Written by Phil Covington
Founder, ABCIncome.com
(c) copyright 2004 GRPMAX, L.L.C. & Phil Covington
Original URL: http://www.abcincome.com/articles/
At some point in time you will encounter on the Internet what I refer to as, “scam news tabloids.”
Either you or someone you know will find something that someone has written that claims that a certain company, organization, individual, or opportunity is a scam.
Many of these sites are no more credible or reliable than the sensational tabloids that can be found at your grocery store’s checkout lane. And, just as with the real tabloids, there are always people lining up to buy whatever these sources have to say as being valid news, when often the stories have little or no truth to them at all.
Just as with traditional print media, when using the Internet you need to consider the source! Informed readers know, for instance, that credible publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Time Magazine, are much more likely to be sources of reliable information and news than a tabloid that shouts sensational headlines like, “Hollywood Actress Pregnant With Space Alien’s Baby!”
I recently received a call from a leader in network marketing who shared with me a story about a prospect who, after hearing his company’s business presentation, mentioned that he had looked up that company on the Internet and learned that it was a, “scam.”
It just so happened that a computer with Internet access was nearby. So, my friend calmly suggested to the prospect that he actually show him what he was talking about. The prospect them proceeded to pull up the Website on the screen. There were several reports (complaints) there about the company in question. The person who posted the report was mainly just ranting and raving about how the company was a scam (or so he said). However, the grammar of the article was atrocious, with numerous typos and misspellings.
In addition, the person doing the complaining stated that the company in question had been founded by a man who previously headed another company that was a scam also, and that he founded the new company just so that he could scam more people.
The final blow to the already debunked validity of this information is that the writer completely had his facts mixed up in regard to who the head of the company was. In fact, the man who he claimed had come to this new company after having previously run another that was also a scam (which wasn’t true either), never had anything to do with the company at all! The person writing the story was claiming that a company was a scam, but didn’t even have his facts straight enough to know the name of the head of the company that he was complaining about.
By now those gathered around were chuckling, and obviously not taking the information from this Internet scam tabloid seriously anymore. However, the marketer took it a step further. He asked the prospect what model of car he drove. He suggested that the prospect type the manufacturer’s name in, and he did. The search brought back over 100 complaints saying that this company, one of the three largest automobile manufacturers in the World, was a scam! Obviously not true!
Then the marketer asked the prospect if he would be offended if he asked what religion the prospect was. The prospect didn’t mind. The marketer suggested that, just for the fun of it, they type in the name of that religion. And, sure enough, there were even complaints saying that it too was a scam, despite the fact that it is one of the top 5 most established and popular religions in the USA.
By now all had gotten a good laugh out of this exercise, and all could see that tabloid sites on the Internet are far from reliable sources of information.
If you happen to run across a Website claiming that a particular company or opportunity is a scam, before you act on that information, check it out. Does the site appear credible, or not? Bad spelling and grammar is an immediate giveaway. Is the publication backed by credible writers and editors, or can just anyone post to it? Especially if visitors can make anonymous posts without anyone even knowing who they are, how can there be any credibility to such information at all?
If a company is large enough and/or has been around long enough they may have been written up in various reputable printed publications. If a company is a scam, it’s very likely that an article in a credible publication would provide some information in that regard. More than likely, however, the company will check out fine, because few of the established mainstream companies turn out to be, “scams.”
Additionally, you can also refer to credible sources of business information, such as Hoovers, Dun & Bradstreet, and the Better Business Bureau. If a company is a scam, credible sources like these would be likely to know.
When a company or opportunity truly turns out to be a scam, that is a terrible thing. However, when Internet tabloids publish negative information that is inaccurate, that can be just as bad. At least now you are armed with a little more information that can help you tell the difference between the two!
