First - I'd like to make it known that passive income opportunities do work and there are legitimate programs available online that will pay you for doing literally nothing at all. The first thing I look for when deciding to place money with one of these programs is a working phone number. That will lead to a point of reference before giving my hard earned money to any specific program. Contacting the administrator or someone that has already been involved with a passive income program gives the program credibility and can help answer any important questions one may have at first.

Second - Ask yourself how long the program has been established. This is a really tough call because all programs have to start somewhere. For some of the newer one, watch the program for a while to make sure other members are getting paid. On the other hand like I have stated, all programs start somewhere and with some due diligence one can spot these programs within the first week of their launch.

Side Note: When you become that good, you can make a great income from finding new companies to invest in.

Stay away from programs claiming to make more than 15% per month on your money. Having been in this industry myself for 2 years and earning a part-time income, I've seen many programs offering 100% per month and in some cases it is possible, however the majority of these programs do not last very long. Take a more conservative approach and look for programs offering anywhere from 5% to 15% per month on your money.

Many passive income opportunities diversify themselves into various financial markets. Typically these markets range anywhere from forex trading, commodities, futures, real estate, precious metals, trading on the NYSE, stock options and ventured capital. The truth is a well diversified fund can run for many years and pay all of its members a substantial amount of money.

Last but not least, do not put all of your eggs into one basket. Pick 2 or 3 strong programs and go with them. Choosing more than 2 or 3 programs could hurt your portfolio over the long run. With proper due diligence and money management it is possible to slowly build a golden goose that will continue to lay for many years to come.