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SOHO's Beware: Complaints filed against companies offering work-at-home scams has more than doubled. As more job seekers get online, these scams thrive. Generally, outside of the Internet, advertisements for work-at-home opportunities are also found in the classified sections of local newspapers or national tabloids. While not all offers are phony, many are.
Here's what happens: You see an advertisement promising money for work you can do at home. The work ranges from addressing or stuffing envelopes to sewing, wood work or crafts. Often, the ads give only vague details about the type of work you'll be doing. They may ask you to send a self-addressed stamped envelope for more information. In response to your inquiry, the company sends information saying you must pay an up-front fee before you can start working. They claim the charge is a registration fee, a deposit on materials, or a fee for a list or booklet naming companies that will hire you.
One of the most common scams offers to pay $3 or $4 per envelope you address or stuff. You send the company $20 or $25. They promise to send you a list of companies that want you to do the work. What you actually get is a list of companies that either do not exist or do not pay people to stuff envelopes. Or you receive instructions on how you can place ads like the one you answered and get unsuspecting consumers to send you money.
Other work-at-home scams involve asking you to pay for a book or list of companies that will pay you to do crafts such as sewing or frame-making in your home. When you contact the companies on the list, you find they do not really pay you for that kind of work, or they require a payment before sending the work materials.
A WORD ABOUT MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING
MLM's: If you are approached by a friend or family member who wants you to get involved in multi-level marketing, think carefully before you jump in. A multi-level distribution company is one that sells goods or services through independent agents, contractors or distributors operating at different levels. Each level uses a different rate of pricing or discounting from the other levels. Often, people who join multi-level marketing programs are promised big bucks for selling a product and convincing others to join and sell it, too. But because you often have to buy the product first, you can invest a lot of money and get stuck with a product you can't sell. Instead of making money, you lose it. You might also find that getting others involved isn't as easy as it sounds.
Strength In Numbers: SOHO Jobs Weekly does not allow scammers in our publication. We do not accept advertisements for job offers from any organization that charges a fee to our job seekers. Jobs must be real, legitimate and worthy of your efforts. After all, we SOHO'ers have to stick together if we are going to wipe out work at home fraud. Please report scammers to us at stopscams@sohojobs.org
Take Action! Use PlanetFeedback to get your money back or warn others. File a free complaint now! Complete a customized letter with the details of your experience. You decide who gets a copy on your letter: friends, elected officials, other companies, etc. PlanetFeedback will send your letter, by e-mail, fax or postal mail. Sit back and get results. It's Free!!
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