Our panel of health writers.
If you’re looking for work you can do from home. do your research thoroughly before you sign up. There are lots of seemingly reputable people and companies offering you the chance to make money that turn out to be running scams.
What all scams have in common is one aim: parting you from your money and giving nothing back. It may be a demand for upfront payment, or a request for your bank or card details. Many will ask you to pass on details of the bogus opportunity to your friends or post it on social media.
Online scams are the most common. You may see jobs offering payment for surfing websites, clicking on ads or filling in online questionnaires.
It may sound like an easy way to earn some extra cash, but you'll often be asked to pay an upfront fee. The tasks are then so time-consuming, you’ll be lucky to earn back your original payment.
Baby modelling can be tempting when you’ve got a beautiful little one you want to show off to the world. But be warned - lots of modelling agencies are not what they seem.
Reputable modelling agencies will never ask you for a fee upfront to represent your child. They won’t ask for you to pay for professional photographs to be taken either. An agency should only take money from you in the form of commission, when your baby is paid for a modelling job.
Some companies offer legitimate opportunities to build a business franchise. Direct selling, where you sell products on behalf of a company to your friends and neighbours, is a popular option for mums who want to earn extra cash.
Just be wary of companies that say you can make a large amount of money in a short space of time. It’s best to do some research before committing any money to a franchise.
Some companies advertise administrative or secretarial positions that you do from home. A legitimate home-working job will pay you a regular income, require you to have certain skills, and give you a supervisor to report to.
Only apply for positions with large, reputable firms that ask to see your CV before offering you work. Once you have accepted a job, you should receive a contract detailing the terms of your employment.
These tips will help you to avoid scams:
- Always be sceptical. There’s no such thing as a get-rich-quick scheme. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Never part with your money. No professional organisation, business or agency will ask you for money to work for them. Don't give out copies of any identity documents, such as your passport or driving licence, unless you’re positive the opportunity's genuine. If you upload a CV to an online job board, don’t include any financial information or valuable information about your identity. This includes your national insurance number. Always ask for details about the type of work you’ll be doing. If the response is vague, steer clear. A genuine employer will be happy to explain the job fully to you and provide a job description. Never reply to emails or social media messages offering you a job you haven’t applied for, or asking you for a fee to apply for one. Do a background check on businesses offering job opportunities. Check the contact details of anyone advertising work-from-home jobs and be wary of PO box addresses and premium rate phone numbers (starting 09). Email contact addresses should have the company name, rather than a free webmail service such as Yahoo or Hotmail. If you know the company's website, look carefully at the name in the address bar. Scammers can copy a reputable firm’s website so that it looks like the real thing. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. You can also see who registered the website using a WHOIS database (a list of every website in the world). Find out what other people are saying about the company in forums and on social media, or ask other BabyCentre mums in our community.
For more advice on avoiding scams, visit:
Last reviewed: October 2016
