We can easily spot a scam by the offer of a HUGE amount of money in exchange for something first. They usually try to play on greed. So if anything sounds too good to be true, chances are it's a scam.

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just my 10 cents worth...

How about getting all the certifications you need. Some online business sites had themselves "scam-free certified" and based on experience, they do pay. Also, if you try to communicate with them and you only get ambiguous responses, then don't bother.

If it's the first time you do an online job, there is always a chance that you'll not get paid. What I do is search related forums and see if there are any feedback on a possible employer. It sometimes helps.

True. Researching is always the best thing to consider when you join some affliate programs and other home based business. There's nothing to be blame when you're being scam but you, yourself.

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Earn while posting discussions and images

It is really hard to tell if it is a scam or not. What I do is that I do not sign-in when there is registration fee involved. I wouldn’t want to risk even if it will just cost me a few dollars. Money is still money.

Scams commonly asks you to pay a certain amount of money first, which may be big or not. Moreover, it is hard to contact them after you have already given the money or worse, you cannot even contact them anymore considering that before the communication line is very open.