Work at home scams - how to spot a con artist

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Work at home scams can be found advertised in newspapers, magazines, on the Internet, on television and even on lampposts. These ads attract attention and draw people in by promising substantial earnings for easy work that can be done at home.

The fraudulent companies placing these ads are not actually offering to employ you but rather to sell you something. They have no interest in your aspirations to work at home; they are only interested in making quick money. This does make work at home scams a little easier to spot as most will ask for an upfront fee for information and materials to get you started.

The other clue is a lack of detail. Ads rarely mention who you will be working for or what the job actually entails. Most people who reply to such ads end up having to sell their products or services themselves and very seldom make any profit.

Classic work at home scams:

Envelope stuffing

Stuffing envelopes is one of the most common work at home scams but it is also the easiest to spot. This is simply because there is almost no demand for this kind of work. The only way to make any money from stuffing envelopes is by joining the scam. When you respond to an ad you may be asked to place the same ad in newspapers or mails them to other people. You will then make money when people respond to your advert. This is illegal as there is no product or service being offered and you may be prosecuted for fraud.

Assembly work

Ads for assembly work promise to buy any products you make as long as they measure up to the companies quality standards. You may be required to spend hundreds of dollars on buying equipment and materials from the company in order to get started.

The problem with these scams is that they can seem very legitimate until you try to sell your finished products back to the company, only to have them tell you they do not meet their 'standards'. Unfortunately this means the only way to make any money back is to sell the products yourself. Most legitimate assembly jobs will not be advertised as there is usually waiting list of people looking for this kind of work.

Medical billing

This is not as common as the above mentioned work at home scams but it is a more elaborate scheme that will relieve you of more money. Ads explain how the medical profession is overwhelmed by paper claims and as a result doctors are desperately seeking people to manage electronic claims. Some may even claim that no prior experience or training is required. The scam involves investing in a pre-packaged business known as a billing center that costs between $2000 and $8000 to purchase. You are promised the necessary software technical support and clients to get you started. The reality is that the medical billing is a specialized and competitive job market. You will need to find your own clients and it does require a lot of hard work.

To avoid being caught out in a work at home scam the first step is not to send any money before you know exactly what you're paying for, who you will working for and what that job entails. Legitimate companies will be happy to give you all these details for free, as well as their contact details. Be very wary of offers of advanced payment of your salary. Con artists use this as a way to take money straight from your bank account leaving you either broke or in debt.

The bottom line is that all work at home scams make unrealistic promises, give very little real information and almost always ask for an advanced fee of some description. It is important to remember that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Profit comes with hard work, good products or services and time to achieve.

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