How To Avoid Work At Home Scams

Excitement about "firing your boss" and working from home will quickly turn into bitter disappointment unless you learn how to avoid work at home scams that can rob you out of your hard earned money and break your entrepreneurial spirit. Company downsizing has created a climate ripe for unscrupulous scammers who prey on people who are sick of the corporate rat race with promises of a high monthly income with little to no effort.

1.  A job should cost you nothing.  Any opportunity that requires an upfront cost for “materials“  or “training costs“ is a work at home scam. No legitimate company requires home based workers to pay anything prior to employment.  The only expenditure that may be required from some companies that hire home based employees is for a background or credit check.

2.  If you hope to earn $5,000 per month while doing practically nothing, don‘t hold your breath.  There is absolutely no job worth doing that pays you that kind of money for doing little or nothing. This is a line work at home scammers use to rope in the masses who hate their jobs or need extra money bad enough to fall for it.

3. Charge it.  If you decide to make an investment in a work at home opportunity you feel is a safe bet, use your credit card. This way you can dispute the charges with your card company if it turns out you fell for a work at home scam.

4. Do a lot of research.  Do a Better Business Bureau search on the company to see if they have a good record or any record at all.  Research the type of work you'll be doing to see if there are others doing the same type of work and what they are getting paid.  A common ploy of work at home scammers is inflating the demand and pay for the type of work you’ll be doing.

5. Know the difference between a job and a home based business.  Work at home scams often promise quick return on investment. Unfortunately the people who fall for this lie are the ones who have no idea what it takes to successfully make money working from home. A homebased business always requires an upfront investment and monthly operating costs, as well as a strong work ethic, discipline and patience.  A legitimate work at home job pays a regular salary for work performed, period.  With a home based business, it can be weeks or months of spending money on the business before you see income from your efforts.