Finding Legitimate Work At Home Jobs

Telecommuting has become one of the fastest growing segments of the job market. Work at home jobs appeal to just about everyone – from mothers with young children to retirees who want to make a few extra dollars a month. Along with the growing market in work at home jobs, though, has come a growing number of unscrupulous ‘businessmen’ who prey on the desire to make money and enjoy working at home.

There are definitely legitimate work at home jobs out there, but there are at least as many scam ads promising big money work at home jobs that require no skills and little time investment. How do you tell legitimate work at home jobs from frauds that are designed to prey on your desire to better yourself? There’s no foolproof method, but there are some warning signs that can tip you off to a work at home jobs scam.

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
   It’s been said about everything from get-rich-quick schemes to One-Day-Only-Sales, and it’s just as true in the field of work at home jobs. If an ad offers big earnings for almost no work, chances are that it’s too good to be true. Look for companies that offer realistic estimates of the money that you can make with their work at home jobs offers.


2. Expect to pay reasonable fees for services – but not to pay for a listing of companies that offer work at home jobs.
   One of the most quoted bits of advice you’ll find when considering work at home jobs is that you should never pay anything for access to job listings. This is only partly true. One of the newest styles of work at home jobs is freelancing – whether it’s database entry, writing, illustration or programming and design. If you’re looking for short-term freelance work at home jobs, then you’ll find that the best jobs are often posted on freelance boards that have a small membership fee for job seekers. In that case, the membership fee gives you access to bid on jobs that are posted by companies who are looking for contractors NOW – not companies who sometimes hire people to do work at home jobs.


3. Know what you’re paying for.
   If you do answer an ad that offers information on work at home jobs, do your homework. Find out exactly what you’re paying for. In most cases, there are far better ways to find work at home jobs than paying $39.95 for a book that tells you where to look for work at home jobs.


4. Network with workers in work at home jobs.
   You’ll get lots of information on companies and work at home job offers from other home workers. Join the discussion forums at one of the work at home job sites and ASK about the company you’re considering doing business with. Chances are good that someone has heard of them, and most home workers are happy to share tips and advice on sorting out scams from legitimate work at home jobs.


5. Check with your Better Business Bureau.
   Your local Better Business Bureau keeps records of complaints against all sorts of companies. Before you send off money to someone promising to help you find work at home jobs, check with the Better Business Bureau to find out if there have been any complaints against the company.