Many people get sold on an opportunity because of the claims of making Big Money in a short period of time. This type hype preys on people who are in need of financial help and those that really are not willing to work a business as a business. See my article Are You Treating Your Online Business Like A Business? .
And let us make one thing very clear, scam opportunities can show up anywhere, in your local newspaper ads, on Craigslist, your email or even from a trusted friend who has fallen for the hype.
There are a number of things you can do to check out possible work from home scams. You just have to take the time to do your homework. The Federal Trade Commission has a number of tips and possible safeguards for those wanting to get involved with an online opportunity. Check the FTC Business Opportunity Rule. Under this Rule, sellers are required to give you a One-page Disclosure Document. This Document offers key pieces of information about the opportunity. And you can use the information in the disclosure document to fact-check what the seller of the opportunity is telling you.
Make Sure To Check Them Out
One of the big advantages of the Internet is that it gives you a great way to fact check. You can check what type of experience other people have had. All you need to do is go to Google search and enter the company or principal's name and add +complaint or +reviews or even +scam. Go over what others have said. You might even contact people that you identify as being for or against the opportunity.
In addition you can use these resources to check out the opportunity. It is possible that these organizations might have information to help you decide. Also, when you check these resources, check both in your local area and where the company is located.
We are talking about your money here, so do your homework before you get caught up in work from home scams.
Yet another kind of social media scam that has come under the radar of security officials is the “work from home scam”. This blog explains how such scams work, and how can you steer clear from them.
Work from home scams are mostly linked to people who are unemployed and look for jobs that can be carried out from the comforts of home. Such jobs promise attractive salary and purport better work life. With Internet reaching to every nook and corner of the world, scammers do not have to sweat to lure people into such scams.
How do Work from Home Scams Work?
The main methods that scammers use to execute such scams, include spam emails, advertisements and even noticeboards. Such scams may advertise different jobs so that they attract people from different backgrounds.
Here is an apt example of a work from home scam we came across off late:
We came across a work from home advertisement, offering an easy job of selling products of online warehouse websites. We had to sell these products as daily deals and services on our website. The advertisement also provided with the necessary tools for creating our own website and sell these products. And the more of these products we sell, the more money we bring in. Seems like an easy and decent job doesn't it? Even we thought so. But, when we began to register for the job offer, we landed on a page where we had to make an online transaction of Rs. 4000, as the registration fee. It was at this point that we steered away from getting tricked from yet another online marketing scam.
Our malware team has recently discovered that such adds are being posted on social media sites like Facebook. Here's a screenshot of it.
Work from home adds usually appear on the left or right hand side of the page of a website. Here's an example of an add that purports the employer as Google, promising a ridiculous pay of Rs. 4000 an hour. (Click on the image for an enlarged view.)
At Quick Heal, we feel responsible for informing netizens of these and other types of scams. Comprehensive security solutions like that of Quick Heal come handy in blocking spam emails (which usually carry such advertisements). As far as the adds that appear on websites are concerned, you have to stay wary of them and most importantly, updated about all such scams.
