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Newbies - Getting Ripped of and Scammed might be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You

by Mike Anthony
21 replies
After reading through a couple threads over the weeks about being lied to and scammed on WSOs I've been meaning to find some time to give another perspective.

I've never been scammed on any offer that made business sense. I might not have gotten EVERYTHING that I thought but its never been a waste. Lets face it. Its not the sellers fault alone if you bought something that guaranteed you riches or fast money.

They could only exist because of the fantasy land that building a business on shortcuts leads to long term success.

Heres the good news. Its pretty easy to spot the scams and hype and now that you've been "scammed" you are already half way there to spotting it every time in the future, It wasn't a waste. Now of all times is not the time to give up. Not after you have learned the best lesson. Heres the key.

Drop the online from the term online business.

Just look at future opportunities and pretend its an offline business being discussed. Do you know of any offline business that made anyone rich that took 4 hours to implement even when they had mad advertising money? Do you know anyone that built a business all on cruise control with little or no work ? The word online doesn't make it magical. The normal business rules apply.

The different perspective I didn't see mentioned as much? YOU (some not all) thats right YOU make it hard for anyone that wants to put in real value and talk honestly when all you want and buy is the impossible dream. Those WSOs that people complain about are some of the most popular.

You create the market in the WSO section. IF you wake up and ask for real business models you'll start to see them. Sellers generally like to eat and pay their bills. If you start skipping every copy with excessive Hype the hype will disappear. Its all up to you the buyers. Its not just the sellers. fault. You have a part to play as well.
#happened #newbies #ripped #scammed #thing
  • Profile picture of the author Mikedb
    Nice post Mike,

    totally agree!

    Regards,

    Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author MJ Doyle
    Well said! I personally stay clear of anything that promises "no selling" involved. If you're not selling something, a product or a service, what kind of "business" are you getting into?
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    • Profile picture of the author bburko01
      This is an excellent post. I myself am a newbie to IM but (not to pat myself on the back) I have developed a fair amount of street smarts from my environment growing up.

      Chances are, if it sounds to good to be true then it probably is. If you can see that in something and still pursue it then don't come crying about it after you get burnt. I guess to some degree it depends on how gullible you are. If this is the case then in the future you need to stop and ask yourself "how realistic is this". Nothing in this life short of winning the lottery, inheriting money or winning a lawsuit (in which case you're probably already screwed to some degee... thats why you're involved in the lawsuit in the first place) is going to make you rich overnight!.

      Also, here on the forum many of these WSO's are free so be happy with what you get even if its a little incomplete. If there is a question that you have then post it or ask to have the person that made the offer PM you. Or you could PM them.

      I personally have not had any trouble with the free WSO's or the 2 "pay for" WSO's that I've received and its been good info/video. I see that I will be able to make good use of it.

      The only thing I DO expect from the WSO's is that the person who is offering the info or products should try their best to stay on top of questions coming in to them and promptly deal with technical problems for downloaded materials. Especially if they are charging for their WSO.Discount or not, that's just good business.

      Always remember : DON'T BE A SUCKER!

      Burk
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      • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
        Originally Posted by bburko01 View Post


        Always remember : DON'T BE A SUCKER!
        Nobody wants to be a sucker, and reasonable prudence should be taken not to become one; but the other side of not wanting to be a sucker is not buying something that could be valuable to you for fear you MIGHT become someone's sucker.

        If you can afford the loss, sometimes you have say 'what the heck' when you're unsure, and take a chance on being a sucker.

        After all, being an entrepreneur is about taking calculated risks. If you always play it safe, you're thinking like someone that is more interested in preserving the money they have than in getting more money. That's thinking like a poor person thinks. Remember though, I'm talking about calculated risks, not spending on impulse.

        If a person is afraid to lose a few bucks because they don't want to be a sucker, then maybe an examination of priorities is in order. Is it more important to not be a sucker, or more important to further your knowledge so you can earn more money?

        Consider that question with care because it could define your future.

        And then there's the guy that spends $20 out of every paycheck on the lottery but he won't buy a book or e-course that would give him a much better chance of actually 'winning' at something.

        PS to the OP - I'm not directing any of that to you specifically. I only selected your admonition to make a larger point, because there are a lot of people that are not willing to invest actual money in their own learning. These folks are called dreamers.
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        Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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        • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
          Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post


          PS to the OP - I'm not directing any of that to you specifically. I only selected your admonition to make a larger point, because there are a lot of people that are not willing to invest actual money in their own learning. These folks are called dreamers.
          NO problem Dennis thats part of a realistic business model. It does take some money to make money in the real world and IM is no different
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          • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
            Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

            NO problem Dennis thats part of a realistic business model. It does take some money to make money in the real world and IM is no different
            lol - My bad. I meant the post that I quoted, bburko01. But yeah, it wasn't aimed at you either. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
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            • Profile picture of the author bburko01
              Hey Dennis,

              I caught your reply and understand where your are coming from and I don't take any offense to your comments. The fact that I am here (on this forum) and the fact that I mentioned that I myself am new to IM and have just recently started working on my first project obviously removes me from the "Dreamers" section of your universe.

