“You too can make $25,000 a month working from home.” “Interested in making $25.00 per hour?”
As the Internet becomes a more popular money making product, more and more people are seeking an encome (online income). However, the internet also has an added level of risk because with the internet comes anonymity. Since the internet is not transparent a person can run a scam, close down a site, and then start up the next day again on a new site. As a result, we, the people, must protect ourselves from online business scams.
How to Avoid a Work From Home Scam
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I promise you – no one overseas is trying to send you money.
This is not as much a business practice, but people who are looking at making money online are often susceptible to this type of ploy. Read my lips – no one is trying to send you money. What they want to happen is that you send them something – your checking account information. And when you do you will be left with nothing. Be sure you understand phishing before spending a lot of time online.
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Don’t give out your personal banking information.
As a general rule you should only accept online payments through a system like PayPal or one of the Paypal alternatives. This way your personal account information is not in the hands of an unknown party. By the way, if any company asks you to verify information in an email it is a scam. The company will always allow you to log into your own account and take action. If it is a phone call hang up and call the company directly so you know you are actually talking to a company representative.
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Avoid paying money up front.
Many scams require you to pay for or purchase items before you can “start earning thousands an hour”. If you need to pay for anything up front I would look elsewhere. One exception would be something you know is legitimate through a trusted friend who is already participating in the program. Even then, proceed with caution.
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Overlook anything that offers you a free starting trial.
This means there is a big ticket waiting at the end of your free trial. Remember, you are trying to make money – not lose money. There are a lot of good jobs that don’t require any capital at all.
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Verify the physical location of the organization.
Most internet scams falsify their location. They act as if they have a physical office, plant, or location when they do not. To verify you could call the chamber of commerce in that area, a local church, or even the Better Business Bureau. You might even check the information using an internet map system like Google Maps.
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Forget anything where the offer is unreasonably generous.
If most jobs are offering you $10 – $20 per hour you need to be wary of any job that offers significantly more. They are offering more because they really have nothing they intend to give. As grandma used to say, “If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is”.
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Keep all personal information personal.
If a company wants your email address so they can email all this important information, it is probably just a scam to get your email address so it can be sold to spammers. If a company has a great product and a great money making opportunity they won’t hide it and make it available to only email subscribers.
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Don’t just Google and go.
Google is an amazing and powerful search engine. They cannot, however, filter out all the junk. If you type “make money from home” you will get a lot of junk replies.
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Ask an uninvolved third party for advice.
Your emotions might deceive you. That’s what happens when you want to get rich quick. Your friend can help you evaluate the information. If they say they wouldn’t do it, you should probably listen to them. Work should not involve a lot of risk.
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Be careful with the name Christian.
I hate that this needs to be said, but be careful with the name Christian. People know Christians instinctively trust each other and use that information for their advantage.
Where to get legitimate information:
- From a friend. Remember, I’m not talking about blindly trusting a fellow Christian. Allow people to point you in the right direction and then verify things from there. (Jonathan wrote a good piece about 5 legit work-from-home jobs)
- From a trusted website. www.undress4success.com is one such site. From there you can follow the leads to other legitimate online offerings.
- From an employment agency. Because online work is a growing market an employment agency should be able to point you in the right direction.
Photo by ToastyKen.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Two great posts today, Craig!!!
To #9 I’d add be especially skeptical when you’re desperate. You’re much more easily duped when you need money fast – so be super-careful if you’re in a situation like that. I know I was at one point and almost gave my info to a scam company. I was just careful enough to do some research and realize it wasn’t legitimate. And I’m a financial planner! Just goes to show that we’re all susceptible to these scams – though thankfully I’ve never fallen for one yet.
For #2, it’s best just to work through your bank. Most banks will allow you to pay through them instead of bothering with anything else. Paypal still come with a price.
For #4, that can be tricky. Sometimes a free trial is just what you want to see how the thing works out. Still, you have to be careful to make sure you’re not giving out personal information to get going with the free trial. If it’s a scam, they might say you won’t pay for a while, but they’ll take your money anyway. The best is to go with free trials that offer no obligation upfront as far as personal information goes (I assume that’s what you meant in the post though).
Excellent tips though. I think many more people are getting serious online because of their job situations, but they’re still not up to speed on how it all works and what the best practices are. I know I’m certainly in that boat as well, even though I’d like to think I’m smarter than the average bear.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
@bondChristian
Re #2: While (some) banks certainly offer lower fees ther are many online businesses where you need a PayPaly type payment structure. In addition I do like the idea of keeping strangers one step away from my bank information. Yes, I do pay a price to use PayPal, but it is still a prefered method for me.
Re #4: Good point. Thanks for helping clarify that point.
Ha – thinking were are smarter than the average person can be dangerous. I appreciate your comment.
Shouldn’t it be: undress4success.com…. with a double c in ‘success’???
Yes, you are right. We will make that change ASAP.
Craig
Well one legitamate “work at home” opportunity that I have tried and made a good amount of money at is mystery shopping. The only caution I have is don’t go through a third party and pay for the information. You can sign up directly with the companies and there are no fees. Sometimes you may have to make a small purchase, but you will be reimbursed when you are paid. I did it for years in NY and made a nice amount of money.
Sorry I spelled legitimate incorrectly. (smile)
Its true, mystery shopping can be a fun way to make some pocket money…just be certain you do NOT sign on with a company that wants you to send THEM money…at all! Legitimate companies that use mystery/secret shoppers NEVER ask you for money. The illegitimate ones usually advertise in local and all big newspapers, but please do not fall for them.
You can find an enormous data base of mystery shoppers by going to Volition.com, or by simply typing in your search, mystery shopping companies…you will be astounded by the number of companies there are…
If you find some that have jobs in your area, and they pay a decent amount, you can often sign up for several shops…that way you can get a larger check when you are paid. MOST companies hold your pay for 30-45 days, depending on the company, I guess. You do have to use PayPal for them…but I have never had a problem with PayPal or any of the mystery shopping companies I worked through. YOU are an independent contractor, and are responsible for your own taxes…you will only get a 1099 Misc at income tax time if you are paid $600 or more by any one company. You also will have to estimate your taxes, as you are self-employed and will pay your own Social Security.
I was checking out a gift basket business that I was interested in, until I got to the clincher…with this company, you send them $19.95 a month…I have not agreed to do anything with this company, and while I had to put in my info in order to read all about the company, that last little bit of info just flashed a huge warning at me…I unsubscribed from their emails, but in order to “cancel”, I have to call the 1-800 # they have on their site…the only problem is, NO ONE is available to take your call…lol…
So, just a warning, we all can be sucked in to these things…I’m going to do some research on this company and see about if the Better Business Bureau in their state has information on them…that is IF I can find where they really are.
Don’t do it, folks…you NEVER pay anyone to work for them…EVER!
Sorry for the extra note, but I just recalled a site I visited recently. Heard Dr. Laura advertise this on her show, so thought I would check them out.
Go to ‘workathome.com’ (minus the quotes) and there are a lot of companies there that do not ask you for money…that is a start.
Good luck…I am off to check out the legal assistant positions…you do data and form entry AT home…and I am a paralegal…so this should be right up my alley…going to fill out my resume on this one site, and see what happens.
Good luck, and be cautious!