Work From Home Scams and How to Avoid Them.

These scams are just like envelope stuffing, judicial judgments and medical billing. We have yet to find a real work at home opportunity that isn't centered around something that sounds like it can make you a lot of money but in reality doesn't.

Work at home scams fill online malls, classified ad areas and any of the places that people can post on the Internet. Most of the companies offering work at home scams obviously sell them as something else. They would never tell people that they are buying a work at home scam.

They pretend that you are getting into your own home based business etc. etc. etc. Most of the work at home scams involve selling information about different ways that you can supposedly make money working from home. Very few companies really help you and if they do stick with them.I don't have a problem with companies that sell information if they would tell you that up-front (we do). They are making their money off of the package that they have assembled and not off of helping anybody find legitimate work at home opportunities.

The word scam has filled the internet and it has ruined companies that do require some sort of fee and that are legit.

How to Avoid Being Scam is what you need to educate yourself on.

HOW TO AVOID THEM You've all seen those enticing ads for "easy money" home business opportunities. They typically go like this: "Earn $1,000 a week working at home. Part-time hours and no experience necessary! Call 900-222-2222 for your starter kit."

Sometimes details about the "work" are given, and it usually involves stuffing envelopes, assembling jewelry or crafts, clipping coupons, compiling mailing lists, medical billing, reading books or setting up a mail order fulfillment service. These ads sound soooo appealing -- especially to desperate moms searching for any kind of flexible job they can do from home. Most of these "opportunities" sound too good to be true because they are. Thousands of people lose tens of thousands of dollars every year answering these get-rich-quick ads. How can you spot a scam? Be on the lookout for these signs;

A promise of big bucks in a short amount of time. In a typical home business, you can't expect to turn a profit for at least 6 months, and for most, it takes a year or longer.

The "free information" you send away for is full of fluff and worthless material. In order to get any concrete start-up strategies or materials, you'll have to pay a fee or invest at least a few hundred dollars for a "starter kit."

The ad or starter kit you receive guarantees you'll have hordes of customers and the huge demand for your goods or services won't dry up. The kit may even provide a mailing list of initial contacts, but a lot of these lists turn out to generic lists which may or may not be applicable to your situation.

The phrase "no experience necessary." Ads recruiting for medical billing or medical transcription tend to use these words often. But in order to work fast enough at these jobs to make a decent income, you have to know medical terminology and be comfortable with a bit of number crunching. Even assembling crafts or jewelry takes some skill if you want to end up earning more than $2.00 an hour.

A requirement to purchase expensive equipment or enroll in a pricey course before work can start. Stay clear of any companies that offer you any kind of substantial equipment "at a discount." You can usually buy better quality at a cheaper price somewhere else and start your own legitimate business with no "middle man" eating into your profits. Or you can sign up for a small fee training course that will really teach you marketable skills for setting up a home-based business.

A "900" telephone number for the contact. You'll already lose money just by calling, and businesses with 900 numbers are frequently "fly-by-night" operations. Some ads are sneaky enough to lure you in with a toll-free number, but will then require you to call a 900 number for more information -- a call that can cost you up to $100!

Pressure to sign a contract or other document right away. Don't sign any paperwork until you carefully read the fine print or, better yet, have an attorney look it over. You should be wary of anyone who asks for a signed contract or an immediate cash investment "or else you'll miss out on this great opportunity."

Testimonials from other "successful" people who are working at this business and making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Even if the company offers to send you the phone numbers of these people and you contact them for verification, you should still be skeptical. These types of businesses may use "liars for hire" to carry out their scam.

A business that requires you to recruit other people into the company in order to start making money. Plenty of multi-level marketing companies (like Avon, Mary Kay, Tupperware) are above board, but these are based primarily on the selling of products -- not on recruiting employees. Be sure to also check that the parent company will agree to buy back any unused products or allow you to stop working for them without a penalty.

Any "business opportunity" that doesn't check out with the Better Business Bureau in the state it's operating from. A phone call to the BBB is well worth the investment. It can save you a bundle of money and lots in self-esteem! You can also try contacting them on the Web at http://www.bbb.org

Educating yourself on the Better Business Bureau. Many think because a company is on there that they are 100% legit. Well that is not true. Any company can purchase their way to be on their list. Most people don't know a lot about the BBB. Here's how it works... membership comes with rather high fees and essentially what it gets you is a clean record. The BBB is a mediator between consumers and businesses when complaints arise. The BBB, however freely accepts and publishes complaints about non members. So that is what you are looking for, if any companies you are applying for had any complaints from any of their members.

We can't emphasize enough how the best home business opportunities come from within. Think about the skills you already have that can be used in a viable business. Most of the moms I have interviewed and have come across took skills they had developed in the workplace -- desktop publishing, graphic design, fundraising, event planning, computer technology -- and built them up into home businesses. Or tap into your talents and passions to come up with a business idea. Even being a parent can trigger an idea -- a number of mompreneurs started home businesses based on a product or service geared to today's parents;

I know you're a creative bunch!

If you ever have any ideas please follow through with them, you will never know if it will really works unless you make a plan and really apply yourself to achieve.

Resources

http://www.bbb.org Better Business Bureau

http://www.ftc.gov Federal Trade Commission

http://www.natlconsumersleague.org National Consumers League

http://www.fraud.org www.fraud.org  National Fraud Center

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