It sounded too good to be true

If you know anything about computers at all, you know about Google.

Google, a search engine and much more, has become such a part of our lives that it is now a verb, not just a noun - as in "I'll have to google that on the Internet." (Understandably, Google does not approve of the verb form.)

So, when I received a notice from an Internet friend about a work-at-home project for GoogleFortune, it sounded legitimate. The material doesn't promise millions but reasonable amounts from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars a week.

What made this sound really plausible was an attached article from The Nebraska Financial Journal featuring a young mother from North Platte, Nebraska, who had lost her job and was now making good money working for GoogleFortune.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

Turns out it is.

If The Nebraska Financial Journal exists, the Internet doesn't know about it. I did a search - using Google, of course - and found no publication with that name.

Next I checked the North Platte telephone book to see if I could find the couple making this great money. No one by that name was listed. However, some people now just have cell phones, so this in itself wasn't too alarming.

My next step was to log on to the link that was provided in the e-mail I had received inviting me to try this work-at-home program.

I filled out a form with my name, address and e-mail address and telephone number. When I submitted that information, it took me to a page showing that "all" it would cost to get set up to work for GoogleFortune was $1.97, which I needed to put on my credit card.

That price seems reasonable enough, doesn't it?

Not if you keep reading.

In fine print, the instructions state you are ordering GoogleFortune for a seven-day bonus period for $1.97. If you are satisfied with the product, you do nothing. It does give you several numbers you can call to cancel if you are dissatisfied.

BUT - and here's where it gets tricky - on the seventh day your credit card will automatically be charged $69.97 and for every month after that, unless you call them and cancel.

Oh, in more fine print, you agree to two- and three-week trials to other information for $19.95 and $9.95 each month unless you call to cancel.

Another problem that pops up is that most often no one ever answers the telephone at those numbers.

I turned to the trusty Snopes Web site for information, and there was plenty to read. I recommend you go to http://www.snopes.com/fraud/employment/google.asp and read the full report.

Jason Morrison, who does Web development and design for Google, has gathered extensive materials about these schemes, which he has posted on his personal Web site at http://jimmorrison.com/. He lists numerous programs that have featured information on this scam using Google's name.

The official Google Web site that addresses these scams is at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-steer-clear-of-money-scams.html.

Just an interesting note: Remember the North Platte mother mentioned above who was making a living by working from home for GoogleFortune? I found this same woman recently on a slightly reworded Web site, but her story was the same, except now she's living in California.

People are having a hard time financially right now and could use that additional income. It's tempting to grab at straws to try to dig your way out of debt or to secure financial security.

In the end, however, if you sign up you may lose much more than the $80 to $90 a month that will be eventually charged to your credit card (as noted in the fine print). Remember, the company now has your credit card number.