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Want to Work from Home? Avoid These Scams! |
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Written by Webmaster
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Saturday, 31 January 2009 |
By Shawn Wilson
 To most of us, the idea of sitting at home in front of a computer and doing the day's work in our favorite polka-dotted flannel pajamas is like heaven. You can take a break to check your internet dating account whenever you want without your boss breathing his halitosis down your neck. Cup of coffee in hand, you work at your own pace in your own home surrounded by your own things. Nice, right?
The dream of working from home is probably second only to the dream of not working at all. And because so many people spend hours searching for work at home opportunities (especially when the boss is in an evil mood), there are almost as many people out there looking to take advantage of the searchers. And while there are plenty of work at home opportunities that are close to what you're looking for, there are even more that are not. Want to look for at-home work without falling victim to scammers? Watch out for the following "scammer" warning signs:
- The work is
very easy and/or requires little effort, education, or specialized knowledge;
- The payments or salaries seem wonderfully high for the work involved;
- Fees are requested before you get any details (i.e., you have to pay for details);
- There seems to be little risk involved or ingenuity required (guarantees are made);
- Statements are made about a huge pool of customers to sell to; and
- Anything else that seems to good to be true.
Read on for some of the most common work at home scams and how to spot them.
Scam 1: Stuffing Envelopes at Home - You probably think that work at home scams began with the creation of the internet. But this scam has been around since the 1930's, and is still with us. With this scam, a "company" will request a fee for information about an envelope stuffing position, causing you to spend hundreds of dollars on supplies, etc., if you follow through. And it's easy to spot this one, because it's always a scam-- these positions simply don't exist.
Scam 2: Processing Emails at Home - When you see ads for this, you probably imagine you'll be asked to process customer orders or provide customer service for internet-based companies. Not so. Instead, you'll pay a fee for your supplies-- which will consist of a simple email telling you how to scam other aspiring work-from-homers in the same way you were duped.
Scam 3: Processing Medical Insurance Claims - Some medical insurance claims jobs are legitimate, which is what makes it such a successful scam. But few of these positions exist, and most places offering to help you find this sort of work (with little training and for fees of up to thousands of dollars) are simply scammers in suits. Be cautious.
Scam 4: At-Home Product Assembly - You've probably seen this one all over the place, and it may have seemed attractive. If you like to work with your hands, the idea of putting together toys or other crafts may sound rewarding. But this is a scam. Generally, scammers who offer this sort of work charge you a fee for what they call a "starter kit." Sometimes this can cost hundreds of dollars. After assembling the items in question, you'll be told they don't meet specifications. Why? Because the scammers don't want the products-- they simply wanted to sell you the start-up kit to make a quick buck.
Scam 5: Word Processing or Data Entry - If you don't want to learn a new skill or want to do something easy in your spare time to make some extra cash, data entry --especially with the often exuberant rates offered for the work-- may seem like an ideal option. But most of the ads you'll find for this kind of work exist simply to scam you. If you're asked for any up-front fees, either for applying, or for software, or for anything else, you're being scammed.
The Truth about Work at Home
If you're looking to work at home, there's very little chance you'll find that perfect "no training required" job in an ad somewhere. While there are plenty of work at home opportunities online, all of them require skill and hard work. If you're looking to work at home, your best option is to use a marketable skill or learn a new one. Freelance work websites will give you an idea of what webmasters and companies are looking for... and what you can make money doing. Good luck!
This article was written by Shawn Wilson, a member of the customer support team at Datepad, where internet dating is always free. Datepad has a massive directory of informative dating articles along with a great list of dating site reviews on their dating blog.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 31 January 2009 )
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