Avoid Work-at-Home Job Scams
Who wouldn't want to work from home on a part-time basis and earn thousands of pounds a month? It's an offer millions of people can't or don't refuse. Unfortunately, some of these people eventually regret having done business with a so-called work-at-home employer. It can be hard to distinguish legitimate work-at-home programmes from people who are just out to get your money. With that warning in mind, use the following tips to steer around the hazards of finding work-at-home employment.Likely to Be Legitimate
Some occupations and industries are much more likely than others to offer real opportunities for at-home work.
Scam-Ridden Occupations
Other lines of at-home employment deserve a higher level of skepticism. It pays to examine the economics of the work you're being asked to do.
Envelope stuffing is a classic example of a business that may not be for real. If you were the employer, why would you pay someone £1 or more to stuff an envelope when you could job out the task to a mailing house for pennies apiece?
At-home assembly work is also highly suspicious. If these companies were legit, why wouldn't they be using offshore labor at a fraction of the cost?
And then there's medical billing or claims processing as few medical professionals are likely to let just anyone handle private medical info.
The so-called refund recovery business has been popular with scammers in the past. The scammers offer to sell you software to track late and lost UPS and FedEx packages and assist the shippers' customers in obtaining refunds. The shippers say these refund recovery schemes are bogus.
In general, beware of work-at-home employers who ask for your money up front.
Time to Sleuth
If you think you might have identified a legitimate work-at-home job, it's time to do some detective work. Visit UK Trading Standards at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk and sites such as www.fraud.org for more information about the types of fraud that take place.
Questions to Ask
Legitimate work-at-home employers should be willing and able to answer a variety of questions about their programmes. Here are some questions we suggests you ask:
What tasks will I have to perform?
Will I be paid a salary, or will my pay be based on commission?
Who will pay me?
When will I get my first paycheque?
Finally, if the work-at-home employer passes all these tests but you still feel a bit queasy about the offer, trust your gut instinct and run the other way.Who wouldn't want to work from home on a part-time basis and earn thousands of pounds a month? It's an offer millions of people can't or don't refuse. Unfortunately, some of these people eventually regret having done business with a so-called work-at-home employer. It can be hard to distinguish legitimate work-at-home programmes from people who are just out to get your money. With that warning in mind, use the following tips to steer around the hazards of finding work-at-home employment.
Likely to Be Legitimate
Some occupations and industries are much more likely than others to offer real opportunities for at-home work.
Scam-Ridden Occupations
Other lines of at-home employment deserve a higher level of skepticism. It pays to examine the economics of the work you're being asked to do.
Envelope stuffing is a classic example of a business that may not be for real. If you were the employer, why would you pay someone £1 or more to stuff an envelope when you could job out the task to a mailing house for pennies apiece?
At-home assembly work is also highly suspicious. If these companies were legit, why wouldn't they be using offshore labor at a fraction of the cost?
And then there's medical billing or claims processing as few medical professionals are likely to let just anyone handle private medical info.
The so-called refund recovery business has been popular with scammers in the past. The scammers offer to sell you software to track late and lost UPS and FedEx packages and assist the shippers' customers in obtaining refunds. The shippers say these refund recovery schemes are bogus.
In general, beware of work-at-home employers who ask for your money up front.
Time to Sleuth
If you think you might have identified a legitimate work-at-home job, it's time to do some detective work. Visit UK Trading Standards at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk and sites such as www.fraud.org for more information about the types of fraud that take place.
Questions to Ask
Legitimate work-at-home employers should be willing and able to answer a variety of questions about their programmes. Here are some questions we suggests you ask:
What tasks will I have to perform?
Will I be paid a salary, or will my pay be based on commission?
Who will pay me?
When will I get my first paycheque?
Finally, if the work-at-home employer passes all these tests but you still feel a bit queasy about the offer, trust your gut instinct and run the other way.
