First, let's have a reality check. Today over 90 percent of start-up businesses on Internet fail within first year. The majority of these fail in a few short months. Why?

The answer to this is simplistic. Many people are conned into a program that cannot succeed without selling same program to other people. This is a typical example of a pyramid, and when you run out of suckers to sell program to, you are out of business.

Others jump into a program without finding out particulars first. Envelope stuffing is a perfect example. You are promised one dollar for every envelope you stuff. With visions of "sugar plums dancing in your head", you figure you could do hundreds a day. Let's face it - machines can stuff thousands an hour. Why would someone pay you a dollar apiece? They won't - it's a con - pure and simple.

Some might stumble on a legitimate venture - yes there are some out there. But they followed "Earn Money While You Sleep" routine. They believe if they follow some simple directions, they will be "rolling in dough" without having to do any work. When postman isn't filling their mailbox with $20 bills, they lose heart and quit.

Others might buy some "obsolete government reports" on a CD and believe "rap" that they can sell each one for $15 a pop. They get a free email account, a free web site, and are in business with just cost of CD. That business might last a week.

And guess what - this is true. Not only should you be able to accept credit cards, but also online checks. When a person decides to buy, you have a very narrow window of time for them to complete order. If you can allow them to make their purchase and pay for it online, you have a great chance of getting order. However, if they have to write a check and mail it to you, there is a "cooling off period" and you may not get order.

So we all agree that accepting credit cards is a good tactic for an online business. To do this, you must have a merchant account, and here is where some people get into trouble.

You receive an unsolicited email (spam) that says they will act as your agent, and will accept credit cards and checks on your behalf. They then go on to say they will deposit money in your account within two working days. If you join within next 48 hours, they will waive usual $695 set up fee and give it to you for only $39.95 - there will be no monthly fees and they'll only charge you 1.75% of sale - wow what a deal.

I had a call this week from someone who did just that. Now here is what happened. He didn't read "fine print" and when he signed agreement, he actually authorized them to charge his bank account for $295 security which was non-refundable if his account was cancelled, plus $39.95 set up fee.

Now plot thickens. He submitted about $1,500 in charges and money never showed up in his bank. In coversation with his bank representative, he then found out about $295 charge to his account. He called his supposed contact at credit card company, found out that they were an independant sales agent, and $39.95 was not a set up fee, but a referral fee. When asked about $295 charge, his contact pleaded ignorance, told him he would have to call Company direct, and was given their number.