The Top Four Worst Ways to Make Money Online

It is truly amazing to me how many scams there are out there when it comes to making money online. I mean it's hard enough to get by especially when you are short on cash. But then to top it off there are these companies and people who want you to work for them, and they make it sound like you will make money, but then it turns out that you end up nothing or you are out money.

Here are my top four worst ways to make money online.

1. Get paid to surf-the-net. Oh, this is a good one, and I mean that very sarcastically. It is very difficult to make any amount of money that is going to matter using this method. Also, typically you have to download some software that can be used with your regular browser or use their browser. And, the only real way to make money is if you have a lot of referrals under you, kind of like a pyramid scheme. So you're supposed to hassle your friends and family to sign up too, and they are supposed to do the same. You'll be lucky to earn $20 a month going this route. Also you will not get paid until you reach a certain amount, which if it is $20+ can take a long time to earn. It just isn't feasible as a way to make money online.

2. Get paid to read e-mail. This is not like what it sounds, that you can read your own e-mail and get paid to do so. Instead they want your e-mail address so they can send you e-mail advertisements better known as SPAM. In order to get paid you have to read the e-mail, go to the link, and even in some cases sign up for offers, so you can be charged when you forget to cancel before the due date. Again, the real thing here is they want you to sign up for these offers, because they get a percentage of what you pay if you don't cancel them in time. They aren't in it to make you money, they are in it to make themselves money.

3. Get paid to fill out surveys. This offer can be a tricky one. There are paid survey sites, meaning you pay them a fee to get a list of places that pay a lot of money if you fill out their surveys supposedly, and then there are the free sites such as Greenfield. I used to fill out surveys at Greenfield as an example. However, I discovered over time that there was less cash involved, and more things like an entry into a contest if I completed a survey for example. Or the survey took me 30 minutes to complete and was only worth a dollar. Then you only got the money once you'd accumulated $25 or $30. Again it is not worth your time to do this.

4. Online data entry jobs. This is one of the worst scams around because they want you to lay down $49.95 for their "package" before you can even get started making money online. Hello! You want to make money, not spend it. I see these ads for online data entry jobs all the time and even get the spam in my e-mail box. The only way to make money using these programs is to scam other people, by getting them to buy the program from you! Never pay money to make money, it is always a scam!

None of these so-called "money mines" will make you money. In the end they are scams which are trying to get you to make them money. That's right, in the end you get zilch, nada, zip. What do they get? The answer is easy, your time, your referrals, your service filling out forms or whatever, the money they get when you sign up for an offer, and the list goes on. Bypass these scams all together, and always remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You'd do better to sign up for Associated Content and write articles. You know you will be paid well for your time, make new friends, and learn something new as well!