Work at Home Scams - Don't Be a Victim

Many out of work Americans are struggling to find ways to generate income and keep themselves from financial ruin. Unfortunately, this has opened up the flood gates for many unscrupulous scammers to take advantage of desperate job seekers.

While some work from home businesses are legitimate, many are not and can be costly mistakes for unsuspecting targets. The following tips will help when evaluating the legitimacy of an offer to work at home.

• What tasks will you be doing in your home business? Ask for a detailed list of each specific job requirement. Many work from home scams make it practically impossible to be paid for a job accomplished. Some companies require you to assemble items then routinely deem finished products “subpar” as an excuse not to pay workers.

• Will you be working on a salary basis, piecework basis or on commission. Undoubtedly, a salary is most advisable, however not many companies pay on this basis.

• Who will be paying you? You’ll want to know this upfront. If the company pays workers through an outside agency this could become an issue if your check is not remitted in a timely manner.

• When will you receive your first paycheck? You don’t want to complete any job and then be forced to wait months for payments, but this often happens.

• What will be the cost to you? Far too many work from home companies require workers to purchase kits, supplies, equipment or pay membership fees. Upfront fees place further financial burdens on struggling workers. 99.9% of companies requiring some kind of upfront fee is a scammer.

• Research any company before you commit. Visit the Local Consumer Protection Agency, State Attorney General’s Office or the Better Business Bureau in the state where the company is located as well as your own state. These organizations will list complaints about the work at home program that interests you. But be aware that the absence of complaints doesn’t always mean the company is legitimate. Deceitful companies often settle complaints, change names, or relocate to evade legal action.

• Above all, trust your instincts. If a claim to make a lot of money working from home sounds too good to be true it almost always is. Promising workers a guaranteed income of $17.00 an hour to stuff envelopes is an outrageous claim and therefore an obvious scam.

If you feel you have been a victim of a work from home scam you can visit the Fraud.org website, or you should contact the Federal Trade Commission or any of the agencies listed above.