Avoid Working At Home Scams
Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 8:20 AM | Leave Comment
I wanna work at home and make money and lots of it. Who wouldn’t? The rush hour, the commute. Who wouldn’t want to avoid that, skip it altogether? You are promising me so much, I don’t think I can bear it. Work-at-home scams – which attract people in by promising thousands of dollars a week for just a few hours’ work – are not just proliferating in the down economy.
They are also getting tougher to distinguish from legitimate employment offers.
Millions surf the Internet everyday to find a website that tells them exactly what they want to hear. Searching for websites and newspapers looking for work – at 8.5%, unemployment is at a 25-year high – the pressure to find income can cloud better judgment, making scams even harder to detect.
Some scammers go as far as contacting job seekers who have posted their resumes on career websites like Monster and Career Builder. There are plenty of red flags that can help you recognize a work-at-home scam.
Watch out for ads that promise too much
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If an ad promises big earnings for a few hours’ work, with little or no experience required, it’s likely not kosher. However, there are legit companies like AIG that can make you millions overnight.
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Many of these scams also try to create a sense of urgency, telling you that you only have a certain number of days – if not hours – to respond, or there are a limited number of positions left. Again, AIG is a good example. Grab the money while it still exists.
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It’s a tactic borrowed from infomercials that isn’t used by real recruiters.
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Demanding a large upfront fee or asking for your bank account number should also raise your guard.
In a Nutshell
Be very careful when you get an email or come across an advertisement while surfing, claiming they would make you money and lots of it for no work or a few hours a week.
