Most everyone knows that affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money online, but you will also need to watch out for scams.

Before you join any affiliate program, you will need to research it to determine whether it is legitimate or a scam. That's one of the great benefits of the internet - finding the information you need.

Start by doing a search for the name of the affiliate program that your interested in, adding the word scam to it and see what pops up. Another good place to find out this information is to join some "work from home" forums. Ask questions at the forums to see whether the affiliate program has been used and if it is considered to be legitimate or not.

Here are two tips that can help you know if an affiliate program could possible be a scam:

1. If a program will not tell you their compensation plan unless you sign up, watch out.

2. You have to buy a kit for a set price before they will tell you what you'll be doing, steer clear of it.

If the affiliate program will not tell you those two things, then you should probably avoid it and look for a different affiliate program to join.

A legitimate affiliate program should always have 100% free disclosure about their compensation plan and what you will be selling.

With just a little research you can avoid the scams and find legitimate affiliate programs that will work for you.