Well, there are many scams out there, that's for sure. I, for one, had been looking around and trying to learn as much as possible about possible ways to make money online for YEARS before I actually started making some money. I now work as a freelance writer and various companies from different countries (mostly UK, US and Australia) hire me to ghost write for them. I have been building quite a reputation online and I feel quite grateful to be able to work from the comfort of my home and provide for my family.
When I decided to quit my day job, many people thought I was losing my mind. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made! Of course, one needs to calculate the risk. I only left my day job when I had enough steady weekly/monthly projects that makes me more than what I was making at my day job.
It IS possible!