Weird email from BizOppsUK.com newsletter subscriber

One of my email newsletter subscribers decided to unsubscribe yesterday.

Fair enough, it's well within anyone's rights!

However, on unsubscribing, this person decided to leave a reason why. It read:

"You are still advertising scams in your newsletter ie... RUSSEL GAIN. I e.mailed you before about the Data Entry scams you were advertising on your newsletter. I see you have now turned tail on them. Why don't you investigate your promotions properly before advertising them?"

I'm perplexed, who on earth is Russell Gain? And far from advertising Data Entry scams, I have made a point to advise all subscribers NOT to buy them!

Here's where I have mentioned Data Entry schemes in my newsletter and what I said:

3rd February 2006:

"Apparently, if you buy the "Data Entry Pro" program you are given data to fill into online ads to earn money. The Data Entry Pro team give you the exact ads to enter.

However, why would someone give away money-making advertisements?

Surely, if the adverts make money the providers would just run the ads themselves and pocket the cash?"

16th June 2006:

"Dear Ben, can you give me any information on Data Entry jobs. I joined one at a cost of £50.00 but it seems to be very complicated and also requres you to "pay per click" for completed forms you send in.

I would appreciate some advice here as I do not want to loose any more money. It might be quite workable if I could get the hang of it, but of course the extra money
was not mentioned when I joined the scheme.

Thanks, MW
--------------------
My reply:

This sudden rash of "Data Entry" schemes are a little devious, not quite scams but certainly dishonest.

Each sales letter makes out that you are buying Data Entry work but, when you actually sign up, you find out that they simply want you to advertise their scheme via PPC.

In other words, utter crap.

If you think it could be workable, press on. Read the guide a few times and have a small test with a few PPC ads.

However, if you think you have been misled, press for a refund."

16th July 2006:

"The Data Entry schemes seem to be very hot sellers at the moment, with Data Entry Pro number 1 at Clickbank in the "Money and Employment" section.

The problem is that these schemes are very mis-sold.

Quite simply they are trying to copy Google Cash but do not have the expertise to do this correctly.

Also, where they do provide Data Entry job listings, it is specialist work for professional transcribers etc.

Best to completely avoid any scheme where they say that you can make money filling in forms or "typing data" from home.

Read on the site for more information:

http://www.BizOppsUK.com/data_entry.php"

====================

Now, seriously, could you consider anything from the above snippets to be "advertising" Data Entry schemes?

The problem I now face is that this person has unsubscribed and left the message "P.S Do not send me anymore e.mails" so I cannot even contact him/her to try and get an explanation!

I'm wondering if they have mistaken Google AdSense on my site for my own personal advertising?

As you may be aware, Google place contextual adverts on my site - the nature of the ads relates to the content of the page. So, if I am talking about dodgy Data Entry schemes, Google will show ads for Data Entry schemes.

Perhaps this unhappy ex-subscriber wrongly assumed I, myself, was placing the adverts on my site.

Oh well, some people act first and think later. Personally I think the above person has been burnt by this scheme and is looking for someone to blame!

http://www.BizOppsUK.com/data_entry.php

New "Business with Breakfast" Forum

Hi,

No news as such today but I wanted to let you know about a brand new forum which has just been "opened".

If you're anything like me, you probably love reading about other people's experience with business opportunities. The
problem we face is that there aren't many dedicated and independant free UK business opportunity forums.

Hopefully this is about to change as I came across this new one by chance today as I was surfing another site.

It's at the following address:

http://www.BusinessWithBreakfast.co.uk/

Before you ask, no, it isn't mine! I've never got round to creating a forum and I doubt I ever will. Moderating it
would be a full-time job.

Anyway, the forum is brand new and if you want to post some comments on it, perhaps relay some experiences
you have had, then please go ahead.

I can see this forum getting very popular over the coming weeks.

Look out for me in there, I have registered with the imaginative username of "Ben".

Data Entry Schemes - are they a scam?

====================
Question from a newsletter subscriber:

Dear Ben, can you give me any information on Data Entry jobs. I joined one at a cost of £50.00 but it seems to be very complicated and also requres you to "pay per click" for completed forms you send in.

