Work at Home and Home Business Toools & Resources

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Spot and Avoid Home Business Scams


It is so easy to get caught up in the many work at home and home business scams that are floating around. If you spot any of the following within a home based business ad, it more than likely is a scam:


  • "No experience needed!"

  • You can work just a few hours a week and still make hundreds of dollars.

  • You can make hundreds of dollars a week working from home.

  • You are forced to make a speedy decision. They may get nasty.

  • The ad is vague: it does not describe the nature of the business, but they claim you will make a ton of money.

  • You're asked to call 900# for more information.

  • A friend, relative, acquaintance tells you to come to a meeting at their house. They can’t tell you what it's about until you get there.

  • The ad contains a lot of capilalized letters’S and !!!!!!.

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Here is a sample of a scam ad I recently came across. Note the vagueness of the ad:
"Earn $30,000 per month. Retire in 5 years. Now Accepting applications. Serious Inquiries only. Does not cost you a penny!! www.somewebaddresshere.com 604-720-xxxx"


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How to check to see if a home based business is a scam:

  • Call the Better Business Bureau (in the state the company resides in) to see if there have been any Home Based Business Scams complaints against the company.

  • Ask the company if you can talk to any of their happy customers. Please be aware that companies can and will give you false customers to talk to. If these people sound way too happy, they too can be part of Home Based Business Scams of this bogus company .


What to do if you are a victim of a home based business scam:

  • First, contact the company who was involved in home based business scam and tell them you want your money back. If they refuse, then tell them you will notify law enforcement officials.

  • Contact your local Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the BBB in the state the scam originates.

  • Contact the Attorney General's Office in your state.

  • Contact the editor of the publication that posted the advertisement of the scam.

  • Contact the National Fraud Information Centre at 1-800-876-7060 . Their web site is updated frequently for alerts or new Scams.

  • Contact the US Postal Inspection Agency if you received home based business scam information via the mail.

The Federal Trade Commission (202-382-4357) and Direct Marketing Association can provide more information on work-at home and home-business schemes.