Home And Garden Articles

Common Work at Home Scams

Scams are every where online. Just about every where you go online you will find ads for so-called "easy and fast money" jobs. Anything that promises "easy money" or "big bucks part time" is full of it. Don't waste your time on something that promises fast and easy money because it's not going to happen.

Let's delve into the scams out there and then talk about resources you can use to research a company!

Common work at home scams to avoid

Typing "Jobs" - you can type in typing jobs in any major search engine and you'll pull up many of these so-called "jobs" typing for "easy" money. Most of the time you will pay a fee, and then they will send you information about how to place ads in local papers to "sell" this so-called job to others. This simply is not a "job" and it's nearly impossible to make a decent income with this. They post testimonials that are either made up or of successful internet marketers in order to persuade you into believing this is a great "job" for you.

Envelope Stuffing - I'm sure you've seen this one everywhere and might have fallen for it. I sure did. Not once, but twice! I thought, "Well the first company was just a scam but this one looks legit" and, yes, I was wrong. I got scammed by this little sucker twice! Please do not fall for this tempting "job". What you'll probably receive (what happened to me) for your "small fee" (which is usually how its worded) is a letter telling you to place that same "envelope-stuffing" ad in newspapers, magazines, online sites and anywhere else you can get your ad. The only way you will earn money is to pass on this scam to other moms who desperately want to work at home. There's no stuffing of envelopes involved. You simply pass on this scam to others and get paid by charging a fee...the same way it happened to you. Please don't fall for this HUGE waste of time and please don't pass this scam on to others.

Assembly/Crafting Scams- If you want to make money with assembly or crafting your best bet is to start your own business and sell your work online, locally and at fairs. The so-called jobs online for assembly or crafts are scams. Usually you will be required to buy supplies or a kit and then, after days or weeks of work, you would send in your work for payment. What usually happens is your work supposedly didn't meet the standards they have and they will either send it back for you to fix or they will keep it and not pay you. If you get the chance to "fix it" and send it back you'll again be told it didn't meet the standard. It's a nasty on going cycle and the end result is that you've wasted your hard earned money on the "kit" and you've wasted your valuable time for nothing.

Processing Government Refunds- Boy this one sounds pretty interesting huh? Yet another scam for you to avoid. What the meat of this scam? Basically you'll see ads that you can earn $500 to $1500 a week processing 3rd party government refunds via your computer. You are told that you'll get a list of people who might be home owners and might be entitled to a refund by HUD. They make you pay up to $300 (or even more) for this list. What you'll do is contact these people and try to get them to share the refund with you, BUT what they fail to tell you is these people can get refunds FREE by calling HUD themselves.

So, if you go through this list and find a few people owed a refund, phone them up and tell them why you're calling, one of three things will happen:

1. They will hang up on you

2. They'll listen to you, then tell you that their going to research this themselves. Doing so they will find out they don't need you and can get the refund on their own. Therefore you make nothing.

3. You find someone who actually takes you up on your offer. You "help" them get the refund they could have done on their own and you collect your portion. You've basically scammed that person out of all the money owed to them by withholding the fact that they can do this on their own and collect all the money.

Just stay away from this - it's bad for all concerned. And in fact, the HUD site warns people of these so-called "tracers" ... that the public can collect a refund without a "tracer."

Chain Letters- This usually guarantees you to earn large amounts of money with a one time small investment. (See the trend? Scams ALWAYS ask you for money.) The typical chain letter scheme usually requires you to mail the chain letter, along with a specified amount of money to six (or more) people. And then they must do the same. There just simply aren't enough people in the world to make this worth your time. AND, it's illegal! The post office says that chain letters are a form of unauthorized lottery and may violate federal mail fraud laws. They also warn not to waste your money! Read more about this at US Postal Service Inspection Services

Medical Claims Billing- I'm sure you've seen this everywhere and it may have caught your eye. This one caught my eye, but I was fortunate enough to meet someone who told me to stay away. The ad will usually state you can make tons of money part time doing "Medical Billing/ Claims Processing. The fee for the software and training can be as high as $7500 or even more. You supposedly get a list of doctors and sample letters in order to gain clients. Although this isn't necessarily the typical scam, it's not as easy (or possible) as they claim it to be. If you want to do this I would take a local class on Medial Billing (or an accredited online school) and then get an offline job doing this...then build your client list and make it home-based.

What have we learned from the examples above? If you have to pay a free, it's a scam, rip off or just not worth your time! So stay away from the above scams.

I would also like to discuss some common red flags to look for with any job offer.