              My point in my first post was that People need to ask themselves questions to make sure they don't get scammed. Things like "Does this sound reasonable?" or "Does it make sense?" "Is it plausible?", "Can I afford to lose this money if I get burned?". if you are a person who has family, friends and acquaintances that have ever told you that you are gullible or are an easy hustle then these folks should take heed and make every effort to ask questions before they make that "calculated risk" or the all-powerful "educated guess".

              I know it takes money to make money but there is so much free info out there on how to do it (IM style) that there is, in my eyes, no reason to get burnt. If you dig enough there is plenty of info. It may be in bits and pieces but puzzles can be fun and the more you have to think about what you're doing the more you may learn.

              Just don't dismiss the Godfather of rules though, "if it sounds to good to be true then..........". A little common sense goes a long way also.

              Oh yeah Dennis, last I played, I'm up at Texas Hold 'em. But the Lottery? Nope, odds are all on the house! I may gamble a little but I'm no sucker!

              Peace


              Burk
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              • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
                Originally Posted by bburko01 View Post

                Just don't dismiss the Godfather of rules though, "if it sounds to good to be true then..........". A little common sense goes a long way also.
                Thats why I smirk when I see these threads where people are lecturing otehrs on not thinking big enough when they express doubt at making $10,000 in three days. They are asking people to disconnect that sixth sense that protects them from getting ripped off.
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  • Profile picture of the author Underground SEO
    I agree, getting ripped off when I started was probably the best thing that could have happened. It totally changes your perspective on IM products out there for sale - you don't just buy everything! I must have spent about 1k on products that were useless when I first started.
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  • Profile picture of the author DPM70
    You've just got to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author DPM70
    I read your message again bburk. I appreciate the last bit more. There have been some poorly planned wso's here recently, i agree with that.
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    I don't build in order to have clients. I have clients in order to build. - Ayn Rand
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    I bought Don Lapre's "Tiny Classified Ads" course.

    For a while, I sat there thinking I was ripped off.

    Then I said "what the hell" and took out one tiny classified ad selling a short report. (Yes, we were doing this even back then.) Cost me $15.

    I got three orders. Three $20 checks. That was $60.

    I went, "cool!" - and took out two tiny classified ads. $30.

    I got five orders. $100.

    I went, "WAY cool!" - and took out four tiny classified ads. $60.

    I got ten orders. $200. And I did a little dance. This was easy.

    Then I started to look at how many ads I needed to have so I could quit my job and start my life as a rich mail-order guru.

    So I started doing the math. I wanted to make $2,000 a week. That would be 40 ads, but those would cost $600. So I'd need another dozen ads to cover that, which would cost $180. I'd need another four ads to cover that, which would cost $60. And I'd need one more ad to cover that shortfall, which would cost $15. And in the end, I'd get $2,005 a week.

    So let's recap. Every week, I need to place 67 ads and send out 100 reports. And suddenly, I realised that the reports actually had a cost: postage, envelopes, paper, ink, wear and tear on my printer.

    And then I started to think about time. It took about twenty minutes to place an ad. Four ads wasn't that big a deal, but 67? That's more than twenty hours. And time to process a report? About another twenty minutes - so add another thirty-some hours.

    So yeah, I could have a six figure income with this. It just takes sixty hours a week.

    Now, the answer - obviously enough - was to outsource. All I had to do was hire two people at $10 an hour. But that means another $600, which is another 27 ads and another 40 sales, which is another 20 hours of work. Which is another $200 in pay, another 9 ads and 14 sales, eight hours of work. So we need a third person, and another $80, two ads and five sales and two hours of work for $20. And now we're up to 115 ads and three employees.

    The employees need a place to work. That's going to be about $1,000 a month. So that added $250 a week. And they're going to start wanting benefits, too; add about $360 a week. That's another 27 ads; 142 so far. Plus I'm going to need insurance. And licenses. And the costs are really starting to snowball here.

    Now look at this for a second. I need 40 ads running to make my six figures.

    And I need over a hundred more to have those 40 ads running in the first place.

    It costs about $250,000 a year to run the infrastructure that makes me about $100,000.

    I'm not really done, either. There are still more costs I haven't calculated in. But that's already more than 70% of the revenue going out the door just to run the machine.

    So when I see ClickBank vendors giving 75% commission, I know for a fact that if they tried to do it all themselves... well, that wouldn't be an unreasonable profit. And if I'm putting a product out there with the full intention of just leaving it alone while everyone else does all the work, I do not bat an eye at the thought of a 75% commission, because I know for a fact that this is a perfectly fair split.

    Now ask yourself: do I feel ripped off?
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    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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    • Profile picture of the author ozduc
      Great post and good to see you back in the forum.


      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      I bought Don Lapre's "Tiny Classified Ads" course.

      For a while, I sat there thinking I was ripped off.

