For stay-at-home parents or anyone else who is homebound, the work-from-home job postings in the paper and online may seem like a perfect way to make extra money. However, many of these jobs are actually scams designed to make money from prospective employees. There are some legitimate jobs out there, but beware of any listings that claim you don't have to have any experience or that the job will pay a lot of money for a little work. If a work-at-home job seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Instructions
- 1
Scour the company's website and read all the fine print. Look for any mention that you'll have to pay any money to get the job, like a start-up fee or for supplies. Some companies will have you pay money at the beginning of the job but will never send you any supplies or any pay. Look for specific information about what you'll be doing. A company that is really looking for workers should up upfront about what kind of work there is.
2Check out the company with the Better Business Bureau. On the BBB website, click "Check Out a Business" and enter the name of the company. From here you can view a report of the company and see complaints that other people have filed against the company. You can also view a grade that the BBB assigns from A+ to F depending on how reliable and legitimate the BBB considers each company. If the BBB doesn't have a listing of the company, this can be a sign that the company refused to give information to the BBB or has started up very recently. Both of these can be signs that the company is running a scam.
3Do an online search for reviews of the company. Search for the company's name with keywords like "scam" or "reliable" to see what others have said about the company. If you see the same kinds of complaints coming up over and over again, it can be an indication of a problem.
4Contact the company. Ask plenty of questions and get the answers in writing. "Entrepreneur" magazine suggests asking questions such as, what tasks will I do? How and when will I be paid? Who will pay me? You should also ask questions about the company's history and who you can contact if you encounter any problems while doing the job. If the person you speak with seems unwilling to give you answers or if he doesn't know the answers, it may not be a legitimate operation.
5Before starting, consult an attorney if possible. You may also want to ask for the advice of a friend who has experience in business or working from home. Ask him to review the website and information you've received and see if there are any red flags. If he thinks the job seems reliable, you should be ready to begin work.
