Business Empire Magazine provides how to's and articles for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs

Every few hours, new get-rich-quick business plans appear on the internet, placed there by hopeful con artist entrepreneurs that would like to trick honest people out of their money.

Learning how to check out a hoax is important.

Many of these illegal schemes are based in work-at-home plans that are in fact various versions of the outlawed pyramid scam. An urban legend story of mega-proportions will be put forth to explain how 'everybody' can get rich quick by simply selling products through bringing others into the picture to help in sales.

Internet scambusters have found these types of businesses hiding under many different names. To know when it is time to suspect a scam, just remember that real businesses do not ask their employees to recruit other employees for them. The most important thing for users to do if a scam is suspected is to know how to check out a hoax before signing-up.

Things to check out before signing up for a home business plan.

For a product based plan start with searching on eBay to see how many people are already selling the product and for what price. Use this technique on all product plans no matter where you are actually planning on selling them.

If eBay is full - run! The plan being offered to you has too many dealers involved for anybody to make money.

If eBay is empty - run! The plan being offered to you is either untried or not providing the promised items after they are paid for.

For a service based plan such as internet site advertising plans, look for the plan to include a provision that allows you to sign-up friends or other businesses to receive a percentage of their sales. Any time that a company asks you to recruit for them in order to make a profit there is something wrong. All sales are yours if no recruiting is happening.

How to check out a hoax in your email.

It's pretty easy for seasoned email users to spot scams in their email. Technology makes it very easy to identically copy real site emails, and then promote them to users as real while they actually link into hazardous places. For this reason, never click on any link in any unsolicited email that arrives in your mailbox, even if it has your name on it.

Email address lists are easily put together through software programs that pull user information from various places on the internet. When a note arrives asking for any personal information, or suggesting that you click on a link because of an emergency situation to give personal information - run! Or, go contact that site directly without touching the scam letter to do so.

Internet fraud; know how to complain when victimized.

If this information on how to check out a hoax came too late, and you have found yourself involved with, or a victim to a problem contact the Federal Trade Commission instantly when you live in the United States. Follow this up with contacting the Attorney General Office in your state, and in the state that the company resides in.

Know how to check on the internet for information on where online complaint forms are located; most that you need are likely to be listed under government offices. Be aware of online safety techniques to keep offline assets safe. Call your credit card company to issue a very low limit card just for online shopping, and never give personal information out over the internet to anybody if this can be helped.