Work at Home Entrepreneurs: How to Tell Legitimate Home Jobs from Scams

How to Tell Legitimate Home Jobs From Scams
Opportunities touted as "legitimate" home jobs are usually anything but legit.
By Laureen Miles Brunelli, About.com Guide
http://workathomemoms.about.com/od/workathomescams/a/scamhub.htm

When getting started working from home, figuring out which are legitimate home jobs and which are work from home scams can be tough. As you cull through the many Internet job postings and ads, a pattern of deception becomes clearer, which in turn makes the truly legitimate home jobs easier to spot.

You begin to learn to spot the work at home scams, in part, because of the sameness of all their pitches.
So to find the legitimate home jobs and avoid the scams follow these tips:

•Use common sense. Think about the logic of an opportunity from the other side. How would the promoters of the opportunity make money if they are paying you so much for so little work? Also if a company's marketing strategy is primarily based on seeming legitimate, that is likely because it is offering a work at home scam...or at the very least a poor money-making opportunity. That's why any job that promotes itself in search engine ads as a "legitimate home job" most likely is not legitimate.

•Do your homework. Do not send money to any organization without thoroughly checking it out. Keep in mind that most legitimate companies do not charge job applicants and that business opportunities are never risk-free.

•Know how to spot the work at home scam. One tricky scam technique is to set up a whole website dedicated to revealing work at home scams and then funnel people to the few "legitimate" home jobs, which, of course, are not legitimate. But there are so many other tricks so read on for more scams.

•Know what the typical work at home scam are. While the work-at-home scammers are always coming up with new schemes, they tend to be variations on a few themes. Some of the opportunities listed below can be legitimate home jobs, but often they are so be very careful with any of these. And some you should always avoid.

•Direct Sales or Multilevel Marketing (MLM)
•Pyramid Schemes - Always avoid!
•Business Start-Up Kits
•Anything Involving Cashing Checks/Wiring Money - Always avoid!
•Home Assembly/Envelope Stuffing - Always avoid!
•Becoming a Product Re-saler or Wholesaler
•Stock Trading Systems - Always avoid!
•Directories of Telecommuting Jobs or Businesses
•Taking Online Surveys
•Mystery Shopping
•Data Entry/Call Centers (Some are legit but, the lure of these jobs is used to sell bogus start-up kits and other scams.)

•Avoid job opportunities found on advertising on search engines and many websites. Keep in mind that truly companies hiring for legitimate home jobs, like any other employer, are looking for qualified, reliable people to do the work. Screening applicants is a time-consuming process. So those casting a wide net by using Google or search engine ads are not as likely to be legitimate.

•Don't pay for opportunities. And in the real-world workplace, employers don't charge employees to work for them. And there are so many free resources like this list of legitimate work from home jobs by industry. Scams, posing as "legitimate business opportunities" will ask for money. The pitch is business are expected to have start-up costs. However, true businesses are typically not simple exchanges of unskilled labor for payment, as in home assembly and envelope-stuffing schemes. And a real home business is developed over time with careful planning and research, not purchased online sight unseen.

•Report scams. If you suspect that you have been scammed, report it immediately. Contact your bank if you've given out financial information and report it to your state's attorney general or any number of other authorities. Read more about how to report a scam.

Getting Started Finding Legitimate Home Jobs

When getting started searching for work from home jobs, look to your own skills first. There are many careers for work at home moms, but most start with skills gained in the external workplace.

Problem is that some people, who may be just starting in the workforce, may not have those skills. Or some are coming from a career path that is not easily transferable to the virtual workplace.

However, there are companies that hire work at home employees in jobs requiring a high school education or less. And the skills gained in some careers that can't be done from home, like nursing or other jobs in the medical field, can actually be used in home-based jobs like medical transcriptionists or call-center nurses.

Disclaimer: Sponsored Links and Ads on this site for jobs or business opportunities are not endorsed by me. They are automatically generated based on the content of the page. What you should know about Sponsored Links and Ads

MY THOUGHTS

these scammers are all over the net.  never never pay for any job.

Do you want to be a work-at-home mom?

Work at Home Moms: Decide if It's Right for You
http://workathomemoms.about.com/od/gettingstarted/ss/gettingstarted.htm

So you think that you want to join the ranks of successful work at home moms who make money but stay home, but you have some questions:
•How so I avoid work at home scams?
•Where do I find work at home jobs that pay well?
•How do I know if I'd like being a work at home mom?

All good questions. As work at home moms who've done it know, it's tough to go from working outside the home to a home-based job. Look here for a step-by-step plan for work at home moms who just getting started.

The first step to joining the ranks of successful work at home moms is not finding a job or starting a business. It is taking a long hard look at yourself, your family, your employer (if you have one) and your resume and deciding if being a work at home mom is what you want.

