Seminar Scams

One of the most common ways that information about business opportunities is shared is at live seminars. Nowadays, you may find a similar approach being used with online webinars. Either way, you have to be careful when attending such events. What may be presented as a surefire way to make money or even get rich could be a scam designed to get you to invest in a dubious scheme or program.

What to Look Out For at Seminars

There are certain warning signs that can serve as red flag when it comes to seminars involving supposed business opportunities. These include:

Promise of free information. Most seminars offering real information charge something. If the seminar is free, you can be sure that they are going to try to sell you something. This is often a lot more costly than the fee of a legitimate seminar. The "information" in such cases is really just an aggressive pitch.

Stories of quick riches. If the seminar, or ads promoting the seminar, promise unlikely amounts of wealth in a short time, this is another sign that it's probably a scam. Real businesses take time to become profitable, so if you're being told you can instantly start making thousands every week, you should be skeptical. This is especially the case if the business opportunity supposedly requires no experience and working only a few hours per week.

No mention of risk. Seminars that talk about how to make money often downplay or even ignore risks of failure. In certain industries, such as real estate, currency exchange or stocks, risks can be substantial. If the seminar leader acts as though it's easy to make a profit with little risk, you should be suspicious.

Use Your Discernment at Seminars

The above are some of the main warning signs that what is being presenting as a business opportunity is really a scam. Always use your common sense when attending a seminar. If there is a great deal of hype advertising the seminar, with few concrete details, you can be fairly certain it's a scam without wasting your time attending.

If you do attend a seminar, it's best to not make up your mind whether or not to join or invest right away. If the presenters try to pressure you to make a quick decision, perhaps with warnings that it's a "limited opportunity," this is another bad sign. You should always think things through and do some research on the company before investing in any opportunity.

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