Avoid "Work from Home" Scams: Tips & Advice

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In summary, most of these schemes are scams, and if you're thinking about joining one, be very wary. Work from home scams typically require a lot of time and money to participate, and you're not likely to see a lot of return on your investment.
  • #1
Drakkith
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"Work from Home" scams

Hey all. I'm looking at various work from home websites that supposedly will pay you for posting ads and various other tasks. However I am a little skeptical of many of them, especially ones that require you to purchase 100 bucks for a kit to be mailed to you. Has anyone had any experience with any of these sites?
 
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  • #2


I would categorically stay away from any of these where you have to pay them to start. If you don't have to pay them to start I'd get some really good idea of the work to pay ratio before you do any work for them. It could easily turn out you'd be getting peanuts for an inordinate amount of effort. That may be how they operate: get as much work out of a newbie before that person realizes how poor the returns are and quits.
 
  • #3


Yeah, further investigation has informed me that most of the sites are simply scams.
 
  • #4


Makes me think about Jimmy Snyder's Nigerian Princess.
 
  • #5
  • #6


There are things that you can do from home. Most require actual skills that have been acquired out of the home, though. You can't just hook up with a "work from home" scam and start making money. It doesn't happen that way.
 
  • #7


Tired of your day job?
Want to work from the comfort of home?
For $100 I will send you a kit on how to set up a website where you ask people to send in $100 for a kit on how to work from home.
Or stufffing envelopes from home - stuff 3000 envelopes a day for about $30/day for about time-wise 15 hours a day.
Not a good choice.
 
  • #8


256bits said:
Tired of your day job?
Want to work from the comfort of home?
For $100 I will send you a kit on how to set up a website where you ask people to send in $100 for a kit on how to work from home.
Or stufffing envelopes from home - stuff 3000 envelopes a day for about $30/day for about time-wise 15 hours a day.
Not a good choice.

I'll take 3!
 
  • #9


You want to work from home? Have kids!
 
  • #10


99% are scams.

And anything to do with Nigeria = scam!
 
  • #11


256bits said:
Tired of your day job?
Want to work from the comfort of home?
For $100 I will send you a kit on how to set up a website where you ask people to send in $100 for a kit on how to work from home.
Or stufffing envelopes from home - stuff 3000 envelopes a day for about $30/day for about time-wise 15 hours a day.
Not a good choice.

Speaking of envelopes.
The worst one I have seen yet said it was willing to pay $12 per envelope stuffed. I almost wish I had called to find out how they were trying to manage this.
 
  • #12


JonDE said:
Speaking of envelopes.
The worst one I have seen yet said it was willing to pay $12 per envelope stuffed. I almost wish I had called to find out how they were trying to manage this.
For 120$ dollars I'll tell you :)

Our Fraternity was inundated by a info session for a "This is not a pyramid scheme" pyramid scheme. While we were duped into allowing them to give their presentation to our group, we were not duped into participating. To be fair, we are a co-ed professional engineering fraternity so they didn't have the wow factor working for them with their amazing manipulation of numbers.

Just to be clear, because your pyramid scheme is branched using a binary system. The branches of your binary system still stack into a pyramid. (In case the only method you use to identify pyramid scheme is by drawing a picture of course.)

I would give a link to their site, but I don't think that is allowed on PF.

On the up side, we marked the session as a professional development for that semester so it wasn't a total waste of time.
 
  • #13


I once got dragged to a presentation not knowing what it was all about. (Turned out it was Nu-Skin).

I put up my hand when they started describing their structure. "So, 6 tiers of 15 people, results in ...mmm... 15^6 ... 11 million agents, or 66 million customers - more than every man woman and child in the country."

Man you should have seen the tizzy they flew into trying to shut me up...
 
  • #14


I "worked from home" for several years. I'd spend 5 days a month at my clients' sites gathering information, and spend the rest of each month working from home, developing training materials and engineering updates.

You can't make a lot of money "working from home" unless you happen to have spent a lot of time and money enrolling in a medical-transcription program or something similar. Stuffing envelopes sure isn't going to cut it.
 
  • #15


I think they're all scams. I doubt there's even one that's legitimate, or nearly worth the time and effort. I think THEY'RE the ones who spread the myth that "some are legitimate", just so people don't give up hope completely and still keep trying them out.
 
  • #16


turbo said:
I "worked from home" for several years. I'd spend 5 days a month at my clients' sites gathering information, and spend the rest of each month working from home, developing training materials and engineering updates.

You can't make a lot of money "working from home" unless you happen to have spent a lot of time and money enrolling in a medical-transcription program or something similar. Stuffing envelopes sure isn't going to cut it.
There is a huge difference between having a legitimate job and working out of a home office and going for one of these get rich spamming on the internet deals.
 
  • #17


The best one I've seen, was a secret device for sale, guaranteeing to cut your power bills in half - and at only $87 !

(The sent you a pair of plastic scissors)
 
  • #19


Though the pay is probably too little and too irregular for a bread-and-butter job (unless your legal address is in a large metropolitan area), signing up as an online test juror sounds like an interesting way to earn occasional spending money. Does anyone know the particulars?

For regular gainful employment, if you're reasonably educated/knowledgeable and have good writing, spelling, vocabulary and grammar skills (English), online job sites always seem to have openings for competent editors.
 

1. How can I identify a work from home scam?

There are a few red flags to watch out for when it comes to identifying work from home scams. These include promises of high earnings with little to no effort, requests for payment upfront, and vague job descriptions. Additionally, be wary of companies that have little to no online presence or those that ask for personal information such as your social security number.

2. What should I do if I suspect a work from home opportunity is a scam?

If you suspect a work from home opportunity is a scam, do not provide any personal information or payment. Instead, research the company and check for reviews or complaints online. You can also report the potential scam to the Federal Trade Commission or the Better Business Bureau.

3. Are all work from home opportunities scams?

No, not all work from home opportunities are scams. There are legitimate companies that offer remote work options. However, it is important to thoroughly research the company and the job description before committing to anything.

4. How can I protect myself from falling for a work from home scam?

To protect yourself from work from home scams, it is important to be cautious and do your research. Avoid opportunities that promise high earnings with little effort, and be wary of companies that ask for personal information or payment upfront. It is also helpful to check for reviews or complaints about the company before accepting a job offer.

5. What are some legitimate work from home opportunities?

Some legitimate work from home opportunities include remote positions with established companies, freelance work, and virtual assistant jobs. It is important to research the company and the job description before accepting any work from home opportunity to ensure it is legitimate.

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