Monday, August 4, 2008

Avoiding Work from Home Scams

When people are working long hours in very stressful environments it is very tempting to have a serious look at the work from home opportunities available, especially on the internet. One of the problems faced with this is how to discern the work from home scams that are out there waiting to catch you as their latest victim.

Work at Home Scams are positioned to trap even the most discerning would-be online entrepreneur with their get rich quick promises. Some even go as far as promising earnings of up to $1000 daily.

So how can you avoid the work at home scams?

Don't believe all that you read. There's no honest way to get rich quick. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is Don't answer spam emails. Many of the opportunities offered by this method are work from home scams Check if they have a land line or a direct way to contact the owners of the opportunity

Never send money without first investigating the company. Any legitimate company will answer your enquiries.

Alternatively you can search for them on Google and see if there are any negatives comments about them. You can often find sites on Google that are dedicated to exposing work from home scams.

Join forums and ask if others have heard of the company or know if they are genuine. Again - work from home scams tend to be well known by those who work regularly online

If the work involves creating and selling a product, make sure there's a market for it. Keyword research is the best way to ascertain market demand. Although this isn't necessarily a scam, it is a pitfall that can often be a problem for newbies.

How will you get paid? Some of the work from home scams I have come across make it very difficult for you to access your earnings, either by having a very high minimum payout or no way of paying you in your country of residence.

If the company requires money up front, make sure you are aware of their refund policy. If they don't have one, don't proceed. These are just a few of the precautions you need to take to ensure that you don't get caught by a work from home scam However although these precautions are necessary to protect you from falling for the work from home scams it is worth remembering that many people do make a living working from home. It requires a great deal of hard work and self-discipline.

There is no automatic pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Just remember to be careful who you do business with, and you too can work successfully from the comfort of your own home.

Janet Matthews