Think about whether you have the personality traits of work at home moms, what you'd like to gain from working from home and what you might have to give up. Then consider these:
•Work at Home Moms Benefits
•Work at Home Moms Drawbacks
•Family Ground Rules for Work at Home Moms
•Getting Back to Work After Pregnancy

There's no single way for work-at-home moms to be successful. There are many careers for work at home moms. Do some research and take a look at how other work at home moms manage. Perhaps, you could
•telecommute the job you already have,
•become a consultant or freelancer,
•start your own business,
•find a new telecommuting job in your field of expertise or
•dive into something entirely different.

Whether you're in the workplace now or you're a stay-at-home mom, the best place to start is with your own resume. If employed, can you negotiate a flexible work schedule that includes working from home?

If you've already left the workforce, look back at your last job. Network with your former co-workers. They may know of openings or freelance work that could be done from home. Search national job listings for that type of work with "telecommute" or "work at home" as additional keywords.

If your skill set or current career is not a good match for working at home, consider breaking out into a new field. Online learning is one approach. Starting a home business is another. If you do opt for a new career, keep in mind that you may need to hone your skills in a traditional workplace before becoming a home-based worker.

You've probably figured out by now that no work/home situation is perfect. But to get as close as possible to your own ideal, you and your family must set priorities. For work at home moms this means, breaking down the reasons to work at home into two groups: reasons to work and reasons to work from home, then rank them.  Here are a few, but you may have more.

Reasons to work:
•Financial need/security
•Career advancement
•Save for retirement/college
•Personal fulfillment
•Pay debt

Reasons to work from home:
•Spend more time with kids
•Eliminate commute
•Save money on childcare
•Leave unpleasant work environment
•Reduce stress

As you look at job possibilities for work at home moms, think about how they fit with these priorities. While you're setting priorities is a good time to review the drawbacks of working from home. Most work-at-home moms don't start out with a full-time telecommuting position right away. The work-at-home lifestyle is usually something you build over time. In fact, you may need to build up your savings first. Plan to start small. If you're moving from the office to telecommuting, maybe try just a couple days a week at first to see how it works for you and your employer. And, of course, if you're building a business that takes time.

•Child Care - Figure out how much and what kind of childcare you'll need.
•Ground Rules - Adjusting to working from home can be a difficult transition for you and your family. Clear rules and expectations can ease the way.
•Home Office - Find a place of your own, somewhere within your house, and set it up with all the home office essentials.
•Organization - Systems for organizing for both life and home may have to be created or tweaked to make working from home go smoothly.
•Building a Nest Egg - Starting small can mean a reduction of income in the short term, so you must plan for this.

If after mulling all your options and thinking out the practical aspects of becoming a work at home mom, you've decided to start looking for a work-at-home job, then here are some job listings for work at home moms.

•About.com's Job Search - Search this database of national job listings for your field of work with "telecommute" or "work at home" as additional keywords.
•Companies Hiring for Work at Home Jobs - Alphabetical directory lists companies hiring people to work from home in fields ranging from customer service and data entry to PR and travel.
•Resources for Finding a Work-at-Home Job - Alison Doyle, About.com's Guide to Job Search, gives tips on finding legitimate jobs to do from home as well as list employers.
•Find a Freelancing Writing Job - About.com's Guide to Freelancing maintains this listing of job sites for freelance writers and editors.
 •List of Work-at-Home Call Center Jobs - These companies hire home-based call center agents.
•Determine a Work at Home Job is Legit - Many ads and job postings targeted at work at home moms are scams. Know how to tell what's for real.
•Telecoa's List of Companies that Use Virtual Call Centers - Nonprofit organization maintains a list of companies that hire work-at-home agents for their call centers.

But do your research and be sure opportunities are legitimate. Learn how to spot a work-at-home scam.

MY THOUGHTS

i am seriously looking into work at home opportunities. no traffic, more time for family,less stress (?). i'm sure this will work.

why work from home scheme (telecommuting) will not work

Telecommuting -- why it will never work
The home office is not the best use of a company's workforce and seldom helps the bottom line
By Howard Levitt, Postmedia News
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Telecommuting+will+never+work/3716819/story.html

Working from home or, more poignantly, "not" working from home is the biggest boondoggle in the employment marketplace.

Lobbying groups react with outrage to this suggestion. And no wonder, in addition to their inherent conflict of interest, teleworking has become politically correct. Worse, as employers move toward flexible working arrangements to accommodate the participation in the workforce of women, single parents, the disabled and retirees, its usage is increasing.

Yet, when employers analyze their bottom line, they find that teleworking seldom provides value.
That should not come as a surprise for several reasons:

NO CROSS-POLLINATION
Teleworkers are unavailable to exchange ideas with their colleagues at meetings, beside the water cooler or over lunch, let alone integrate with the team. However, the more meaningful relationships you have with co-workers, the more you are relied on for your valuable input. This problem is exacerbated when supervisors and co-workers leave, and you need to develop relationships with new ones.

