I get e-mails and other announcements of new work at home opportunities every day. But not all of them are legitimate – a lot are out and out scams. Scams do not only waste your money and time. Some can put you in a position where your reputation is on the line or expose you to accusations of fraud and legal action. The Internet has made these scams even more prevalent and spam e-mail are full of them.
Examples of work at home scams include but are not limited to:
- Processing claims or other information
There are opportunities in many of these areas; however, these types of jobs combined with promises of big money to be made are almost always scams.
The best way to protect yourself from work at home scams is to recognize them. Basically, if an offer is too good to be true, it probably is. No legitimate job will ever ask you to pay money for details. If a potential employer asks you for money, do not get involved. They will also pressure you for a decision
now.
Scams claim
- to offer huge returns on small investments
- to have secret or inside information
- to require no experience or skill
- to be overly effective, beyond reasonable expectation
- to have many satisfied customers, but don’t provide contact information or references
- to have guaranteed buyers
If you treat these offers as if they were true businesses, you will often see discrepancies. If you ask for specifics like a list of tasks you’ll be expected to fulfill, who will be signing your paychecks and when you will get your first paycheck, you can spot potential problems before you waste time or money. Work at home scams are never full-time employment – if you are filling out tax forms, like the W-4, you are probably safe.
Keep an eye out for these warning signs when considering an offer. If you aren’t sure about any of the details of a particular company, contact your
local Better Business Bureau. Better Business Bureaus can provide you with a reliability report and tell you if any negative reports have been filed. Doing a little research can save you thousands of dollars – don’t hand over any money or personal details without knowing any information about the company you’ll be giving them to.
If you are a victim of a scam, you should contact your local Better Business Bureau. Most states also have a consumer affairs agency that you can file a report with, as well as the state attorney general’s office. If the scam sent materials through the mail, you should also contact the
U.S. Post Office because mail fraud is a separate crime.
But, be aware: if you were victimized by any of these types of scams, it is very difficult to get a refund or any other kind of restitution. Many scammers run a scheme only long enough to collect some money, before moving on.
