There are lines that shouldn't be crossed; like shoving little old grannies off the stairs, stealing candy from a baby, and scamming people of their money. Unfortunately, the get-rich-quick scam has probably been around since the day the first coin was minted. The sad thing is that, with the times being what they are, there are going to be a lot more of these guys peddling their schemes and more people desperate to hear them out.
Just flip open the papers today and see how many ads promise you buckets full of cash for no money down.
Cue words of wisdom from Seth Godin:
If someone offers to sell you the secret system, don't buy it. If you need to invest in a system before you use it, walk away. If you are promised big returns with no risk and little effort, you know the person is lying to you. Every time.
The Internets is for Large Free Bags of Cash
Now, I'm an Internet guy, so here's a rule of thumb when you hear about these get-rich-quick on the Internet courses: most of what they say is available online for free, if you're willing to do a little work.
Yea, that's it in a nutshell. Oh, and one more: it's always going to be a lot more work than they say it'll be.
Sorry, I can't resist. One more: watch out for the guy who's making it rich only by telling you how to make it rich.
Keep your wits together. Ask around. Don't make impulse buys of large, expensive products and courses. Google is your friend.
Ittybiz (a great non-scammy website) has three must-read posts before listening to any internet business pitch online or offline; How to Spot the Scams, Can You Tell a Scam from the Sales Copy? and How to Make Money Online and Avoid the Scams.
If you're ever in doubt, just listen to Gabe and Max here. They've got it all figured out, man.