Before pointing fingers and screaming 'scam', it's important to know what a scam is. The term 'scam' is actually a slang word for 'fraud'.

All multifarious means which human ingenuity can devise, and which are resorted to by one individual to get an advantage over another by false suggestions or suppression of the truth. It includes all surprises, tricks, cunning or dissembling, and any unfair way which another is cheated.

Source: Black’s Law Dictionary, 5th ed., by Henry Campbell Black, West Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minnesota, 1979.

Under common law, three elements are required to prove fraud: a material false statement made with an intent to deceive (scienter), a victim’s reliance on the statement and damages.

I'm going to cut to the chase and stop quoting legal jargon. The key factor in determining a scam is summarized in one word 'SCIENTER'. The INTENT TO DECEIVE.

The intent to deceive can some times be difficult to determine. However, not always so difficult than one might think. Intents to deceive many times are so obviously blatant ... unfortunately, not so obvious before you got taken.

Adults should exhibit common sense to prevent being swallowed up by the sharks and scamsters. The old saying holds, 'if it looks to good to be true, it probably is'. By simply doing a little research, you may well save yourself from big headaches and loss of money.

Keep in mind, just because you lose money or do not make money does not mean you have been scammed. New businesses arise every day and businesses fail every day also. Just because a business fails, does not mean it was scamming.

What can you do to prevent being scammed within online business opportunities? The answer is not so much unlike what you would do offline.

-Is there an 'about us' page?
-Does the about us page relay information about the owner?
-Is there contact information on site?
-Go to 'whois' type in the domain name and view the information.
-Does the whois information relay the owners name, date domain name was created, phone numbers?
-Does the contact information from whois, relay the same contact information on the site?
-Contact the owner and ask questions.
-Is there testimonials on site?
-Contact at least three members and ask questions.
-Are there conference calls and if so, listen to one before joining.

Taking the time to do just a little research as stated in the list above, really can help you to make a more informative decision...that in turn, can save you money and keep you from suffering headaches later.