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Moms Are Big Target For Work-at-Home Scams
By Liz Folger
They find them on Internet message boards, in their mail and in
their favorite magazines. Mothers are tempted with headlines that
scream, "Moms Make Money In The Comfort Of Your Home Assembling
Crafts."; "A HOMEMAKERS DREAM...Make money passing out samples...";
"COMPUTER USERS Needed -Typing and Word Processing from home...
EASY MONEY, EXCELLENT PAY."
The new trend is showing that moms are wanting to stay home and
raise their children. Finding a way to work-at-home sounds like
the perfect solution. These scams, disguised as ads, sound like
the perfect opportunity.....too good to be true. Unfortunately,
many of these ads ARE too good to be true.
Victims
Lisa, a mother of three, read an ad about how she could read books
and make money, but first she had to buy a book that told her how
to do this. She says, "I bought one of these books only to discover
that no publisher actually hires readers. I also met a man that
swore he made money by reading for publishers and all you had to
do was contact various publishers and offer your services. I spent
a good amount of time contacting publishers all over and absolutely
no one was interested or had any freelance reader programs."
Cindy, mother of five, was scammed over the Internet by a guy she
calls "Richard". She explains, "I was in desperate need of money
for paying bills. I didn't know which way to turn and this "Richard"
sent me an email in response to an ad that I paid for on AOL requesting
word processing, graphic design and accounting jobs that I could
do from my home."
"Richard" seemed legitimate enough to Cindy's vulnerable, poverty-stricken
soul. She explains the scam, "He offered me an opportunity to work
for free. I was to send out emails to thousands of people worldwide.
I would be paid the following week (checks mailed on Thursdays).
As you can imagine, Thursday never came and when I emailed "Richard"
regarding my pay and what was going on, I finally received two responses
from him. One response dealt with a letter I'd sent him about so
many of the email addresses being either fictitious or unheard of,
and the other said that, in order for me to be paid, there would
have to be some positive action in response to my emails. I finally
stopped writing to him and never filed any claims against him because
I realized that I had been a fool and had just been duped." While
Cindy didn't lose money to this work-at-home scheme, she wasted
a lot of hours working for nothing.
Recourse?
Some companies can get downright nasty if you decide you'd like
to get your money back, as Mary found out. She was interested in
medical billing and found a company she thought she could work with.
She signed up with them, but then had second thoughts about what
she had done. She called back to tell them she wasn't interested
due to the research she had conducted on the company. Marie explains,
"The salesman then told me that if I didn't want to make $4,000
- $6,000 a month, I was just stupid."
Moms are being scammed by misleading work-at-home ads every day.
Single moms, disabled mothers, professionals, moms just wanting
to spend more time with their family, moms that are low on cash....are
all potential victims of a work-at-home scam. The majority of moms
who lose their money to a scam never even try to get their money
back.
Liz Folger, Work-at-Home Mom Expert and author of the book, says,
"It's estimated that 6 million people answer classified ads each
year regarding money scams. Don't become a victim yourself. Ads
for assembling crafts, stuffing envelopes, medical billing, reading
books...these are all potential scams ready to steal your money.
Also, keep in mind that if an ad sounds too good to be true - it
probably is."
As outlined in Folger's book, here are 8 ways to know when you're
about to get scammed by a work-at-home ad:
- The very first line states you can make hundreds of dollars
a week working from home. There is no experience needed.
- You can work just a few hours a week and still make a bundle
of money.
- There is lots of CAPITALIZATION AND !!!!!! used in the ad.
- You read an extremely vague ad. You haven't a clue what the
business is about; but boy, could you be making the bucks.
- You're asked to call a 900# for more information.
- For a fee, a company will send you a list of businesses that
are looking for home workers.
- You are forced to make a decision immediately and are made to
feel stupid if you say no to their offer.
What To Do If You Become The Victim Of A Scam
First, write the company that you feel has ripped you off telling
them you would like your money back. If they don't agree with you,
then you need to let them know you plan to notify officials. The
following people should be notified:
If you read about this work-at-home scheme in a magazine, let the
editor know you've been ripped off by these people and you're not
happy about it.
- Consumer Protection Association of America - 888-727-4272
- Postal Crime Hotline - If you were mailed the scam. - 800-654-8896
- National Fraud Information Center - 800-876-7060 www.fraud.com
And for more talk on the subject, stop by Idea Cafe's Biz-Life
CyberSchmooz Work-at-Home
Forum
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