100% freeNo sign-upsNo trackingKeeps working with the internet off
Someone is selling a way to make money online: a course, coaching, a mentorship, a side hustle, a “done-for-you” store or a trading academy. Check it here before you pay.
The short answer. To check a course, coaching or side-hustle advert, look for the warning signs consumer regulators describe, such as guaranteed income, recruiting friends and paying to unlock earnings. Paste the advert here and this page points them out. It also shows how many sales it takes to earn the price back, and it does not judge any one seller.
How it works, in four steps
Paste or choosePaste the advert, or answer questions about the course, coaching or side hustle.
The check runs on your own phone or computerWhat you add stays on your device, and the page keeps working with the internet off.
Read what it found and what to do nextSee the warning signs regulators describe, how many sales it takes to earn the price back, and how to ask for a refund.
What this check cannot doIt cannot verify a seller’s claims, results or refund promises, and a result with no warnings is not a guarantee.
$220 million
was reported lost to job scams in the United States in the first half of 2024, including “task” jobs where people pay to unlock earnings that were never real.
United States Federal Trade Commission, December 2024. Read the data
What you type here stays on this phone or computer. There is no sign-up, and nothing is saved. Turn the internet off and this page still works. Many courses are honest and useful. This page helps you spot the warning signs that consumer regulators describe, and it is not legal or financial advice.
Check the sales pitch.
Paste the advert, the sales page, the video caption, or the message someone sent you.
Question 1 of 8
Before you pay, ask for these in writing: the full price including every monthly fee, tool and upgrade; how many buyers earned back what they paid, and how much a typical buyer earns; and the refund policy. An honest seller can answer all three.
What it would take to earn it back.
Put in the real costs and what you would keep from each sale. The sums show how many sales it takes before the course has paid for itself.
Courses often show sales figures, which are the money customers paid. What you keep is much smaller once platform fees, payment fees, the cost of the product, delivery, returns and adverts come out.
If you already paid.
Do not pay anything more. Not for an upgrade, a “mastermind”, a fee to release earnings, or a loan or credit card someone offers to set up for you.
Ask for a refund in writing, by email, quoting the seller’s own refund policy and the date you paid. Keep a copy.
Phone your bank or card company if the seller refuses or does not reply. Ask about a chargeback (reversing a card payment). In the United Kingdom, a purchase between £100 and £30,000 paid partly or fully by credit card may also be claimed from the card company under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
Stop any repeat payments to the seller. Before You Pay shows how, step by step, and writes the messages to your bank and to the company.
Keep everything: screenshots of the advert, the sales page, the income claims, messages, receipts and the refund policy, before anything is deleted.
Report it to the consumer body where you live.
Offers to get your money back: someone who contacts you promising to recover what you lost, for a fee paid first, is running a second scam aimed at people who have already lost money.
What this cannot do
This check looks only at the details you enter. It cannot verify a course provider's claims, results or refund promises, and a result with no warnings is not a guarantee. Check reviews and the refund terms yourself before paying.
Questions people ask
Who made this?
UtilForge makes it. UtilForge is a website of free cybersecurity tools. The About page explains why the tools were made, and the Contact page is the way to reach us.
Is this a scam site?
You do not have to take our word for it, because you can check. This page does not ask for payment, a sign-in or card details. It is set so that your browser stops the page sending anything off your phone or computer, and you can test that: let the page finish loading, switch the internet off, then use it. It keeps working, because it has nowhere to send anything. If you are still unsure about any website, do not type anything private into it. UtilForge also sells optional packs of tools through Gumroad, and nothing on this page needs one.
What happens when I close the page?
What you pasted or typed is gone. It saves nothing in your browser and puts nothing in the web address of the page. The page has no save or download button, so it leaves no file on your device.
Does it cost anything, and do I need to sign in?
It is free, and you can start straight away. UtilForge also sells optional packs of tools through Gumroad, and nothing on this page needs one.
Is every online course a scam?
No. Many courses are honest and useful. The page helps you spot the warning signs that consumer regulators describe, such as guaranteed income, “two hours a day” promises, recruiting friends, paying to unlock earnings and offers to set up credit for you. It is not legal or financial advice.
How can I work out whether a course would earn its money back?
Enter the price of the course, the costs every month and what you keep from each sale after fees and costs. The tool shows how many sales, and how many months, it takes before the course has paid for itself. Sales figures in adverts are the money customers paid, and what you keep is much smaller once platform fees, payment fees, delivery, returns and adverts come out.
What should I ask the seller before I pay?
Ask for three things in writing: the full price including every monthly fee, tool and upgrade; how many buyers earned back what they paid, and how much a typical buyer earns; and the refund policy. An honest seller can answer all three.
I already paid for a course. What can I do?
Do not pay anything more, whether for an upgrade, a mastermind or a fee to release earnings. Ask for a refund in writing, quoting the seller's own refund policy and the date you paid. If the seller refuses or does not reply, phone your bank or card company and ask about a chargeback, which reverses a card payment. Keep screenshots of the advert, the sales page, the income claims, your messages and receipts, and report it to the consumer body where you live.
Tell UtilForge what worked and what did not. Each button opens an email to lindsay@utilforge.org that you write and send yourself. UtilForge will only quote your words on this site if you say it may, and then with your first name and country only.
The whole method in one book. “How to Become Safer Online” is a free large-print guide to the five steps most scams follow, and what to do if money or details have already gone. Read or print the free book.