I would appreciate some advice here as I do not want to loose any more money. It might be quite workable if I could get the hang of it, but of course the extra money
was not mentioned when I joined the scheme.

Thanks, MW
====================
My reply:

This sudden rash of "Data Entry" schemes are a little devious, not quite scams but certainly dishonest.

Each sales letter makes out that you are buying Data Entry work but, when you actually sign up, you find out that they simply want you to advertise their scheme via PPC.

In other words, utter crap.

If you think it could be workable, press on. Read the guide a few times and have a small test with a few PPC ads.

However, if you think you have been misled, press for a refund.

====================
For more information on Data Entry schemes and the problems with them, check out the free report on the site:
http://www.BizOppsUK.com/data_entry.php

Fantastic Pay - Money down the drain?

Fantastic Pay popped up at the end of March, the idea of a Canadian entrepreneur called Brian Lindback.

The scheme promises that, once you join up and invest, you will be paid a set amount per month indefinitely.

Join-up fees are $18 and investment amounts start from just $10.

It works like this:

You invest between $10 and $10,000 for between 1 and 6 months. At the end of the term, your monthly payments begin.

Invest for 1 month, you get 10% monthly.
2 months, 25% monthly.
3 months, 50% monthly.
4 months, 75% monthly.
5 months, 125% monthly.
6 months, 200% monthly.

Now, this is a lot of money to pay out indefinitely but the owners are confident that it can be acheived. The money invested is used to finance property deals and, according to the site, is "never at risk".

To test this out, I have invested $25 for 6 months. If it works, I get $50 a month once my 6 months is up - around December time.

I've put more on the site, be sure to understand the warnings and don't risk money that you can't afford to lose!

http://www.BizOppsUK.com/fantastic_pay.php

Prosperity Automated System

After I mentioned the PAS system in a previous newsletter I hope you had chance to look up the forum where it features heavily.

http://www.scam.com

With any scheme of this type you will get two sides of people who contribute to threads.

The first side, the PAS members, are almost fanatical about how great PAS can be. Of course, this is because they have to introduce new members to continue earning. Once the new members dry up, this scheme fails, with many people losing thousands.

On the other hand, the people who do not agree with PAS and who are not happy with this type of pyramid scheme are trying their best to stop people signing up.

In a book I recently read by John Harrison of Streetwise Publications, he mentioned that out of all of the business opportunities his company offers he receives the most mail about gambling systems.

His reasoning is that people are lazy and wish to get that "big win" rather than actually working for money. Gambling is seen as an easy way out, just like PAS is seen by the desperate and greedy people who sign up from it.

One statistic that I read was that 4% of the population of America are involved in an MLM and Pyramid schemes of one form or another. Scary...

http://www.BizOppsUK.com/prosperity_automated_system.php

Avril Harper - £500 a Week as an eBay Trader?

Question:

Hi Ben,
In your opinion is it possible to make a good living from home with an eBay business? I have received a business op from Avril Harper 'How to make £500 a week selling other people's products on eBay.' Is it worth a look at? CB

---

Answer:

£500 a week on eBay? I'm sure it can be done. The problem is, how many items will you have to sell to make this much?

If you make £1 on each, do you really want to pack and ship 500 products? The perfect scenario would be to sell 5 at £100 profit each.

I've seen a couple of Avril's publications, the latest I have read being the "Powerseller Profit Report".

For years, Avril has been selling business opportunities revolving around "ephemera" (although this may not be what is offered here).

She calls it "tearing up old papers and magazines" for profit.

Basically, she finds old National Geographic magazines and other periodicals, cuts out pictures, mounts them and sells them on.

Collectors and enthusiasts apparently go mad for things like this. I must admit, it wasn't something I was interested in doing - seemed too much like I needed to become an expert in old print. Therefore I didn't really look into it.

As far as I know, Avril is an honest biz opp provider and honours guarantees. It may be worth having a look at the opp to see what the deal is and returning the product if you don't think it is viable.

For more info about eBay, check out my tips and tricks site:

http://www.BenCatt.com

or Jim Cockrum's eBook, the "Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay":

http://www.SilentSalesMachine.co.uk