Legitimate Home-Based Business Offer or Somebody Else’s Home-Based Business Scam?

We’ve all daydreamed of the wealth and freedom that a home-based business can provide. And the extra income and flexibility they seem to promise is even more alluring when times are tough and budgets are barely balancing (if they’re balancing at all).  Scammers’ claims prey on these very ideas and hopes: “Be your own boss. Work from the comfort of home. Make unlimited income — quickly and kiss that tedious commute goodbye.”

The promise gets better because it’s “forever. And all, for only $19.95!”

On any given day, check your postal mail, your e-mail and your voicemail. You’re sure to find offers for high-paying, home-based job opportunities that require little-to-no skill and only a minimal investment of time. Usually, those making the offers stand to benefit financially in significant ways and, so, are relentless in their approaches.

“Many people, feeling the strain of a struggling economy fall for these pitches because, during times like these home-based businesses look more attractive than ever,” said Dan Norris, a counselor in GreenPath’s Immediate Counseling Group. “Although legitimate offers exist, many sources claim that up to 90% of home-based business opportunities are scams. We don’t ever want to see our clients taken by them.”

So before you jump at the opportunity, check out these hints to help you ensure that your home-based business opportunity is in fact an opportunity, rather than a future financial problem.

Five Scam-Avoiding Rules to Live By

1. NEVER pay to work! You wouldn’t pay to interview with a company, would you? Beware of offers that require fees to learn more. If “start-up materials” are required, make sure they have a real-world value — see the next step.
2. Research, Research, Research. Get your Google on. Talk to others. Find out everything you can about the company and business being offered. Make sure the company has a reputable name, a physical address, and a telephone number that you can use to cross reference your research.
3. Beware of incredible claims. Every scammer promises unlimited wealth for easy, unskilled work. So if a claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Like any line of work, a home-based business will require skill, effort, and an investment of time.
4. Be patient. Avoid high-pressure, limited-time offers. If you’re looking to start a home-based business, you have a lot of work ahead of you — so don’t let anyone rush you. Also, avoid divulging any personal financial information on forums or message boards – scammers prey on desperation.
5. Delete your spam. There is a saying “If it’s spam, it’s a scam.” Fraudulent offers for home-based businesses almost always arrive as unsolicited e-mails. And the better the offer sounds, the less likely that it is legitimate.