Telecommunications company ACN recently launched its newest product: a VOIP phone equipped with video, to allow for better conferencing and networking both business and home settings.

Despite a recent appearance on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" by the four founders of the company, some are still hesitant about the legitimacy of ACN, the opportunity, and what has come to be called, "the ACN Video Phone Scam." This Hub takes a closer look at the wheeling-and-dealing claims. Is ACN a good opportunity? What's the story behind the ACN video phone scam? Can you make money with ACN legitimately?

ACN was founded in 1993 by four men: Robert Stevanovski, Greg Provenzano, and Tony and Mike Cupisz. Their goal was to provide telecommunications services across the world, such as ADSL internet, mobile plans, home phone services, energy for businesses and residences, and a myriad of phone options for their customers. 15 years later, and they had become the largest direct seller of telecommunications in the world, operating in 23 countries to date.

But the company has had their share of dramas. There have been accusation of pyramid scheme behavior, and most recently, a charge that a ACN video phone scam exists. You can search their company and come up with a laundry list of criticisms from disgruntled representatives.

And it's not all for bad reason. In order to join the company, reps have to fork over nearly $500 dollars as a beginning investment. In return, they get assistance from the company on how to sell their products best. But the unfortunate part of the opportunity is two-fold :

First, ACN makes it sound simple and easy to earn a ton of money.

Second, ACN encourages reps to sell memberships and products to their friends, family, and neighbors to build a wildly successful business.

These two claims just simply aren't true. Making money through an opportunity like this requires hard work, especially in the beginning. They heyday of financial success does not come until much, much later. Also, the old "friends and family" pitch isn't a sustainable business model, and will fail sooner or later.

Luckily, though, there are ways to create a successful business with ACN. There is no ACN video phone scam, pyramid scheme, or any other illegal behavior - but there are admittedly some misguided notions passed along to new representatives.

There are a ton of resources on the web to help new reps gain a business skill set that will help them succeed. They offer free downloads and weekly e-mails loaded with information from experts themselves.

There are infinite resources on the web to help new representatives. The bottom line is to do your homework, make sure that you are learning new skills and applying them, and, most of all, don't believe every disgruntled rep who cries "scam!"

About the Author:
To learn more about building a successful business with ACN, check out ACN Online Wealth.