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Legitimate Work-from-Home Programs
Yes, there are a few legitimate work from home "programs", mostly
call centers. And aside from one or two that require a $30
background check, you should never pay any fees upfront -
that is a sure sign of a scam!
These appear to be legitimate. We have no relationship of any
kind with them, we receive no fees, payments or anything from them.
We're not recommending them, only saying that they appear to be
legitimate. If you want to work from home and have at least
minimal computer skills, we'd recommend your own hobby blog, specialty
website, eBay or Yahoo store instead. See this website for how to
do that:
http://www.consumersguidetomakingmoneyonline.org/
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AlpineAccess.com
- Virtual call center - provider of customer service solutions using
home-based employees.
-
ConvergysWorkatHome.com - Be an independent contractor home agent
providing customer care, human resources and billing services
-
eLance.com - Links freelancers with employers in
many areas, such as IT, graphic design,
writing, engineering, translation, marketing, accounting and administrative and
legal services
-
GetAFreelancer.com - Europe's version of U.S.-based
freelance sites. They are based in Sweden and have a
subscriber base of 65,000 freelancers around the world.
- Guru.com -
Freelancers: Market your skills, find online freelance work, and
get paid safely.
- IntelliCare.com -
Call center company for clinical and non-clinical telephone services
to healthcare providers, plan administrators and healthcare managers
- LiveOps.com - Virtual
call center using remote and home-based agents. This is one of the few that
requires applicants to pay in advance for a mandatory background check
($50).
- MSVAS.com -
Vvirtual assistant training programs for U.S. military
spouses and U.S. Department of State Foreign Service spouses
- TeamDoubleClick.com
- Virtual assistant program
- WAHM.com -
Work-at-home mom resource (online magazine)
- West.com -
Provider of "at-home-agents,"
- WorkingSolutions.com -
Offers positions as home-based customer service agents
- WorkplaceLikeHome.com -
Discussion forum to find work at home job leads
How to check out a work from home scam
- Ask for a street address, not just a PO Box, and
find out as much as you can about the company and
its operations.
- Ask to talk to other employees - and to ensure
they are for real, visit them to see what type of
work is involved and how they are organized.
- Ask to see examples of the final product and the
work required.
- Ask what materials are supplied, or not
supplied.
- Ask how you will be paid - and in what currency.
- Ask where the business is incorporated and where
it's business license is filed.
- Research the product - is it a viable
money-maker, and are the proposed returns
achievable?
- Do your sums - ask yourself whether the time
required to do the job, in conjunction with the
start up or material costs, match the returns to be
expected.
- Use common-sense: if you have never heard of the
product, or their products are very expensive or
there is a fee to sign up as a "distributor" or
"consultant", those are tips that it is a
multi-level-marketing scam.
-
Click here for the United States Postal Service's
pdf explanation of work from home scams.
Questions to Ask
Legitimate work-at-home program sponsors should tell you - in writing -
what's involved in the program they are selling. Here are some questions you
might ask a promoter:
- What tasks will I have to perform? (Ask the program sponsor to list
every step of the job.)
- Will I be paid a salary or will my pay be based on commission?
- Who will pay me?
- Will I be expected to send money via Western Union?
- When will I get my first paycheck?
- What is the total cost of the work-at-home program, including supplies,
equipment and membership fees? What will I get for my money?
The answers to these questions may help you determine whether a work-at-home
program is appropriate for your circumstances, and whether it is legitimate or
simply a scam.
You also might want to check out the company with your local consumer
protection agency, state
Attorney General and
the Better Business Bureau, not only where the company is located, but also
where you live. These organizations can tell you whether they have received
complaints about the work-at-home program that interests you. But be wary: the
absence of complaints doesn't necessarily mean the company is legitimate.
Unscrupulous companies may settle complaints, change their names or move to
avoid detection.
Where to Complain
If you have spent money and time on a work-at-home program and now believe
the program may not be legitimate, contact the company and ask for a refund. Let
company representatives know that you plan to notify officials about your
experience. If you can't resolve the dispute with the company, file a complaint
with these organizations:
- The Federal Trade Commission works for
the consumer to prevent fraud and deception. Call 1-877-FTC-HELP
(1-877-382-4357).
- The Attorney
General's office in your state or the state where the company is
located. The office will be able to tell you whether you're protected by any
state law that may regulate work-at-home programs.
- Your local consumer protection offices.
- Your local
Better Business Bureau.
- Your local postmaster. The U.S. Postal Service investigates fraudulent
mail practices.
- The advertising manager of the publication that ran the ad. The manager
may be interested to learn about the problems you've had with the company.
Read the fine print on the commercials!
Almost all of the scam work-from-home schemes advertised on television have
fine print briefly superimposed along the bottom of the screen, usually while
something distracting is being shown, like a pretty blond in a bathing
suit talking about how she bought the mansion behind her with the money she
earned. Crazyfox.com and other commercials typically say:
- "There are no guarantees of specific income nor are there any
representations of actual income.
- Amounts stated are for illustrative purposes only and are not
typical.
- Persons depicted are paid actors."
The Crazyfox31.com website has this at
the bottom:
- The incomes depicted are not typical and
represent a small percentage of actual participants. There are no
guarantees that participants will be able to achieve the income levels
depicted. Each individual's success will be determined by his or her
desire, dedication, effort, ability to follow directions and personal
talent. The actual contents of success kit may vary than what is
depicted.
On another Crazy like a fox alias website, www.49chance.com you will
find this statement (seen on May 5, 2008):
- There are no guarantees of specific income,
nor are there any representations of actual income. Amounts stated
are for illustrative purposes only and are not typical. Persons depicted
are paid actors.
Those statements ought to be a BIG clue that they are selling you an
illusion... in other words, a scam. Read the statements again.
Essentially they are saying that everything you hear the paid actors saying is
NOT typical and will not be backed up by anything.
ther printed small print negates almost everything the actors are saying.
Generally, you're paying for a pretty
worthless booklet which tells you how wonderful it would be to be your own boss
and make big money, set your own hours, etc., but no plan or details on how to
achieve that.
Of course, when you ordered the "kit" you gave the scammers your name, phone
number and address; which they will promptly sell to many other companies who
will then start calling you to sell more services and schemes.
Examples sent in by visitors:
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