I do! Especially when I'm on a site where a transaction is involved I've never worried about including my phone number. Until recently, that is.

I can't even begin to count the number of calls I've received in the last month - all them relating to a product I have purchased.

Now if they were just checking in to see if I was happy with my purchase it might not be so bad. But they aren't. They are looking to 'sell' you something else. Then there are the sneaky ones - and they bug me even more.

Rather than just tell them I wasn't interested I decided to 'follow through' on one of these calls. They assured me time and again that they were new and what they were looking for was testimonials for their website. If you would promise to give a testimonial, they would proceed to mentor me free for six months.

I spent a fair bit of time with the first guy. On yeah - you don't just talk to one person. He was in charge of the 'tire kickers' and wanted to be sure I was the type to follow through. The type who would keep my promise.

Now this was really beginning to sound strange - a lot of work to just get a testimonial. Either your product is good or it isn't. Either way I'll tell you.

I was even required to do a bit of homework I guess to determine where my head was at and when he called back, we discussed my answers. Then he decided I was a good candidate and he would give me a high recommendation to his boss who would call me back later that day.

Okay - now I'm talking to the boss lady. She reviews some of the answers I had given the previous guy. She again wanted to be sure I was a reliable person and on and on. Towards the end of our conversation she decided I was the kind of person she was looking for. Her last question to me was whether I'd be willing to charge something to my Visa if it proved to be imperative to my business. I told her if I thought the expense was viable I would definitely consider it.

Now you should know the hackles at the back of my neck have been rising for some time. But I stuck with it.

Now if I was willing to make a conservative 'investment' of $2,680.00 I could update the program I had purchased. Or I go go more moderate and invest $3,680.00. I tried to find out what it was I'd be upgrading to and received some bland answers about tools, merchant accounts, drop shipping services, tools, etc.

Just as she was telling me she would be happy to welcome me to her team, I told her -- "I'm not interested." I honestly don't think that was what she expected but I had promised myself to go through this process.

Now I can share it you. Be very careful with these calls. These guys are so smooth. And you'll never 'get' something for nothing. Ever. And there are people out there who are so desperate that they are ready to take that final leap. Well if it costs that much - it must be good. Maybe now I can make a killing. Don't believe it.

The best person you've got to help you towards success is yourself. Take the time to learn what you need to learn and don't let these con artists win. The only thing I lost that day was a couple of hours of my time and I saved myself thousands of dollars.

I know how hard it is to earn a living online. It's not easy. It takes time - it takes work - it take patience and it takes perseverance. And when you do make a mistake - learn from it and don't make it again.

These con artists tic me off - royally. Stick to your guns and keep your wallets closed and in your pockets. Remember - they're the ones getting rich - not you.

Take care and here's to your success.

P.S. Now when I fill out any sort of application, I try not to include my phone number. Many are set up so that an error comes up if you don't add your phone number. In that case I may have to rethink whether I think what I'm attempting to obtain is worth giving out my phone number for. What do you think?