Online Data Entry Scams

In fact, this type of income has been around for a while, but what is not stated in the sales pages is that it is intensely competitive, and is constantly becoming more so.

What is actually involved is not mere data entry, but affiliate marketing.

And there is a HUGE DIFFERENCE.

That is why so many of these programs are very misleading.

Think about it: traditional data entry positions pay at most $15 per hour if you type 60+ WPM. Data entry programs online claim you can work 2 hours a day and make $200-$500. While a select few people do make six figure incomes with affiliate marketing, these are the people who gained a ton of experience, and probably lost a lot of money along the way.

1. What is affiliate marketing?

In a nutshell, there are an endless number of products available to purchase online. Ebooks, software, or consumer goods are all available to purchase from companies. If you sell a product for a company, you earn a commission. Congratulations, you are now an affiliate marketer.

2. Why do I have to pay for a starter kit or training materials? Why is there a "good faith deposit" required?

Before you can start making money, you are required to give a "good faith" deposit or pay a "processing fee" for a starter kit or training materials.

They say the materials contain everything you need to make all the money you can dream of. "Hundreds of companies that will pay you top dollar for filling out 25-word forms online." But you have to pay your dues.

The information contained in the starter kits is readily available for free to anyone. In fact, millions of people already know about it.

The companies that pay you are nothing more than the merchants listed on clickbank.com or commissionjunction.com. These companies are free to join. You earn a commission based on each product you sell for any given company. Commissions may range from a couple of dollars to a couple hundred dollars.

3. Why are these programs sold as "data entry" opportunities?

Or, I should call this section, "How you supposedly make money, and why you will probably go broke first."

So, the data entry you do is placing your own advertisements on Google AdWords, which is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. These are the "sponsored links" you see on the right hand side of the search engine results. AdWords consists of writing 3 line ads that take a potential customer to a website where they can buy the product.

You have to spend your own money to place these advertisements, and it is becoming increasingly more expensive to place advertisements in this highly competitive medium.

This type of advertising is also so complex, people have devoted their entire careers to understanding effective PPC advertising.

So, you are not being paid for data entry at all. You are being paid for marketing.

If you are still interested in this type of opportunity, do some research on "affiliate marketing." You will find extensive information. It can be very lucrative, but find a mentor you can trust to help guide you through this process.

Or if you are really geared towards sales, look for a program that has a much higher commission potential.