How to Avoid Work-at-Home Scams
The times we live in have allowed us the freedom to live in a way that was not an option a couple of years ago.
With advancements in technology, we walk around with many information and capabilities in our hands with our smartphones. Remote work anywhere opportunities are now available to job seekers all around the globe.
These opportunities offer greater convenience and flexibility than traditional office-based jobs. They are favored by freelancers, employees with growing families, retirees looking for ways to earn extra income to complement their meager retirement income, and many others who benefit from the flexible nature of working at home.
Unfortunately, these home-based positions can also be used as vehicles to carry out scams. These phony employers or those offering online business opportunities provide to pretend to have positions available. Still, their only goal is to rob you of your hard-earned cash or to con job seekers into a task that will facilitate questionable acts that are often illegal.
There are several risks in work-from-home scams, including long-term financial losses. In addition, a scammer seeking to make large purchases on your dime might advertise a work-from-home position and require you to send your credit card information, which may lead to severely damaged credit.
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Red flags to watch for
Look for opportunities that offer perks too good to be true, such as a significant income for minimal work.
Be cautious of the job posting that requires you to call a “1-800” number for more information about the opportunity or that you must pay “startup” fees to begin.
Also, look out for phrases like only a few places left, so “Call today,” “Apply right now,” or “Make money fast” scammers do not want you to have ample time to think and examine what is advertised. Instead, they want you to apply, interview quickly, and hand over your personal information. Be cautious of job postings that require you to move faster than you are comfortable with; usually, they cannot be trusted.
Cashing Bad Checks
This scam calls for someone to deposit illegally-obtained money (that is usually you, that is why you were hired) and transfer the funds to international recipients as an “Account Manager” or Sales Representative.” It relies on the team member moving the stolen money from one fraud to another while obscuring the identities of both parties. ( if caught, it could mean trouble for you).
Return Cash Scheme
In this scam, you are sent a check to get your business started; it is usually a large amount, say $4,000 instead of $1,500; you will be asked to send back a smaller check to cover the difference. Eventually, the first check from the scammer will bounce, but the scammer will have already cashed in the actual counter check that you sent back, and you will have lost $1,500
Stuffing Envelopes
In this scam, you must pay startup fees. ( make sure to check out carefully any opportunities that ask for a startup fee)Then, in filling the envelopes to earn an income, you find that a series of “loopholes” that the scammer failed to mention prevents you from making anything.
Entering Data
Data Entry is another work-from-the-home scam; as with all the others, be careful; the scammers usually ask for money with the promise of training materials and resources to get the team member started,
You will have wasted your money on supplies you cannot use for job leads that do not exist.
Pyramid Scheme
The progression of scams like this takes the shape of a pyramid or MLM (multi-level marketing.) I have dealt with this scam in a previous blog.http://sureaffiliatemarketing.com/multi-level-marketing. If you answered this job advertisement by chance, you would learn that the only way to earn money is to recruit others, and the profit from their joining goes toward your earnings and building the pyramid.
In some of these Pyramid Schemes, the product or service being peddled by current members are very good. Still, the prices are so high and the cost of staying active ( you will have to buy a certain amount of product every month ), so you lose, not gain, and studies have shown that only a minimal amount of persons ever earn anything substantial.
Sending Packages
This scam can cause your public record to be tarnished if authorities can tie you to any illegal activity concerning the packages.
You may be required to pay money to start, and the chances of earning a real paycheck from this job are almost non-existent.
These schemes endure because Most victims—typically senior citizens, stay-at-home mothers, and people with low incomes—are too embarrassed to file a complaint; others get so frustrated they walk away altogether.
Working remotely is a convenience offered by many jobs, but searching specifically for ‘work from home jobs’ sends a message to the search engine (and scammers) that working remotely is your primary concern.
Scammers include these words in their job titles and postings because they are hoping that people will be so concerned with working at home that they will take any opportunity that comes their way.
Trust Your Instincts
Trust your instincts. If you have been seeking online work-from-home jobs for a time, you have gone through dozens of job postings. You can now spot what is real vs. fake. This, coupled with the instincts that signal you when something is wrong, can help you to defend yourself against work-from-home scams.
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Conclusion
There are a lot of jobs out there promising overnight success but remember the old saying, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is probably too good to be true.
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Thank you for stopping by and reading this post. I appreciate it, and should you have a comment or question, please leave it in the space provided at the bottom of this page, and I will get back to you.
NOTE: This post includes affiliate links, which, if clicked on and a product purchased, I get a small commission (with no increase in cost to you).
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