If there is one thing that will become clear in no time when you start browsing the net for financial advice, it’s that there’s no shortage of people trying to offer you the next big opportunity. But are there are any real opportunities in there and, if so, how do you avoid the rest of them? Here, we’re going to look at some key examples of bad deals and how to steer clear of them.

Start skeptical

One of the biggest dangers, when you’re browsing the net for financial advice and opportunity, is getting excited about what you read. It can be difficult to not feel a little of the hype when you see an opportunity that looks perfect for you. However, you need to slap yourself awake and start from a position of being skeptical. Follow the rule of “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” People who run these schemes and scams will fabricate any stories, any “evidence,” and any logic to try and sell it to you.

Don’t give more than you get

Pay attention to how any individual, group, or website tries to get you invested in what they are offering. If they’re asking you to pay up-front without demonstrating any real value, it’s worth ignoring. Similarly, do not give out your personal details to any opportunity peddler, this is a basic part of online cybersecurity. A lot of these schemes involve getting you invested early without much real evidence that the method works.

Get the skinny

When it comes to things like reselling structures or the like, there are people on the internet who make it their mission to dive into them and review them. For instance, there are timeshare opportunities that do work and can make you some money (and also some nice vacations) but it can be hard to pick them out from the wide range of bad deals out there. Resources like this Legendary Preferred Destinations review can be instrumental in helping you avoid the worst ones out there.

The cruise industry is also deeply involved with online marketing schemes these days. The industry is the focus of InCruises, a tourism and travel company using multi-level marketing by Incruises review. Be sure to have a few different sources to check any opportunity against. That’s the best way of ensuring you’re getting the full story.

Know the red flags

There are plenty of schemes that involve getting you to buy into a business with a significant personal stake before forcing you to try and make the money back by getting others to buy into them. You should be aware of the red flags of these MLM schemes. Usually, they don’t offer the goods or services first, but rather, offer the money-making opportunity instead. They also typically use high-pressure tactics to get you to buy before you get informed. This Gentle Marketing guide to MLMs can help you get to know and recognize some of those red flags.

There is all manner of scams, pyramid schemes, and straight-up bad deals online to be avoided and we couldn’t cover all of them. However, the advice here applies pretty broadly to most of them so keep it in mind.