Scam Alert
Determining if that work-at-home opportunity is legit
QUESTION: I am constantly
hearing about work-at-home opportunities that sound promising, but
when I check them out with the Better Business Bureau, they always
turn out to be scams. Are there any legitimate work-at-home
opportunities out there?
ANSWER: One of the lessons
we learned while writing Home Businesses You Can Buy
(Tarcher) is that legitimate franchises and business opportunities
are as interested in the kind of representative you would make for
their company as they are in selling you on a franchise or business
opportunity package. That is because they expect to make money from
your ongoing efforts, not just from the initial sale.
Despite receiving thousands of pieces of junk mail over the
years, we can't remember ever seeing one from a solid,
legitimate business opportunity. We always forward get-rich-quick
offers to the FTC's complaint section (uce@ftc.gov). Because we live in
California, where spam must always be labeled as an "ADV"
(for "advertisement"), we also send them to the site that
handles complaints for the California attorney general (caspam@cadoj.samspade.org),
who then takes court action against state-based spammers.
| FAST FACT:The Better Business
Bureau receives more inquiries about the legitimacy of work-at-home
opportunities than about any other type of business, reaching a
high of 461,202 such inquiries in 2001.
Source: Better Business Bureau |
| |
Content Continues Below
So yes, legitimate opportunities to work at home do really exist
out there, but they'll be advertised according to their type of
business, not by the fact that the work can be done at home. In
addition, they won't spam you; on the contrary, you'll
usually be the one to seek them out. Some advertise in magazines
like this one; others can be found in various books and directories
describing franchises and business opportunities, and almost all
have Web sites.
The work of many franchises and most business opportunities can
be done at home, so search for lists of companies online. But then
check out their history and the experience of other people
participating in the franchise or business opportunity before you
actually invest.
| RED FLAGS | |
Pretty good signs a
business opportunity is really a work-at-home scam:
- It sounds too good to be true
("Earn $2,000 Weekly Stuffing Envelopes at
Home!").
- You're promised huge
earnings ("If you're not earning $1,000 per hour,
you're selling yourself short!") for an unbelievably small
amount of easy work ("We want 100 lazy people who dream of
making lots of money without working!").
- You feel pressure to decide or make
payment immediately.
- You find unresolved complaints
at www.bbb.org, the Better Business Bureau's
service to help you check out specific companies.
- You're required to pay for a
"job." If payment is required for a work-at-home job,
it's either a scam or an illegitimate business
opportunity.
- Your state requires business
opportunity vendors to provide lists of previous buyers of the
business opportunity, and the company you're interested in
doesn't include one.
|
Paul and Sarah Edwards' most recent book is The
Entrepreneurial Parent. Send them your start-up business
questions at www.workingfromhome.com or in care of
Entrepreneur.