By Janice Sharman

Have you signed up for a money making affiliate program only to wake up one morning to find that you cannot access your affiliate back office then discover that the business has closed owing you money? If you have been online for over six months and you have escaped being duped, count yourself very, very lucky... Do authentic affiliate home business opportunities still exist?

Internet scams come in all shapes and sizes. It seems like every day a new one is invented. But scams are not the only way to lose money on the internet, you can sign up for a legitimate affiliate program only to discover that the support is inadequate or it is difficult to get information so you can conduct your business. In order to survive in the home business arena as an affiliate one has to do due diligence.

Due Diligence is the process an affiliate uses to investigate the attractiveness of an affiliate program, it's legitimacy, the quality of management and support, and the risks associated with the program, before investing time and money. It is a complete investigation and review of the intended affiliate company.

Prior to joining any affiliate program, you should conduct "due diligence" not just into the program but into the company offering the program. It is important to ascertain whether the affiliate company has a history of scamming, inaction on abuse reports, or privacy violations. Due diligence should include the examination of archives of discussion lists, and forums.

It is also necessary to carefully examine the Affiliate company’s website. Is there a street or city address! Can you contact the affiliate company via email or phone? Look for photos and names of the owners of the company. Not having photos, names and contact information on a company website is very suspicious and a good reason not to join that company.

Enter in the Company's name plus the word "scam" into a couple of the major search engines and read through the results. Be careful while doing this as there are sites and forums that are unfairly negative toward all Affiliate companies. Ignore these sites and only search for good, relevant information.

Visit the Better Business Bureau's web site. Check out the number of complaints on the affiliate company that the Better Business Bureau has 'not' resolved. More than three is cause for alarm and will usually mean problems for you.

If you see, hear or even feel a "Get Rich Quick!” scheme ...RUN! If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is! You will not get rich quickly marketing affiliate products, services or opportunities. Getting rich usually involves smart marketing tactics and hard work, like any other successful business would require.

There are many legitimate affiliate companies online that will give you the chance to make money and build a successful home business but you have to conduct due diligence and choose carefully.

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About the author:
Janice Sharman, enjoys helping independent thinkers fulfill their dream of making money online with their own profitable home business. If you can follow 3 easy steps, you can get your own custom website, professionally designed and installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours or less! See details at: http://www.profits4sure.com/3-steps.html