When you are trying to sniff out a scam there is a general checklist of things to watch out for in a network marketing opportunity. Some red flags are of greater concern than others. Companies that don't offer a real product, have non-refundable fees to join, and depend on selling an opportunity rather than a product are potential schemes that may collapse when there are not enough people left to recruit. While these traits may be as deceitful as true scams where owners take your money and run, questionable practices may point to a lack of integrity in the business model. Should you join such a company, you will eventually have to choose whether on not you are willing to perpetuate the cycle for the sake of money.

Another company that offers those who buy in a chance to earn big commissions was started in 2007. Chris Campbell, previously with Easy Daily Cash and Perfect Wealth Formula, pulled out to found Roadmap to Riches with Brian Grant. Similar to other programs, Campbell and Grant's company has a 2-up compensation plan. To join as a distributor with them, you pay $999 and get a collection of electronic materials for personal development that you can then sell. The commission policy was changed so that after splitting the commission on the first two sales, on the rest of your sales, a 100% commission is yours to keep. Besides the fee you pay to join, each month there is a $49.95 fee to maintain membership.

Once again, like other programs it resembles, questions abound. Are the electronic products really that valuable? Will there be many people willing to pay that much for them and/or the business opportunity? Even if you are successful and make money in this program, do you believe it is a fair way to do it? Skeptics would answer "no" to these questions. Another more practical consideration is how saturated the market will become. As more people join the company's sales team, the pool of prospects will grow smaller. Will the top earners then jump ship as Campbell did to start their own empires?

In recent years several new companies have sprung up that make similar promises about the money you can earn through online home based businesses using software that does almost everything for you. Roadmap to Riches falls into this category. So whatever you decide about the other companies whose success it is designed to replicate and surpass probably applies to this opportunity as well. Is it a legitimate way to earn income? You must be the judge after checking the facts.