Developing Your Work-at-Home 'Scam Radar'
(c) Copyright 2001, Angela Wu
The work at home market is huge, and growing everyday.
You can hardly be online for one minute before you're
confronted with business opportunities and offers of home
based work.
For the 'newbies' to the work-at-home market, here are a
few tips to help you avoid the scams ...
1. ENVELOPE STUFFING IS A SCAM.
You've probably seen those mouth-watering ads that tempt
you with the promise of $2 (or $3 or $4) for each and
every envelope you stuff.
Does the phrase, 'Too good to be true' come to mind?
It should. In this technologically-advanced era, we have
envelope stuffing machines that can do the work cheaper
and faster than hiring a home worker. Even without a
machine, why would a company pay someone $2000 to stuff
1000 envelopes, when they can pay any number of willing
local workers the same MONTHLY salary to stuff unlimited
envelopes?
This is how it works: Normally you pay a 'startup' or
'materials' fee - or sometimes the scammer states that
the fee is to 'make sure you're serious'.
You stuff the envelopes with a flyer or circular that
attempts to scam another poor soul into parting with
the startup fee.
In all these years online, I have never met anyone who's
made even a single dollar with envelope stuffing.
2. STAY AWAY FROM ASSEMBLY WORK
It sounds so reasonable. You pay for materials and
instructions. They send you a kit. You assemble the
item, and the company buys it back from you to sell to
their own customers.
Reality: you pay the startup fee. You get the kit and
assemble the item. The company rejects your assembled
product because it 'doesn't meet quality standards'.
You can stuck with a ton of junk, which you may or may
not be able to resell to customers you find on your own.
Are there legitimate assembly work opportunities?
Possibly. A healthy dose of skepticism will help to
protect you from potential scams.
3. "NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY" = BE CAREFUL!
"No experience necessary" is most often termed, "Entry
level position" in a real job listing. It isn't too
likely that a company would hire someone with no
experience to work from home because:
- Training them would be difficult.
- Companies tend to prefer telecommuters who have
*proven* that they are capable, independent workers
who don't need supervision.
Sure, there are legitimate companies that will train you.
However, companies that are offering telecommuting work
are likely looking for qualified prospects with proven
track records.
4. DO THE MATH.
There are loads of job postings that state that you can
earn several thousands a month, working 20 hours a week
doing typing or data entry or some other administrative
work.
One I saw recently claimed that the company would find
all of your clients for you. You work 4-5 hours a day
and make $5000/month.
Let's look at the math: Assume you work 5 hours a day,
Monday to Friday. That's 25 hours/week or 100
hours/month. At $5000/month, you're making a whopping
$50/hour just to
type!
This is not at all likely. The company could hire
someone locally, pay her a monthly salary that's LESS
than that, and have her work a full week.
5. IS MONEY THE ONLY REQUIREMENT OF THE JOB?
Above all, legitimate companies are looking for people
who can get the job done. They tell you what types of
skills are required and what your responsibilities would
be. Then they ask for your qualifications, a cover
letter, a resume, and perhaps references.
Scammers, on the other hand, ask for money. So long as
you send them your money, you're instantly qualified!
6. "WORK AT HOME" IS SECONDARY TO THE JOB.
Once again, employers are looking for qualified employees
or contractors. They're *not* looking for
"telecommuters". However, one of the job "perks" may be
an option to work from home.
A headline that screams, "WORK AT HOME!" will attract
every would-be telecommuter, from technical people to
clerical staff to sales people and stay-at-home parents.
It doesn't "pre-screen" the applicants.
On the other hand, legitimate job postings tend to list
the position title, such as PROGRAMMER/ANALYST or
TELEMARKETER. This helps to "qualify" the types of
people who apply for the job. The company's valuable
time is then spent reviewing only potentially qualified
applicants.
7. THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN GUARANTEE A JOB IS THE
EMPLOYER.
There are several websites offering access to databases
of jobs (some free, some for a fee). These jobs are
posted there by employers. Now, the employer is looking
for a specific type of person to fill the position ...
if the website you've joined claims to be able to
guarantee you a job - even though they're not the ones
doing the hiring! - then it's time to look elsewhere.
Please remember that these tips apply to work at home
jobs or opportunities. They *don't* necessarily apply to
the building of a home business! Home businesses are
something else altogether, and may require you to invest
at least a little money up-front. But that's another
topic for another time.
Legitimate work-at-home jobs really are out there! Just
be cautious when considering any telecommuting position.
Don't assume everything you come across is legitimate --
and don't automatically assume it's a scam, either. Be
open to new possibilities and do your research. Happy
hunting!
--------------------------------
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, an exclusive newsletter
for eBusiness beginners. Learn how to build a profitable Internet
business on a shoestring budget! OBB is available through
eWorkingWomen, where you'll also find solid home business ideas,
work-at-home job listings, free eBooks, and much more. Join this
exciting new community today!
http://www.eworkingwomen.com/obb/start.html
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