Popular Work at Home Scams and the Gullible Home Business Opportunity Seekers.

The Internet is exploding with all kinds of Scams. Searching for a legitimate work at home business opportunity is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Some of the Work at Home Scams that capture the imagination of gullible people are, envelope-stuffing, craft assembly, chain letter e-mails, data entry jobs, and business opportunities.
It is very unfortunate that the most vulnerable in society are the victims of the work at home scams. Stay at Home Moms, Retirees, Students and even the Disabled people, anxious to earn some quick money are the victims and often their desire to start a new home business is gone for ever.

1. Envelope Stuffing:

The Scammers promise you a dollar or even five for folding newsletters or broachers and sealing in an envelope. The whole thing appears so simple and attractive that you are determined to join up by paying a fee. To your utter dismay you will soon find out that there is no such company to do business with, except some useless advice on how you can make money by envelope stuffing.

2. Craft Assembly:

These schemes trick you to invest in a start up fee of a few hundred dollars to buy raw materials, promising to buy back the assembled products. Again to your utter dismay you will find out that payment for your products are not forthcoming. The excuse being that your products are sub-standard.

3. Chain Letter e-mails:

These scams tell you that you can make several hundred thousand dollars by sending an e-mail along with a specified amount of money by mail to the top names in a list after adding your name at the bottom of the list. Your name is supposed to move up the list thus enabling you to receive money from new members. The trick here is to manipulate the names of the scammers to be at the top and fraudulently make money. Joining this can land you in serious trouble.

4. (MLM)/ Pyramid Schemes:

There are well known legitimate Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) schemes while at the same time there are Pyramid schemes that pretend to be MLM schemes. If your financial success is dependent largely on recruiting others rather than selling useful products or services then this MLM business opportunity could be a Pyramid scheme and you should keep away from this. Pyramid schemes are illegal in many countries and you can be charged for participating in these schemes

5. Data Entry Jobs:

Here the scammers falsely promise you data entry jobs through which you can earn money working from home and without any need for traveling to an office. In order to get these data entry opportunities, you need to register online on the scammer's website and pay registration fees, and only after you register you can get started. Once you realize that it is a scam and that there are no data entry jobs as such, you will naturally want your money back. Unfortunately you will not get a refund in spite of their "money back guarantee". You can thus loose a couple of hundred dollars or even more. There is no denying the fact that there are genuine providers of data entry jobs.

6. Business Opportunities:

The advertiser offers the business opportunity to the gullible opportunity seeker to make huge sums of money for doing almost nothing. There is no need for selling, or promoting the product. They promise to look after everything. Most of these scammers do not have any address. They will provide only a phone number. There will be no one there to answer your call except a message requesting you to leave your message, name and phone number.

Conclusion:

Always read the advertisements carefully. If the business opportunity promoted, sounds too good to be true, then the sooner you move out and look elsewhere the wiser you will be. You will have probably saved yourself from work at home scams and continue to maintain your enthusiasm to start a legitimate home business.

Copyright © 2008 Kanaga Siva.

Kanaga Siva is an experienced Author, Internet Marketer and Social Worker. For more Information on Scams and Identity Thefts and Internet Marketing you are welcome to his Website and Business from Home Ideas Blog.