10 Tips on Avoiding Work At Home and
Home Business Scams
1. Never, NEVER pay for the chance to work!
You should treat working at home just like you would treat working for an employer at their place of business.
Whenever you're asked to pay for the chance at a job, or information about work-from-home jobs, you know it's a scam.
Home-based businesses, on the other hand, may require start-up costs to cover investments, materials, franchises, or other items. Check things out before you pay anything.
2. Check out the business before you pay anything.
Have you heard of the business that's soliciting your money?
If not, check them out carefully. Make sure they have a physical address and a phone number. Call to see if it's a real phone number. Do a search on http://www.Google.com to see if you can find any positive or negative comments. Check references carefully.
3. Use your credit card to make purchases.
This sounds counter-intuitive, but if you are going to buy a starter kit or make some investment relating to a home-based business, purchase using your credit card.
That way, if you don't receive the items, or if things go wrong, you can dispute the charges with your credit card company. If you're unsure how to do this, speak to your credit card company before you make the purchase.
4. Research the market for the proposed work.
Every scammer will promise unlimited wealth and easy work. With a little virtual footwork, you can see whether you can make money doing this kind of business or work.
5. Beware of vagueness and incredible claims.
Be wary of claims that you can make up to $1,000 a week; doing just a few hours' worth of unskilled work.
6. Put yourself in the client's shoes.
If you were an honest client, think about whether you would make the same kind of offer you're being pitched.
For example, you've read an ad where you can earn $1-2 per piece stuffing envelopes. But companies nowadays have access to sophisticated mailing equipment that can stuff thousands of envelopes an hour -- why would they pay you so much more?
7. Consider starting your own home-based business.
If you're really interested in working for yourself, starting your own home-based business can be a great idea. It also involves a lot of work, and much of the time, some investment.
This is not a decision to make lightly, nor should you start a business just because you can't find a job.
Having said that, starting your own business - if you're willing to be patient, a lot of hard work and do what's necessary to make it a success, may well become one of the best decisions you ever made.
There are lots of great resources on starting a legitimate home business.
8. Don't come across as desperate.
You may be in dire need financially, but it's worth your while to act calmly and professionally - just like you would in a real-world job search.
9. Be patient.
If you're looking to start a home-based business, or looking for telecommuting work you can do at home, you may have a considerable search ahead of you. There are a lot of people in the same boat, many of whom are falling prey to scams every day.
Don't let scammers use high-pressure tactics to sucker you in. If you're given a time-limited offer, there's usually a reason why --scammers know that pressure brings in people!
Even if you're in dire need, it pays to be patient... so that you don't lose money to schemes that never materialize.
10. And most important, NEVER reply to spam.
Fraudulent offers for home-based businesses or work-at-home opportunities almost always arrive as spam. The better it sounds, the less likely that it's legitimate.
Scammers aren't planning to deliver anyway, so what does it matter to them what they promise? Delete and move on.
As we say -- if it sounds to good to be true, it most likely is!
You should treat working at home just like you would treat working for an employer at their place of business.
Whenever you're asked to pay for the chance at a job, or information about work-from-home jobs, you know it's a scam.
Home-based businesses, on the other hand, may require start-up costs to cover investments, materials, franchises, or other items. Check things out before you pay anything.
2. Check out the business before you pay anything.
Have you heard of the business that's soliciting your money?
If not, check them out carefully. Make sure they have a physical address and a phone number. Call to see if it's a real phone number. Do a search on http://www.Google.com to see if you can find any positive or negative comments. Check references carefully.
3. Use your credit card to make purchases.
This sounds counter-intuitive, but if you are going to buy a starter kit or make some investment relating to a home-based business, purchase using your credit card.
That way, if you don't receive the items, or if things go wrong, you can dispute the charges with your credit card company. If you're unsure how to do this, speak to your credit card company before you make the purchase.
4. Research the market for the proposed work.
Every scammer will promise unlimited wealth and easy work. With a little virtual footwork, you can see whether you can make money doing this kind of business or work.
5. Beware of vagueness and incredible claims.
Be wary of claims that you can make up to $1,000 a week; doing just a few hours' worth of unskilled work.
6. Put yourself in the client's shoes.
If you were an honest client, think about whether you would make the same kind of offer you're being pitched.
For example, you've read an ad where you can earn $1-2 per piece stuffing envelopes. But companies nowadays have access to sophisticated mailing equipment that can stuff thousands of envelopes an hour -- why would they pay you so much more?
7. Consider starting your own home-based business.
If you're really interested in working for yourself, starting your own home-based business can be a great idea. It also involves a lot of work, and much of the time, some investment.
This is not a decision to make lightly, nor should you start a business just because you can't find a job.
Having said that, starting your own business - if you're willing to be patient, a lot of hard work and do what's necessary to make it a success, may well become one of the best decisions you ever made.
There are lots of great resources on starting a legitimate home business.
8. Don't come across as desperate.
You may be in dire need financially, but it's worth your while to act calmly and professionally - just like you would in a real-world job search.
9. Be patient.
If you're looking to start a home-based business, or looking for telecommuting work you can do at home, you may have a considerable search ahead of you. There are a lot of people in the same boat, many of whom are falling prey to scams every day.
Don't let scammers use high-pressure tactics to sucker you in. If you're given a time-limited offer, there's usually a reason why --scammers know that pressure brings in people!
Even if you're in dire need, it pays to be patient... so that you don't lose money to schemes that never materialize.
10. And most important, NEVER reply to spam.
Fraudulent offers for home-based businesses or work-at-home opportunities almost always arrive as spam. The better it sounds, the less likely that it's legitimate.
Scammers aren't planning to deliver anyway, so what does it matter to them what they promise? Delete and move on.
As we say -- if it sounds to good to be true, it most likely is!
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