The Truth about Work at Home Scams

Work at home scams target the senior citizens, stay-at-home
parents, and those who are poor, sick or disabled.

You have probably seen online ads, email or junk mail
offering easy money for work you can do while you are in
the comfort of your own home.

What is not mentioned in the ads is that you will need to
spend your own money to cover a one-time joining fee, or
buy the system, or fund your own advertising, or work long
hours without pay, or become part of organized crime that
is reshipping stolen goods or carrying out fraud.

Work at home schemes appeal to our desires to earn more
money, avoid having a boss, work fewer hours, and stop
commuting. Often scammers also tap into our desires of a
better life by stating "spend a few minutes a day and earn
all the money you need to make all your dreams come true."

Work at home scams are only expected to increase as
economic conditions worsen and people find themselves out
of work or in need of extra cash to deal with escalating
prices for basic goods. To avoid getting caught in these
work at home scams, start by staying alert and using your
common sense.

If a particular promotion seems too good to be true, it
probably is and so don't waste your time or money. 

Types of Work at Home Scams.

The main types of work at home scams are:

* Envelope stuffing
* Home business scams
* Medical billing scams
* Assembly work
* Psychic scams
* Network marketing or multi-level marketing

Be Wary of Home Based Business Scams if There are:

* Claims of "no experience necessary"
* Contact details are solely an email address, a mobile
phone number or a P O box number
* There are no details of exactly what is involved
* You are asked to call a 1-900 number and are billed
for seeking more information
* They are asking you to make something or do something
a machine or factory in China could do faster and
cheaper
* Claims of inside information such as "The government
doesn't want you to know!"
* Money is required for instructions or products before
you know how the plan works
"To learn more, send $30 for shipping!"
* Testimonials with vague details
* Claims of guaranteed markets and huge demand for your
handiwork
* Exaggerated claims of huge profits and big part-time
earnings like "Earn $500 in just 3 hours!" 

Remember: Be suspicious of any job opportunity that
requires any upfront fees or pays you with checks that
require a Western Union or other wire transfer.

According to an October 2007 report by the Federal Trade
Commission, about 2.5 million Americans-nearly 1 percent
of the entire population, fall for work at home scams
each year, and many are repeat victims.  

If the answers you get don't really satisfy all your
concerns, forget about the promotion. The chances are
good that it is really a scam.

Steve Nickson makes it easy to avoid being scammed. Find
out how scams work, how to recognize them, and the steps to
take to avoid becoming a victim by visiting http://www.watchforscams.com