Make money from home with Google? Not so fast, warns BBB

[PRIYE]

Make money from home with Google? Not so fast, warns BBB

The Better Business Bureau has received more than 1,500 complaints about several dozen Web sites that are trading on the Google name to scam people who want to learn about making money from home. Because the sites often use the Google name and prominently display its iconic logo, consumers often assume they are getting a job with Google when in fact they were getting taken in by yet another work-at-home scheme.
Many families are looking for ways to earn extra money for the holidays and Web sites touting the huge money-making potential of working from home often seem like an answer to prayer,” said Dana Badge­row, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. Unfortu­nate­­ly, most work-at-home opportunities don’t deliver on what they promise and victims find that instead of making a few extra dollars, they lose hundreds.”

Two Web sites, Google Treasure Chest and Google Money Tree, quickly racked up 523 and 782 BBB complaints respectively before being called out by the Federal Trade Commission and state Attorneys General for misleading consumers. The Web sites have been taken down;  however, the BBB has received complaints about many other work-at-home schemes using similar tactics, including Google Biz Kit, Google Cash, Google Money Profits, and Google Success Kit.

While the schemes go by many different names and are found on many different Web sites, the complaints to the BBB all tell a similar story. Complainants state that they signed up online to receive a free trial of a CD or access to information that would show them how to make money from home using Google. Consumers had to provide a credit or debit card number to cover shipping – which is typically only a few dollars.
Complainants to the BBB state that they were billed before their trial ended – or never even received the CD – and continued to be billed after they had cancelled their order. Complainants also found mystery charges from several other businesses for services they didn’t realize they were signing up for with their “free” trial. One Georgia complainant’s bank account was debited $433 by various entities including Grant Finder, Web Training, Power sale, Safe lock, Google Chest, Search Chest, A1Member and Auction Support.

Before signing up for any work-at-home opportunity, the BBB advises job hunters to:
•Review the business’s BBB Reliability Report® at bbb.org to see if BBB reports complaints or other concerns you need to consider.
•Beware of any offer that guarantees a lot of money for little effort and no experience.
•Thoroughly read the Web site’s terms and conditions, keeping in mind that a free trial could cost you in the end.
•Be wary of work-at-home offers that use logos from Google, Twitter or other prominent online businesses. Just because Google is in the name, it doesn’t mean the business is affiliated with Google.
•Research the Web site with www.betterwhois.net  or a similar site for determining domain name ownership. If the site is anonymous or individually registered, beware.

For more advice on evaluating work-at-home companies and schemes, visit www.thefirstbbb.org.

The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to promote through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct; and to instill public confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, protect and assist the general public. Contact the BBB at www.thefirstbbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222.

Source: http://www.reviewmessenger.com/inde...th-google-not-so-fast-warns-bbb&catid=40:news

 

[fab]

Nice article. Thanks for sharing.

 

[HarveyJ]

Old news rehashed.

What I'm really amazed about is how rampant these were doing on AdWords.
You'd think Google would automatically reject anything violating its own trademark... but hey, they were making big money from it themselves.

Seems kind of whorish to me really.

 

[fab]

I just wonder are there any reliable site-companies that provide this information.

 

[HarveyJ]

Companies that provide reliable information on how to do affiliate marketing?
No, not really.

There are plenty of forums though.
Stay away from Warrior Forum or DigitalPoint though.
They're filled with confidence-men and idiots, respectively.

 

[snicksnack]

if google would block the bidding on the keyword google, they would face bigger problems. As they allow others to bid on trademarks of other companies they cnnot go and exclude themselves.