They ask a fee - you should NEVER pay for a job

They claim it's easy work - a real job is never easy

They claim you can earn great money for little work - a real job will never claim you can make riches with little to no work.

They have testimonials about the "job" - a real job offer isn't going to need testimonials posted. Why would they? If they aren't trying to sell something to you, then they won't need to convince you that it's worth your time.

If it says "no kits, no fee's, not MLM...etc." - a real job isn't going to post that in their job ad. If you find a "job" advertised like that you can guarantee it's a business opp. or outright scam.

The words "No Experience Necessary" - although there are some jobs out there that don't require experience they often won't make that a big part of their ad (or at all) and usually you find this on scam ads.

A 900 number to call for more information - any legitimate company will call you or provide you with an 800 number. If they are a smaller company and don't have an 800 number, then if you inform then you don't wish to use your long distance to call them, they will usually call you.

Resources-
The Better Business Bureau
Web Assured ("Watch List" to see complaints on companies)
The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Response Center
Scambusters - newsletter you can join too
The National Fraud Information Center

Nell Taliercio is the owner of a leading work at home mom resource website packed full of unique information for the telecommuter, business owner and virtual assistant.

Visit http://www.mommysplace.net today!

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

Wild Flower Garden - Plan to Plant
In the previous article I discussed design for your new wild flower garden. The next stage is planning the planting.

Wild Flower Garden - Make Amends...Your Plants Will Love It
A wild flower garden, just like any garden you wish to plant, requires good quality soil that will meet the needs of the plants you put in it. That means that your garden soil may need some amendment.

Flower Gardening
Flower gardening is becoming more and more popular every day. Flowers can brighten everyone?s day, they smell nice, and are a great hobby. Flower gardening is simple, inexpensive, and loads of fun. Flower gardening can be done for yard decoration, simply as a hobby, or even professionally.

5 Most Popular Flowers for Your Garden
When planting a garden there are many questions which you must ask yourself before you begin. Where are you going to plant it, do you have the garden equipment to do so and how big do you want your garden to be? When do flowers bloom and what are their heights? These are all very important questions, however they mean very little if you have not yet decided which types of flowers you want to plant.

Flowers That Beautify Your Home and Garden
To help gardeners choose flowers, various systems for rating hardiness have been developed. A plant is considered hardy in a region if it can grow and thrive there without requiring special protective measures such as insulating with straw mulch.

In Bloom: Manbury Home and Garden Accessories Unearths Garden Delights for Gorgeous Homes
Manbury Home and Garden Accessories now features a variety of attractive, practical garden solutions at www.manbury.nl, where consumers can peruse and purchase a variety of garden tools and accessories.

Wild Flower Garden - Yours to Design and Plan
To design a wild flower garden, you do not need to be a specialist or an artist, you just need to be observant and let your creative juices flow. Look around you, what is unique about your surroundings? Do you wish to enhance or compliment these things.

Brighten Up The Garden With PVC Box Deck Flower Railings
Box deck flower railings can really brighten up any garden. The flowers create a homely, warm feel as well as adding a touch of elegance. Many people wonder how to improve the look of their deck and a flower box is by far one of the best ways to do it.

Exotic Flowers: Luxurious and Impressive for Your Home and Garden Decor
There are several types of exotic flowers to best suit any occasion. And of course, depending on your personal taste, you will want to choose the best exotic flowers you can obtain to be the perfect flowers, the most adequate for the purpose they will be serving. For example: at someone?s funeral, you may want to choose bouquet of flowers that the deceased would have loved. Here are some other examples (after all, these flowers are for happy occasions as well as the more tragic ones.

How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower Garden
Choosing the right bulbs involves more than just selecting colors and cultivars. Timing, bulb size, and most importantly, bulb health are equally significant factors in designing your spring garden.

Enhance Your Flower Garden With Garden Edging
So, you've got your flower garden set up You've planted the flowers, some perennials here, a few annuals there

The Flower Garden in August
Our flower garden in August can be brimming with activities we can do at this time of year, as we can for most of the year. We have some flower gardening tips to give you and some experiments to try.

Fall Garden Chores for Spring Flowering Bulbs
As the school busses begin to rumble down the road again we are reminded that the gardening season is drawing to a close. For the gardener with an eye toward next spring, however, the season still promises plenty to be done in preparation of a showy spring to come.

Flowering Field Farm of NJ Announces Association with Garden Spot Structures
Flowering Field Farm has announced a new business relationship with Garden Spot Structures of Lancaster County, Pa. The NJ farm is located on Highway 34, just south of the Holmdel border and Route 520. Garden Spot Structures of Leola, Pa. has been delivering fine, Amish-crafted structures for 30 years.