Work from Home Scams You Need To Avoid – Everything that you need to look out for when you’re looking for extra ways to earn from home.
Have you ever found a job that stops you in your tracks and you think “this is a dream job”?
We’re all searching for that “dream job.” The job that lets us stay at home, make our own hours and make thousands of dollars each week without really even needing to work too hard.
The reality is that everyone is searching for this kind of job. And scammers know that.
Scammers will prey on the hopeful and the hopeless. They know that you are looking for the answer to your prayers for the dream job. They’re even willing to show you how to get your dream job!
The only problem is that the job that they’re offering isn’t a real job. It’s a work from home scam. And it’s all too common.
Work from home scams are anything that gives you these lofty and empty promises for financial stability without ever needing to leave the house. It may sound like a dream, but if you’ve ever been involved in one of these scams, it’s nothing short of a nightmare.
Still not sure if you’ve found the holy grail of work from home jobs or if it’s a scam?
Some known work from home scams:
Bad check scam.
It even says it on Craigslist: don’t accept wire transfers from people you don’t know. In this case, you get an email asking to drive someone around for an afternoon. They’ll pay you something crazy like $2,500 for an afternoon. They’ll send you the check as a deposit in the mail, and it’s a bad check that will drain your account.
Medical billing scam.
“Make thousands every week doing medical billing for over-worked doctors.” You pay for software(that can be bought at Best Buy for less) and classes (that never happen), all for a service that no one wants. (I even saw this ad in a recent magazine!)
Typist scam.
You pay for access to a database that contains no real information. (Note: there are some legit typing work from home jobs, but none of them should ask you to pay for anything upfront!)
The fake website scam.
Pay a few thousand dollars to have someone set up a website for you and run an Amazon-esque site selling small items, of which you’ll get a percentage of the sales. You do nothing but get a sales commission. If you want to do this, make your own blog and join Amazon’s affiliate program.
Name gathering scam.
“Gather names and addresses, and get paid $1 per name!” You pay $30+ for a “registration fee,” send in the names and addresses of everyone you know, then they get sent the same information. Whether you ever get paid is still debatable, but you’re always charged.
Related post: Side Hustles That Work: Make Money Freelance Writing
The Nigerian scam.
A senior citizen from Nigeria or another African country emails you asking for your to keep an obscene amount of money (like $60 million in some cases!) while the country is in political strife. You’ll be asked to pay for the 10% for the deposit fee or the currency exchange fee.
The 1-900 scam.
“Just call this 1-900 number to get your $1,000/day job!” Once you’re on the phone, you’re on hold for hours, and being charged money for every second you’re on the phone.
Rebate processing scam.
“Help companies process rebates and make $1,000+ each week.” Pay for a “kit” upfront for $200+, then never get the kit.
Mystery shopping scam.
“Get paid to shop!” what they don’t tell you is that you need to pay a hefty up-front charge to get access to the database. (Note: there are legit secret shopping jobs, but you’re not going to earn a full-time income from it.)
Legit job search scam.
Enter your application information and get a list of all of the work from home jobs that will meet your criteria… for a hefty fee. They promise a money-back guarantee, then never deliver on it, and never show you any jobs.
Related post: Side Hustles That Work: Make Money Taking Surveys
Data entry scam.
“Get paid for entering 3-4 lines of data each day!” And all you have to do is pay for access to their database. You pay for access, and then there’s never any jobs posted. There never will be.
Envelope stuffing scam.
“Get paid to $1-10 for every envelope that you can stuff!” You pay the fee upfront, but the envelopes never arrive for you. This has been around forever!
Craft assembly scam.
“Build easy crafts from home!” These companies ask you to pay for the “high-quality supply start-up kit” for $500+, but then you never make the money back.
There are thousands of other work from home scams out there in the world. Just remember that no reputable company will ask you to pay for anything like a “processing fee” or for “training supplies.”
The most important thing to remember is to trust your gut. If something just isn’t sitting right with you, but you can’t quite put your finger on it, always trust your gut.
Here are all of my personal favorite side hustles that actually work (I earn a $1,000/month from these odd-jobs):
- Side Hustles That Work: Pay for Date Nights, Birthdays and More Watching Videos
- Side Hustles That Work: Make It, Sell It!
- How to Start a Profitable Blog the Right Way
- Side Hustles That Work: Secret Shopping from Home
- 5 Side Hustles That Pay For My Groceries (and More!)
- Side Hustles That Work: Start a Home Daycare
- Side Hustles That Work: Review Websites, Get Paid
- 5 Signs Blogging Isn’t for You (& 1 Sign You Should Start Today!)
- Side Hustles That Work: Make Money Taking Surveys
- December Blogging Income Report – $5,333
Have you ever found work from home scams? What made you know that it was a scam?
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