If you are considering working from home and you are in the process of researching home-based business opportunities, please be aware that there are many unscrupulous folks out there that are trying to rip you off. You? Yes, you. The mother that wants to stay home with her child yet needs to earn some income to help the family pay the bills. The person who is already feeling down on their luck because they lost their job and cannot find another one. The person that feels trapped in a dead-end job and wants to become their own boss, because they know that they are capable of so much more than they are doing now. As awful as it is, it is true. Well-meaning people that are looking for work-at-home opportunities have long been a target for scammers and the scammers show no signs of stopping.
Awareness is the first line of defense, as far as avoiding a scam. Simply knowing that not every work-at-home opportunity that you come across is legitimate will help you to approach your job search with a grain of salt. One important rule to follow is to be ruthless about getting information. You need information in order to be able to assess whether an opportunity is right for you, and the ease (or lack thereof) with which you are able to get it can be an indicator of how the company is to work with in general.
If you are finding it difficult to get information about a particular business opportunity, it could be a scam. Reputable companies like Avon, Mary Kay, and Amway provide interested parties with as much information as they ask for, as well as access to live people when they call to inquire about the business. You will definitely want to talk to someone so that you can get a real feel for what you will be doing all day, every day. Ask what a typical workday is like, how and when they get paid, and other things that you want to know. No question is stupid or too small – this is going to be your job, so you should expect to be able to know as much going into it as you would if you were going to a new job in a workplace outside of the home. If you are unable to learn enough about the business opportunity to decide whether it is right for you, it probably isn’t. Keep looking, and you will either find or create a good work-at-home opportunity for yourself.