Is It A Scam?
By Alyice Edrich
May 26, 2005
Televisions commercials, magazine advertisements, and Internet
websites all indicate working from home is easy. "If I can do it, so
can you!" says the paid actor or copywriter.
You've heard or read their gimmicks a thousand times. Heck, you could
probably recite their messages verbatim. Most messages go something
like this: The benefits of working from home are endless. They range
from being readily available for your children to working in your
pajamas to being able to take time off whenever you'd like to no more
long commutes. If you're tired of that "just over broke" paycheck,
give us a call and all your dreams will come true!
With so much hype, it's hard to know who is telling the truth and who
is simply out to get your hard earned buck. So where do you turn for
advice and who do you trust?
If it sounds too good to be true, it is! If it says "no experience
necessary," don't believe it. You will either have to learn
something, such as medical terminology for a transcriber position, or
you will have to learn about the company rules and procedures, in
addition to federal and state laws. If a company won't tell you
about their business until you attend a meeting, walk away. If the
company is persistent and pushy, get leery. If you feel uneasy about
anything, hold true to your gut feeling and look for something else.
And never, ever pay someone to hire you to work out of your home. If
they want to use your services, they should be paying you, not the
other way around.
Oh, and the clincher of all clinchers, if they promise you that there
is no work involved, that they will take care of everything, or that
your downline will be provided for you, run as fast as you can in the
opposite direction. Nothing in life is free. Everything takes
work. And that includes having a business on the Internet.
SCAM CHECKLIST
Be sure to check out handy SCAM Checklist before venturing out on
your own:
1. Check the company you are interested in with the Better
Business Bureau http://www.betterbusinessbureau.com/
2. Check the company you are interested in with the Local
Chamber of Commerce
3. Check with SCAM organizations to see if there is any record
of previous problems, and find out what those problems are.
http://www.fraud.org/
http://scambusters.com/
http://scamcentral.com
http://worldwidescam.com
http://www.scamwatch.com/
http://www.fightidentitytheft.com/
4. Don't pay to become an employee or contractor.
5. Say "No" to chain letters, envelope stuffing, sending bulk
emails, assembly projects at home, 900 numbers, and get-rich-quick
schemes that promise you tons of money.
6. Never send money to people who contact you out of the blue
for some service, plea for help, or business opportunity.
7. If you are looking into a business opportunity, research the
company before sending any money. Check out their mentor program,
training programs, products and services, company history, payment
methods, what the average consultant in the company earns, etc.
Although it sounds great for a company to say that you can earn
$50,000 a year, only 20% of the company's consultants are top
earners. It's the 80% that you want to get to know. What are they
making?
* This has been an excerpt from Work At Home or Stay At Home, You Can
Do Both! Available for only $4.99 at http://thedabblingmumpress.com
Alyice Edrich is the author of several work-from-home e-books,
including Tid-Bits For New Signing Agents—where parents earn $25 an
hour without party plans and MLM programs. She invites you to stop
by http://thedabblingmum.com/books/index.htm to order a copy today!
