Work at Home Job Scams

Working at home has many benefits. No commute, no daycare, no expenses. It's an attractive prospect, particularly for stay at home moms. However, you must be careful which employment opportunities you sign up for. When considering whether or not to start working for a company from home, it is imperative that you do your homework. If you are not familiar with how work-at-home-jobs, or WAHJs, typically work, then you may feel overwhelmed or lost as to how to go about checking out a company to see if it is legitimate. Here are some red flags you should look out for, and a few starting tips:

Did you receive the job invitation in an e-mail? If so, it is more than likely a scam. Legitimate companies looking to hire employees are not so desperate as to need to send out mass emails to generate interest. The WAHJ market is very competitive.

Does it sound too good to be true? Then it is. Consider this: if everyone could "Make 10k Plus Per Month!", would anyone work a normal job? Like any other "get-rich-quick" scheme, if it sounds too easy for the rewards you get from it, steer clear. You can make a living with WAHJs but it will be on the same level as an outside job.

Are they asking for money upfront? I cannot stress this enough-never pay to apply for a job. Would you give away your hard earned money to apply for an outside of the home job? The same rule applies to WAHJs.

Are they asking for your personal information without giving you any information upfront? Do not give out your personal information without first checking the legitimacy of the company. Every site should have an FAQ section that will answer any questions you may have about the job requirements and reimbursement. If the FAQ section does not sufficiently answer your questions, look for a contact phone number or email address, and speak with someone about the job before giving any personal information.

Are they asking you to do something questionable? If a company is advertising employment that has a questionable job description, then chances are it's a scam. An example of a questionable job description would be if a company were asking you to receive money orders, take out a certain percentage for your commission, and then send the rest to another person or location. This is considered money laundering, and is illegal. Another example: if a prospective employer is asking you to receive packages because a shipping company cannot ship outside of the United States. Usually they will ask you to repackage the item and/or attach a new mailing label, and send it out from your home. Think about it... there is a reason that those companies cannot ship outside of America.

Okay, so you think you've found a legitimate opportunity. How can you be sure?

Do an Internet search. Search for any and everything that you can find about this company. A couple of really good sites I would suggest to check out previous complaints about the company are www.scam.com and www.ripoffreport.com. You can also check out who a domain name is registered to at www.whois.net.

Check for bad BBB reports. Go to the Better Business Bureau site, www.bbb.com, and search for the company. Check for any negative reports. If they have operations in multiple states, be sure to check each state, as a company can have a clean record in one state, and a terrible record in another.

All in all, just use your better judgment. The reason that so many people fall for these scams is because they want to believe that these opportunities are real. Who doesn't want easy money? You will get out of a WAHJ what you put into it, just like any other job. Be careful. There are a ton of scams out there.

Don't lose hope--there are legitimate WAHJs out there. It takes time and patience to sort the scams from the legitimate opportunities. Once you've spent some time examining the WAHJ market, you will have a better understanding of how the process works and which companies offer rewarding employment experiences. I am currently working for three different legitimate companies from my home. It's rewarding work, and the convenience of not having a commute is enormous. It took me quite some time to discover these opportunities, but I wouldn't trade this for the world. Good luck in your search!