6 Tips For Avoiding Work From Home Scams
© 2005 Jordan Williams

It seems like everyone is being flooded with advertisements on how you can be a millionaire by working at home. I see it when I turn on the TV, I see it when I read a magazine, I see it when I surf the Net, I see it everywhere! We just can't escape the latest get rich quick scheme. It seems like everyone and their grandma is trying to sell you that pie in the sky dream of living the perfect life. So the question comes up, is it truly possible to make a living by working from home or are all these advertisements we see just another scam?

The good news is yes, it is possible to make a decent living by working from home but you need to be cautious. You especially need to be aware of online "get rich quick scams". In this article I am going to cover 6 tips to help you discover which business opportunities are for real and which ones you should stay away from.

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1) Do they have contact information?

Obviously scam artist don't want to be found. So do they have all their contact information on their web site? Such as their company name, phone number, and address? It's also important that they have a physical address and not just a P.O. Box. Once you have their phone number you should call them and ask them any questions that you have.

2) Are they a legal company?

Has the company been legally registered in their country? Each country has different laws in this regard, but in the United States you want to make sure that they are set up as a legal corporation. Look at the company name and see if there is a LLC, Inc., Corporation, Incorporated, Limited, Ltd., Corp., or Enterprises at the end of it. You can also do a search at Google and see if it is registered in that state. Just type in "search for corporation (name of state)" and you can find any registration data.

3) How do they accept payments?

Another sign to look for is how they have set up their payment system. Have they taken the steps to have their own merchant account? If not then are they using a reputable 3rd party payment system? If they are using a 3rd party payment processor then make sure that you can dispute any charges made to your account. Paypal is a good example of a reputable 3rd party payment processor. On the other hand I would stay away from any company exclusively using payment systems such as Stormpay or E-gold.

4) Do they offer a real product?

Do they offer a real product with real value? Most business opportunities that are scams won't even talk about a product or all they offer is a bunch of ebooks or other worthless products. If they are a legitimate company then you should be able to make money by selling their product or service. If the only way to make money is by recruiting other people to join then this is a sure sign of a scam.

5) What are other people saying about it?

It is always good to know the experiences that other people have had with the business opportunity that you are researching. You can take a look at forums where people talk about their experiences with home based businesses to get a good feel of a company. You can find some forums by searching for mlm forums, work at home forums, or home based business forums on Google.

It's also a good idea to get some referrals from the company itself. When you call or email them, ask them for some contact information of other members. That way you can get in touch with these members and see how it's working out for them.

Another good resource to check is the "Work-at-Home Sourcebook" by Lynie Arden which has more than 1,000 home business and franchise opportunities, complete with realistic descriptions of what the work entails, how much it pays, up front costs, projected incomes, and addresses and phone numbers to facilitate contacting specific companies.

6) Do they make outrageous promises?

Starting a home-based business is just like starting any other kind of business. It requires time, effort, and money. Be wary of any company promising you big money with little or no effort involved.

There are literally millions of people making a living by working from home and it's possible for you to be one of them. Just remember to use these 6 tips to find a legitimate work at home opportunity.

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© 2005 Jordan Williams who is the owner of WebCashLink.com giving people the tools and resources to grow a successful online business. http://www.webcashlink.com
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