Unfortunately, as with everything, there are offers for freebies and free products that really are as they sound – just too good to be true. So what′s a bargain hunter to do when an offer from something really great – and free just sounds like it couldn′t be?

For starters, trust your instincts. As cliché as it may be it is always better to be safe than sorry. You know these companies have some motivation for offering you their freebies and that many of them are in fact legitimate, but you also know that no company can afford to give more than they′ll get. This is where common sense has to play a role and you have to listen to your own common sense. If you know there′s just no way – move on and protect yourself.

You know that money never comes easy; you can ignore all claims that you′ll get rich with no effort, that great luck and riches will come your way just for forwarding an email and that employers will pay you for doing nothing. If it was that easy…well, you know the rest. As a general rule of thumb if an offer for freebies, samples, free products, etc. is something you wouldn′t get involved in out in the ′real′ world, DON′T get involved online.

Advice to follow your instincts is very well given indeed, but it′s not always foolproof, is it? There are a few things you can do to tip the scales in your favor.

First of all, find some good resources to work with. Directories that scan freebies and free offers are not a guarantee of protection, but the people who run the good ones are well versed in what signals a scam and will not list freebies offers they don′t think are legitimate. Also, newsletters put out by these types of sites keep up on the latest scams and good, reputable offers; try subscribing to one (or a few) so you get the best deals and what to watch out for delivered to you on a regular basis.

There are also sites devoted to consumer protection that can help you research a given offer, company, or suspected scam. One such site is scambusters.org. Scambusters has been recommended by media and consumer giants like "The New York Times", "The Wall Street Journal", "Consumer Reports", and all the major TV networks (CBS, NBC, CNBC, and more). In addition to checking their list for a specific scam or bogus offer for freebies, you can also access the education features of the site to learn what to look for, what to avoid, and how to protect yourself when searching for freebies online.

So even though scammers get better every day at making their bogus offers for freebies and schemes look legitimate, there are weapons out there to combat them; online tools like scambuster and others are a great help, but you can be your own best defense by following what you already know to be true – if it sounds too good, it probably is, and on the off chance that it′s not, it′s just not worth the risk.