16 July 2008
Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid, of Working at Home
Posted by David Gates under: Business .
Are you tired of working for your boss? Do you want to break free? Is it possible to generate a handsome income from the confines of your bedroom? These and many other questions need to be answered. I have hope for you. But first I have to scare you. There are excellent work-from-home programs that will give you the freedom you desire. Several Internet sites offer outstanding ideas for starting a home business. But there are many more that are set up with the sole purpose of stealing your hope and taking your money.
It really is true that the rapid technological and social changes caused by the Internet and electronic commerce (e-commerce) have allowed millions of people world-wide to earn a decent income working online jobs.
As they say, though, there are two sides to every story. For every person who has been able to succeed in their efforts to work from home there are others who have spent a few thousand dollars and ended up with nothing except frustration and betrayal.
There are thousands of web sites which make grand claims about earning a six-figure incoming doing very little. Any simple web search for ‘online jobs\” or ‘work for home’ will find you many. The problem is - which one can you trust? All of them have pictures of a glamorous life with pools, fast cars, large houses, but is it real, or just hype?
It is certainly difficult to tell the real from the bogus. Some tell-tale signs may help you pick the scammers out, though. Companies that try to lure you in with professional-looking photographs of aircraft, expensive cars, homes and a luxurious lifestyle are probably bogus. They probably bought the photographs from a stock photography company. Look for realistic-looking photographs - the sort an ordinary person might take as a snapshot.
Look carefully for outrageous or unbelievable claims. Nobody is going to make a million dollars in their first year in any legitimate online business. Companies which are genuine are not going to make such crazy claims. Only trust companies which have a solid and positive track record at industry watchdog organizations. Online forums are extremely useful ways to read other people’s opinions of companies, and to discover genuine online jobs.
There are many legitimate home business reviews on the Internet. Review them before you spend any money. It’s too easy to fall prey to bogus companies with dodgy businesses.
Most of the fraudulent companies ask for a one-time membership, usually falling between $35 and $97. Some are the real thing, some are not. There are many companies which do provide you with genuine ‘work at home’ opportunities. But before spending even a dollar, do your homework. You’re not just saving the initial 97 dollars, because once you pay a scam, they keep coming after you for more and more money.