Make $10,000 a month from your own home!
HURRY! It’s easy! Don’t miss out!
We are only hiring three people for this AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!
Such advertisements usually claim that you can make a lot of money from the comfort of your home, stuffing envelopes, processing medical bills, assembling products, processing rebates, typing, selling a few items to friends and family and recruiting them as distributors to do the same, or something similar.
As an amputee who may face mobility and accessibility issues, you might be tempted by such work-at-home opportunities. And while working at home can be a great option for some, there are many things to consider before answering such an ad. Most important, keep in mind that many such “opportunities” are actually scams.
The following are a few tips to help you avoid becoming a victim:
1 Beware of outrageous claims that sound too good to be true. It’s hard to believe that you can make $10,000 a month from your home for only working a few hours with no education or experience related to the job. A company could easily hire locals to do most of these types of jobs for minimum wage. Why would they pay you $10,000 a month?
2 Beware of offers that rush you to act now with the threat of losing out if you don’t. Scammers don’t want to give you time to think about an offer and do research that might change your mind. They need you to act immediately.
3 Beware of any company that asks you to pay in advance for materials, training, certification, or inventory needed to do the job. There’s a good chance that you’ll receive nothing or materials worth far less than the money you sent.
4 Research the company on the internet. Did you find negative reviews and complaints? Is the company known by the Better Business Bureau and your state consumer protection office (www.usa.gov/state-consumer)? While a lack of complaints is a good sign, it does not guarantee the company is legitimate. It may have started recently or may have changed its name to stay ahead of law enforcement.
5 Ask yourself if there are any reasons you should trust or distrust the company. Do you know anyone you trust who has worked for it and speaks highly of it? This is a great sign. Online praise for the company by strangers is not as valuable. It could be fake.
6 Do not provide any personal information to a company until you are sure it is legitimate. A company’s fraudulent application may ask you for private personal information such as your social security number, birthdate, and credit card or bank account information. All of this could leave you vulnerable to identity theft and result in money being stolen from your accounts or credit cards being set up in your name or charged without your permission.
7 Don’t be afraid to ask questions until you are comfortable. If the company can’t answer or seems frustrated by your questions, that’s a bad sign.
8 Instead of responding to ads that you find accidentally, take the initiative to seek out work-at-home opportunities that are known to be legitimate.
9 If you decide to pursue an opportunity, get the details of the proposed agreement in writing and read the terms carefully.
10 Learn about the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) Business Opportunity Rule, which helps ensure that people get the information they need to evaluate companies offering work-at-home opportunities (https://bit.ly/2W2ud3N).
Being aware of the dangers of work-at-home opportunities and being careful could save you a lot of money and trouble. If you suspect that a company is making fraudulent claims, complain to the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-1. You might also save others money and trouble.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2HfDjqq.
