You Got Scammed, Who's fault is it anyway?

Caveat Emptor, translated from latin to english, Let the Buyer Beware. Hey, I have been scammed and more than once. If you are someone who is a risk taker out looking for ways to make a buck, pursuing business opportunities on the internet and submitting inquiries to offerers of business opportunities and franchises then you are fishing in a sea of potential scam artists. Old sayings are old sayings because they have been around for a long time. Here are a few that apply:

1. There is no such thing as something for nothing
2. If it sounds too good to be true is almost unquestionably is
3. If it were easy everyone would do it and there would be no money in it
4. A fool and his money are quickly parted

There is that enough? The word entrepreneur means "one who accepts the risks of business". That risk means that you can lose all of your investment and maybe more. Everyday hundreds, even thousands of people are looking for a way to get out of the job market and into business for themselves or at least find a way to supplement their income. This is something that should be applauded and in reality if you are not a creative person that can come up with ways to make money then it is a good idea to consider buying a "system". In reality anytime you look at an ad for "How to make money" you are looking at a system. Internet Marketing ads about making money on Ebay, or with your own website or through affiliate marketing, or any of the other, I just sit back at my pool on my computer and make money, they are all "systems". Granted they are systems that are by and large based on ridiculous claims, but they are systems. Additionally franchises, business opportunities, and licensed dealerships are "systems" too. One would like to think that the more that is charged the more legitimate it is. Not true. Also one would like to think that the more regulated a system is, then the more legitimate it is, with franchises being the most regulated of them all. While there is some truth to this, purchasing a franchise is not without risk. If you are not a person that can follow a system you most likely are going to have your share of problems.

So, if you get scammed, who's fault is it? Buyer Beware! Most people would like to think that most other people are like they are, honest, trustworthy and legitimately looking for a fair deal.
Thinking like that is one of the main ways people get into trouble. So the question of whose fault it is comes down to the people involved. I could get into a big discussion of law and morality or ethics here but I am not going to do that. If the offerer of a business opportunity has a conscience, which by the way many do not, then they should have criteria and systems in place to screen out people that are not really a good fit for the offering. But, then again there should be no hunger or poverty in the world either, right? We should all be our brother's keep too right?

The reason that state and the federal government have registration and disclosure laws is simple, in that they are trying to protect the consumer or purchaser in this case. However ultimately it is the purchaser's obligation to do the proper research on the opportunity and the people offering it before they spend their hard earned money. Caveat Emptor.