Avoid Scams that Target the Elderly and others who Work at Home
Working from home is a fantastic way for retired people who can’t make ends meet, moms who want to earn some extra money and still watch the children, and others who are unwilling or unable to work outside the home. Every woman who wants to become a Wahm has traveled down the same path. Unfortunately, that path is littered with scams and traps to take money and time from vulnerable elderly citizens and younger women looking to make money from home. With a little common sense and extra research, you can find legitimate work at home opportunities.
The first step is to search for jobs in the right places. Don’t simply click on ads to find work. Try to find helpful groups by searching the forums at the AARP or groups of like-minded WAHMs who have found successful work at home jobs to guide your search. You can try searching on message boards or finding e-mail groups for ideas of where to start your work at home job search. Many of these working elderly and work at homes can give you insight into which work at home opportunities are actually worth your time.
Keep in mind that there are no real ways to get rich quick on the Internet or by working at home. The only people who get rich are those who are scamming others. Never believe an ad or an “employer” who claims that you will get rich instantly. In fact don’t believe anyone who claims you will get rich–read my lips–it’s not going to happen! However, you can make some extra money and maybe even generate a decent income if you are willing to put in the work and the hours.
There are more than a few red flags to look for when you are searching for Internet jobs. You should never have to pay for work or job lists. There are plenty of free listings available that can provide tons of work at home opportunities. Companies that want to charge you for lists of jobs are just trying to get your money. The lists are often filled with dead job leads, or lists of companies that want to charge you money. Many work at home scams will also require you to pay a start-up fee or cover the cost of “necessary” training. Again, legitimate jobs will never require you to pay them any money for you to work.
Another warning sign is if the ad or website tells you to “act now.” Most of those count down clocks, and dates etc. are programmed in…come back tomorrow or the next date, the date will have changed, and there will still be some available to purchase. So, you should always take the time to do your research before joining a company and never, ever feel pressured to make a decision right away. In fact if you Google the name of the product using some pertinent keywords, you can probably find that same product being sold by a few dozen other people for more or less money.
If you are unsure about a company, do some research on the Better Business Bureau website. The BBB has files on all businesses that have had complaints filed against them. You can see what other people have to say about a particular company and be steered away from scams.
There are some scams that have been around for years that should be avoided at all costs. These business scams have unfortunately been successful for the scammers, so they continue to take the money and time of vulnerable elderly citizens and other struggling work at homes. If you see an offer for any of the following types of jobs, run the other way.
Envelope stuffing is a common scam, although it is being seen less and less these days. These jobs are normally listed as mail service jobs, and then you are asked to pay for a start up kit. After you receive a start up kit, you are given instructions to place your own work at home ads. You basically just sell the start up kit to other people and become a scammer.
Craft assembly scams can take many forms. Typically, you receive a set of crafts to complete with instructions. You generally pay for the set and then are told you will be reimbursed for the kits and also paid for their assembly. After working hard at assembling the kits and returning them, you will be told that your work is not up to their quality standards. You will be out the cost of the kits, and they will sell your crafts anyway.
There are legitimate jobs out there for work at homes of all ages and skill levels, but you have to do some research on the opportunities first. If you do your research and are careful, you can successfully work from home and never be scammed.
For free software and other tools to help you in your PPC advertising and to manage your online business visit us at
MyLadyWeb’s Complimentary Websites
Smiles and Good Fortune,
Teresa Thomas Bohannon
**********************
It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent.
– W. Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Filed under: Teresa's Online Business Advice on September 17th, 2009 | No Comments »