      Then I said "what the hell" and took out one tiny classified ad selling a short report. (Yes, we were doing this even back then.) Cost me $15.

      I got three orders. Three $20 checks. That was $60.

      I went, "cool!" - and took out two tiny classified ads. $30.

      I got five orders. $100.

      I went, "WAY cool!" - and took out four tiny classified ads. $60.

      I got ten orders. $200. And I did a little dance. This was easy.

      Then I started to look at how many ads I needed to have so I could quit my job and start my life as a rich mail-order guru.

      So I started doing the math. I wanted to make $2,000 a week. That would be 40 ads, but those would cost $600. So I'd need another dozen ads to cover that, which would cost $180. I'd need another four ads to cover that, which would cost $60. And I'd need one more ad to cover that shortfall, which would cost $15. And in the end, I'd get $2,005 a week.

      So let's recap. Every week, I need to place 67 ads and send out 100 reports. And suddenly, I realised that the reports actually had a cost: postage, envelopes, paper, ink, wear and tear on my printer.

      And then I started to think about time. It took about twenty minutes to place an ad. Four ads wasn't that big a deal, but 67? That's more than twenty hours. And time to process a report? About another twenty minutes - so add another thirty-some hours.

      So yeah, I could have a six figure income with this. It just takes sixty hours a week.

      Now, the answer - obviously enough - was to outsource. All I had to do was hire two people at $10 an hour. But that means another $600, which is another 27 ads and another 40 sales, which is another 20 hours of work. Which is another $200 in pay, another 9 ads and 14 sales, eight hours of work. So we need a third person, and another $80, two ads and five sales and two hours of work for $20. And now we're up to 115 ads and three employees.

      The employees need a place to work. That's going to be about $1,000 a month. So that added $250 a week. And they're going to start wanting benefits, too; add about $360 a week. That's another 27 ads; 142 so far. Plus I'm going to need insurance. And licenses. And the costs are really starting to snowball here.

      Now look at this for a second. I need 40 ads running to make my six figures.

      And I need over a hundred more to have those 40 ads running in the first place.

      It costs about $250,000 a year to run the infrastructure that makes me about $100,000.

      I'm not really done, either. There are still more costs I haven't calculated in. But that's already more than 70% of the revenue going out the door just to run the machine.

      So when I see ClickBank vendors giving 75% commission, I know for a fact that if they tried to do it all themselves... well, that wouldn't be an unreasonable profit. And if I'm putting a product out there with the full intention of just leaving it alone while everyone else does all the work, I do not bat an eye at the thought of a 75% commission, because I know for a fact that this is a perfectly fair split.

      Now ask yourself: do I feel ripped off?
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  • Profile picture of the author limesour
    Great post, I'm new here as well.. Trying to learn..
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    • Profile picture of the author JamesKeatth
      its true newbies are only the victims of themselves. But you can't blame one for being tricked by good copy, it is after all aimed at our human psychology.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aira Bongco
    This is a really nice read Mike.

    It is true on so many levels. A lot of people always think that making money online is like some magic pill. That when they take it, they will instantly become rich. But that is not the case. Making money online takes work as an offline business does. The problem is if people are willing to go through that or they simply want to depend on the idea that they will make money immediately.

    I learned the hard way that making money passively is always better than making money instantly.

    Regards,

    Aira
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  • Profile picture of the author workfromhomesuccessformul
    That is horrible for anyone to get scammed
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  • Profile picture of the author Dale Fisher
    Great post...there are sooooooo many how to make it online products, that newbies have no chance. They really need to gain someone's trust and be mentored a bit. One could spend 1000's on products with no gain. The real issue though, is that most of them don't even take the time to read or implement the process because it really does take a lot more work and more time than any product sales pitch discloses. It takes time, effort and a get it done attitude to really make it. It also takes multiple steams and varied tactics...much like a diversified stock portfolio. There is no newbie direct to guru millionaire path.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Originally Posted by Dale Fisher View Post

      Great post...there are sooooooo many how to make it online products, that newbies have no chance. They really need to gain someone's trust and be mentored a bit. One could spend 1000's on products with no gain.
      Thanks but that actually is all the proof you need right there. Think about it. If the products worked woudln't there be more people saying what a success they are? Its a down economy. Does it really make credible sense that more people are not applying themselves to doing what the products tell them to do?

      thats the standard reply - People would make money if they applied themselves. People even make new products basically explaining why their old one not working was all the buyers fault.

      The truth is it plain doesn't work because the things that do work are long term and hard work and the copy doesn't sell when you tell people that.

      Its a pipe dream thats the only real thing making money in the get rich IM market.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kella Bella
    I honestly think everything I have bought so far even if I haven't tried it has been good sound advice. Some things I did not pursue for different reasons but in general they all seemed possible. Not sure I have ever bought a program though that says I could make $35098435904 in 30 days. If I saw a headline or title like that it would make me want to immediately go buy a lottery ticket cause my chances would be better there-lol.
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