To this day it still amazes me how clever some scammers can be.

Yes it can be said that they still even fool me from time to time!

If you have been involved in any kind of work at home search lately I'm sure you know how overwhelming it soon can get. There are literally billions and billions of web sites on the internet claiming to be work at home specialists.

They all claim to have "Legitimate", "Real", "Free", work at home jobs and opportunities. Some add that you could be "Making $1,000's Overnight" "With Little or No Experience Required, Training is Provided" and it requires "Little Effort & Hardly Any Time" to achieve this new found fortune. In fact some of these $1000's of dollars can be earned just a few short minutes after you fill out their application.

Which leads me to the point behind this article:

There are Little Red Flags (for lack of a better phrase) one should pay attention to when determining if a lead is legitimate or a scam.

Remember the old saying

"If it sounds to good to be true then it probably is to good to be true."

I don't know how many times I have ignored that feeling I get when something just doesn't feel or sound right. I think if I learned to pay more attention to this instinct I could stear myself away from some of the more common scam techniques, and so could you!

Never Pay Anyone Any Money Until You Have All The Facts
I would never pay someone to work for them and neither should you. You wouldn't pay someone to work for them outside the home and you shouldn't pay someone for a job to work inside your home. Now if you are just looking for a JOB that you can do out of your home you need to rid yourself of leads asking for money and move on.

However just because someone is asking for money does not mean its a scam and you should stay away. It could very well be a legitimate business opportunity and a good home-based business can be a very good way to earn money at home. If you are open minded about a business opportunity the lead can still be valuable and you would need to research it further. (You can do so by using the links at the bottom of this article)

If you don't really understand the differences between the two CLICK HERE and read this article.

Another common service on the internet are web sites that charge membership fees to their sites in order to access the list of work at home opportunities they have found or employers have posted with them. The fee is usually small and some of these sites are very legitimate. If the site doesn't look professional or they don't offer you a way to get your money back save yourself some headaches and stay away. Once again you should trust your gut here and this should help you stear clear of most scams.

Guarantee of employment
This one is just plain silly. If a web site, company, or individual tells you that they can guarantee you a position, ignore it and move on. Especially if they are asking for money!

How long has the company been hiring telecommuters?
Usually the length of time a company has been doing business is a good indicator of how reputable a company is. This does not mean that companies out there justing starting up cant be as good. However the risk of being scammed is greatly increased and will require alot of research.

There isnt any way to contact the company or person directly.
If there isnt anyway to ask any questions how can you really research a company? Answering machines do not count as a way of contact.

"Work at Home" are the only words used to describe the position.
Work at home is an over abused phrase. The phrase is often used to peak ones interest. If you have ever been in sales you should recognize the phrase "bait and switch". Bait and switch is a very common tactic used by internet marketers and everyday companies. It is used to lure a consumer in then once they have your attention they try and sell you something else. The same holds true for alot of advertisements you see on this topic. To eliminate the possiblilties of being scammed by these types of ads you should be looking for a more detailed title and description.

Example Ad:
Title: Content Writer Position (gives you a good description of title)
Hours Per week: Part Time 20-25 hrs a week
Job Location:Work can be done at home. (be critical about what they say here)
Job Description: The content writer will work closely with the marketing manager and other management personnel. The content writer will be responsible for overseeing and assisting with an array of content-related and customer service oriented projects. The chosen candidate will never be bored within this rewarding and dynamic position that allows the writer the ability to suggest and contribute their input in a variety of ways.

As you can see this example ad does not raise alot of Red Flags! It does not use the phrase "work at home" loosely. It does not promise you overnight success and money. What it does do is give you a plain, no frills, easy to understand explanation of what the company needs and a brief description on where and how the job is performed.

Pressure - A sense of urgency - Anything used to rush your decision.
Scammers will try and make you feel like you must decide and you must decide now. I don't ever recall applying for a job outside the home where the employer said as I was turning in my application or leaving the interview that I must decide and I must decide now. Usually it ended something like "we have a few more applicants to interview and we will be in touch with you when we have made our decision".

They willing to hire you without asking for your work history.
I have never been hired by an employer for a job outside the home where I didnt have to give them some kind of information about my previous work history. Secondly I have never been offered or taken a position with a company where I havent talked to or been interviewed by some sort of company representative.

Grammar - Spelling Errors - Professionalism
First impressions are always important. How one looks, talks, writes, acts and works effects how we look at them. This should also be applied to advertisements on working from home. Spelling and grammatical errors are small indicators of professionalism and could be used to help determine if the offer is legitimate or a scam.

Ads Containing Free Email Addresses Or Free Hosted Web Sites
Although scammers have gotten better at building more professional web sites this method can still be used to stear clear of many scams. Most, not all, legitimate employers will have their own company domain and email accounts.

Seeing a particular ad with the same title and description posted alot?
Companies tell their marketers that they can only use a certain ads to attract potential customers. This is the reason why you see alot of the same ads posted everywhere. Most of the time they are business opportunities and not necessarily a scam.

Web sites I use to research scams and companies that run them:

Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Fill out the form with as much info as you can on the company your looking at and the B.B.B. will give a Reliability Report on the company in question.

Better Business Bureau (BBB) Work-at-Home Schemes
Lots of great information on old & new work at home schemes and what you can do about it.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Read the commission actions filed against companies that the FTC provides information on. (by month and year)

Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus
Links for more information on scams originating in Canada. Also fraud- and consumer-related press releases from the both the Canadian Conpetition Bureau and Toronto Police Service are available for viewing.

Scambusters.com
Internet ScamBusters Helps You Protect Yourself From Clever Scams -- Online and Offline...

National Fraud Foundation
Site that offers consumers the information they need to avoid becoming victims of telemarketing and Internet fraud.

Article By:
Gary Hughes is the owner of www.real-work-from-home.com, offering free daily work at home job leads & low cost high quality home based businesses. If you have comments about this article, or if you are interested in learning more about how Gary makes money working at home, please send an e-mail to him Here.

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