How to Recognize a Work at Home Scam
Almost everyone has seen a classified ad, street sign or mailer about a work at home opportunity. Many of these promise you will earn large amounts of money easily from home. They sounds too good to be true and most of the time they are. There are thousands of work at home scams out there, so be cautious when exploring them.
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Instructions
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Consider how you found out about the work at home "opportunity." If you received a fake instant message, were emailed by the "company," or read about it in the classified ads of a newspaper, it is more than likely a work at home scam. If this was such a great work at home opportunity, do you think the company would need to send out emails, fake instant messages and post classified ads? They would have enough people interested that they would not need to advertise it. It is important to be able to connect with a real person and not respond to an email or instant message.
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Beware of sponsored ads on websites. When you are on any website, you normally see two different types of ads, paid advertisements and sponsored ads. Advertisements are paid for, whereas sponsored ads are normally editorial and may not be endorsed by that particular website. Just because you are on a reputable website doesn't mean the work at home ads are legitimate.
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Evaluate the sense of urgency in the work at home offer. If words like "must act now" or "offer expires" are used, this is unrealistic. A legitimate work from home opportunity will not place time constraints on the opportunity. They want you to make a serious decision to join their company.
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Evaluate the earning potential for the work at home "opportunity" and ask if it is realistic. Many advertisements claim you can make tens of thousands of dollars doing something that requires little to no skills. Why would someone offer such a high payout if it's a job that requires little to no skills?
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Read to determine how much money you are expected to pay up front for this work at home "opportunity." Have all of your questions answered before considering investing any money. Some legitimate work from home opportunities will require you to pay an initial fee for a background check, training and materials. However, if the offer says you will receive double your money back if not satisfied, it is more than likely a work at home scam.
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Do your homework. Research the company online and through the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission(see resources). If there is no physical address for "company" making the work at home offer, more than likely it is a work at home scam.
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Tips & Warnings
Call the National Fraud Information Center (800) 876-7060) if you think you are a vicitim of telephone or Internet fraud.
