune of billions of dollars.
The FTC has identified the 12 scams that are most likely to arrive in consumers' email boxes. The "dirty dozen" are:
1. Business opportunities
These business opportunities make it sound easy to start a business that will bring lots of income without much work or cash outlay. The solicitations trumpet unbelievable earnings claims of $140 a day, $1,000 a day, or more, and claim that the business doesn't involve selling, meetings, or personal contact with others, or that someone else will do all the work. Many business opportunity solicitations claim to offer a way to make money in an Internet-related business. Short on details but long on promises, these messages usually offer a telephone number to call for more information. In many cases, you'll be told to leave your name and telephone number so that a salesperson can call you back with the sales pitch.
The scam: Many of these are illegal pyramid schemes masquerading as legitimate opportunities to earn money.
2. Bulk email
Bulk email solicitations offer to sell you lists of email addresses, by the millions, to which you can send your own bulk solicitations. Some offer software that automates the sending of email messages to thousands or millions of recipients. Others offer the service of sending bulk email solicitations on your behalf. Some of these offers say, or imply, that you can make a lot of money using this marketing method.
The problem: Sending bulk email violates the terms of service of most Internet service providers. If you use one of the automated email programs, your ISP may shut you down. In addition, inserting a false return address into your solicitations, as some of the automated programs allow you to do, may land you in legal hot water with the owner of the address's domain name. Several states have laws regulating the sending of unsolicited commercial email, which you may unwittingly violate by sending bulk email. Few legitimate businesses, if any, engage in bulk email marketing for fear of offending potential customers.
3. Chain letters
You're asked to send a small amount of money ($5 to $20) to each of four or five names on a list, replace one of the names on the list with your own, and then forward the revised message via bulk email. The letter may claim that the scheme is legal, that it's been reviewed or approved by the government; or it may refer to sections of U.S. law that legitimize the scheme. Don't believe it.
The scam: Chain letters-traditional or high-tech-are almost always illegal, and nearly all of the people who participate in them lose their money. The fact that a "product" such as a report on how to make money fast, a mailing list, or a recipe may be changing hands in the transaction does not change the legality of these schemes.
4. Work-at-home schemes
Envelope-stuffing solicitations promise steady income for minimal labor-for example, you'll earn $2 each time you fold a brochure and seal it in an envelope. Craft assembly work schemes often require an investment of hundreds of dollars in equipment or supplies, and many hours of your time producing goods for a company that has promised to buy them.
The scam: You'll pay a small fee to get started in the envelope-stuffing business. Then, you'll learn that the email sender never had real employment to offer. Instead, you'll get instructions on how to send the same envelope-stuffing ad in your own bulk emailings. If you earn any money, it will be from others who fall for the scheme you're perpetuating. And after spending the money and putting in the time on the craft assembly work, you are likely to find promoters who refuse to pay you, claiming that your work isn't up to their "quality standards."
5. Health and diet scams
Pills that let you lose weight without exercising or changing your diet, herbal formulas that liquefy your fat cells so that they are absorbed by your body, and cures for impotence and hair loss are among the scams flooding email boxes.
The scam: These gimmicks don't work. The fact is that successful weight loss requires a reduction in calories and an increase in physical activity. Beware of case histories from "cured" consumers claiming amazing results; testimonials from "famous" medical experts you've never heard of; claims that the product is available from only one source or for a limited time; and ads that use phrases like "scientific breakthrough," "miraculous cure," "exclusive product," "secret formula," and "ancient ingredient."
6. Effortless income
The trendiest get-rich-quick schemes offer unlimited profits exchanging money on world currency markets; newsletters describing a variety of easy-money opportunities; the perfect sales letter; and the secret to making $4,000 in one day.
The scam: If these systems worked, wouldn't everyone be using them? The thought of easy money may be appealing, but success generally requires hard work.
7. Free goods
Some email messages offer valuable goods-for example, computers, other electronic items, and long-distance phone cards-for free. You're asked to pay a fee to join a club, then told that to earn the offered goods, you have to bring in a certain number of participants. You're paying for the right to earn income by recruiting other participants, but your payoff is in goods, not money.
The scam: Most of these messages are covering up pyramid schemes, operations that inevitably collapse. Almost all of the payoff goes to the promoters and little or none to consumers who pay to participate.
8. Investment opportunities
Investment schemes promise outrageously high rates of return with no risk. One version seeks investors to help form an offshore bank. Others are vague about the nature of the investment, stressing the rates of return. Many are Ponzi schemes, in which early investors are paid off with money contributed by later investors. This makes the early investors believe that the system actually works, and encourages them to invest even more.
Promoters of fraudulent investments often operate a particular scam for a short time, quickly spend the money they take in, then close down before they can be detected. Often, they reopen under another name, selling another investment scam. In their sales pitch, they'll say that they have high-level financial connections; that they're privy to inside information; that they'll guarantee the investment; or that they'll buy back the investment after a certain time. To close the deal, they often serve up phony statistics, misrepresent the significance of a current event, or stress the unique quality of their offering-anything to deter you from verifying their story.
The scam: Ponzi schemes eventually collapse because there isn't enough money coming in to continue simulating earnings. Other schemes are a good investment for the promoters, but no for participants.
9. Cable descrambler kits
For a small sum of money, you can buy a kit to assemble a cable descrambler that supposedly allows you to receive cable television transmissions without paying any subscription fee.
The scam: The device that you build probably won't work. Most of the cable TV systems in the U.S. use technology that these devices can't crack. What's more, even if it worked, stealing service from a cable television company is illegal.
10. Guaranteed loans or credit, on easy terms
Some email messages offer home-equity loans that don't require equity in your home, as well as solicitations for guaranteed, unsecured credit cards, regardless of your credit history. Usually, these are said to be offered by offshore banks. Sometimes they are combined with pyramid schemes, which offer you an opportunity to make money by attracting new participants to the scheme.
The scams: The home equity loans turn out to be useless lists of lenders who will turn you down if you don't meet their qualifications. The promised credit cards never come through, and the pyramid money-making schemes always collapse.
11. Credit repair
Credit repair scams offer to erase accurate negative information from your credit file so you can qualify for a credit card, auto loan, home mortgage, or a job.
The scam: The scam artists who promote these services can't deliver. Only time, a deliberate effort, and a personal debt repayment plan will improve your credit. The companies that advertise credit repair services appeal to consumers with poor credit histories. Not only can't they provide you with a clean credit record, but they also may be encouraging you to violate federal law. If you follow their advice by lying on a loan or credit application, misrepresenting your Social Security number, or getting an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service under false pretenses, you will be committing fraud.
12. Vacation prize promotions
Electronic certificates congratulating you on "winning" a fabulous vacation for a very attractive price are among the scams arriving in your email. Some say you have been "specially selected" for this opportunity.
The scam: Most unsolicited commercial email goes to thousands or millions of recipients at a time. Often, the cruise ship you're booked on may look more like a tug boat. The hotel accommodations likely are shabby, and you may be required to pay more for an upgrade. Scheduling the vacation at the time you want it also may require an additional fee.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit http://www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
