Signs a Work at Home Opportunity May Be a Scam

“Make money from home!” “Over $50 an hour for answering surveys!” get scam refund “Easy money for Stay at Home Moms!” We have all heard such claims on the internet, via email and in the newspaper. It seems that the mom who is interested in working from home is a prime target for scams. Here are some signs that the work at home job offer may be fraudulent.

Many scams exploit the needs and dreams of their victims. They promise that you will get out of debt with minimal work. Or you will become rich and will soon spend your time on your own yacht or private beach. Any opportunity that offers a lot of money for just a little bit of work is almost guaranteed to be a scam.

Legitimate job openings do not need to send spam emails or tack signs up on street corners. These offers are almost always complete scams. Often people who previously fell for the scams are trying to recoup some of their money by roping in other people. If the advertisement is not from a legitimate source, it is not going to be a legitimate work at home opportunity.

Many scams make their money by selling training materials or starter kits. For example, offers that say you can make money by doing crafts at home will sell you the materials and instructions for a specific craft. Then when you try to return the finished product, your craft will not pass “quality standards” and will be rejected.

Other scams, such as advertisements for medical billing, will sell you software that may or may not be appropriate. They will also sell you a list of clients that may be completely out of date. In reality, almost all medical billing is either handled in-house or sourced-out to large companies.

Often training materials are sold that include information on how to start a business. Though this material may be accurate, it is usually information you could acquire for free through the public library or on the internet. Beware of businesses that only make money on selling training materials and not from selling their products or services.

One more thing to beware of is advertisements that urge you to call a 1-900 number. Calling these numbers can cost you fees that add up by the minute! This is another way for fraudulent businesses to get money from you.