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND
When there is a project to be assigned, managers first consider the person immediately available. In my experience, most teleworkers become under-utilized, in part, because employers stop assigning them meaningful work because they are not in the office. Increasingly, they miss the opportunities their coworkers at the office enjoy.

CORPORATE CULTURE
Increasingly, successful organizations have distinct cultures that enable them to succeed. Employees who seldom are in the office, cannot become familiar with their employer's style and values.

NO INSIGHT
It is difficult to produce good work if you don't understand your company's imperatives. Personal interaction with a supervisor provides the facility to understand the employer's needs, direction and personalities.

UNAVAILABLE
Even diligent teleworkers lack immediacy and reliability when decisions are made and work is assigned. In many cases, I have represented clients who terminated a teleworking arrangement when the employee more than once failed to answer the phone and often did not return urgent business calls for hours.

NO SUPERVISION
Not all employees are self-motivated. Some require monitoring, at least occasionally. In many of my cases, my firm has been able to establish the employees, who were supposed to be working, instead were conducting personal errands, visiting friends, even working elsewhere. I recently had two cases where my client learned, only after terminating the teleworking relationship, that the employee had been working for other employers at the same time -- a deception enabled by the teleworking policy.

NO NEW DUTIES
Many functions cannot be performed from outside the office. When the work being performed at home reduces, it is often difficult to find other work for the teleworker. Once accustomed to the lifestyle of working from the comfort of their own home, these employees invariably resist returning to the office.

DISTRACTION
Before approving a request to work from home or in dealing with an existing arrangement, there are a few things employers should consider:
- Only approve this for employees who work on commission, are paid by piecework or are otherwise remunerated solely based on discernible performance.
- In existing teleworking arrangements, are you obtaining value or has the employee been largely forgotten while receiving the same paycheque?
- Have a contract permitting the employee's reversion to working from the office, at any time in the future, if the employer prefers it.
- In the absence of such a contract, provide working notice of the return to the office. Otherwise, the court might deem the change to be a constructive dismissal.
-- Howard Levitt, counsel to Lang Michener LLP, practises employment law in eight provinces.

MY THOUGHTS
telecommuting is not something that can be implemented without much thought.  there are jobs that can be done from home but there are certain positions that need to be at the office.  work from home schemes can work with well-thought of procedure and with people who's mature enough to be left on their own.

work at home entrepreneurs should beware of scammers

Scammers target desperate job seekers
Schemes that ask for money to set up clients in jobs that never materialize are proliferating, watchdogs say.
October 23, 2010|By Stuart Pfeifer, Los Angeles Times
One in a series of occasional reports about the U.S. unemployment crisis.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/23/business/la-fi-job-scams-20101024

Many of these schemes have been around for years, promising people who send money a chance to work as bartenders, home inspectors or "secret shoppers" for retail chains. But with nearly 15 million Americans out of work, consumer groups and law enforcement agencies say these scams are multiplying as con artists capitalize on the misery of the unemployed.

"It's an epidemic. It's opportunity time for fraud artists, and people are so desperate to earn a living that they easily fall for the scam," said Ellyn Lindsay, an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles who has prosecuted several of these swindlers. Although federal authorities don't keep statistics on employment-related fraud incidents, the Better Business Bureau says such cases are on the rise.

The bureau received nearly 3,000 complaints about work-from-home scams in the first eight months of this year. That's more than double the 1,200 it received in the same period in 2007, just before the recession began, said Alison Southwick, spokeswoman for the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Ida Jimenez, an unemployed mother of four from Fontana, said her attempt to work from home cost her $200 she couldn't afford to lose. It all started with an unsolicite e-mail: "If you have 60 minutes a day, here's a certified, proven and guaranteed way to make $225 and more every day, the easy way — from home!"
There was just one catch: She had to pay $197 for a guide before she could start processing manufacturer rebates from home. It seemed like such a good opportunity. After all, somebody has to do the paperwork on those things, she figured. Jimenez cut bac on grocery purchases until she'd saved enough money to get started. The guide never arrived. Jimenez spent weeks pursuing a refund, then gave up.

Crooks are counting on it. In contrast to investment fraudsters, who often seek big money from a small number of victims, job scammers aim to fleece large numbers of people for small amounts. Their hope is that victims won't squawk over modest sums, allowing the schemes to grow, undetected by authorities. The unemployed are particularly inviting targets because they have few resources to fight back.

A weak labor market is hurting the U.S. recovery, but it's been lucrative for scammers, who are bilking unemployed workers out of millions of dollars in fees to steer clients to jobs that never materialize, watchdogs say.

MY THOUGHTS

evil.simply evil. how can they even think of capitalizing on someone else's misery?