CRACKDOWN ON WORK-AT-HOME SCAMS
Make big bucks at home stuffing envelopes! Or designing Web sites! Or assembling refrigerator magnets! That last come-on attracted an estimated 30,000 people, the government said Tuesday, announcing a crackdown on some 200 scam operations that falsely offered lucrative work-at-home and other questionable business opportunities.
Ref. https://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C...14094%2C00.html
My wife and I have been victim to these types of scams twice. I know it sounds to good to be true, but the lure of money and not having to work often over comes common sense. I realized that the most money to be made in scams is not with high dollar scams. Our logic was that all we had to pay was 20 dollars, and we where willing to risk it if it would make us money. If it was a scam, then the amount we lost would be minimal. I wonder how many people think this way before they finally figure it out. I finally figured it out when we got two offers in the mail, two different company names, same address to a tee. I knew then that we where being scammed and we turned the letters in to the attorney generals office. A good rule of thumb is that if it sound to good to be true, then it probably is. Have you ever met anyone that got rich stuffing envelopes? I haven't, and if it was so easy, then word of mouth would cause thousands to try it and get filthy rich! Most people could stuff allot of envelopes in a short amount of time. I follow the presumption that if it involves lots of money with very little work, its probably not real.
I've been tempted a few times by these scams, but I knew they sounded fishy, and so didn't respond. But it sure sounds good to be able to make lots of cash for easy work. Part of my desire to work at home is to be there for my daughter. Unfortunately, that's *not* where the money is.
In my opinion, of course.
Roz
International Level: Ambassador / Political Participation: 595 59.5%
I myself admit that I have been tempted in paying a minimal amount of money to work at home, but I've always found the fortitude to resist. Like konquererz mentioned, some of these scams ask for small amounts, and most people would take that risk because if they lost it, they wouldn't feel too bad. The scammers are banking on this fact, and so draw a large amount of people in. Some companies have become as bold as starting to advertise on late night television as well.
International Level: Envoy / Political Participation: 241 24.1%
I've been tempted many times to send off for some new, revolutional money making system. I usually don't but once about 10 years ago I saw something that looked great so I sent off for it. The ad was for currency trading. It said you could work at home, making a 6 figure income trading currencies. It promised a step by step outline of directions to get you going and only cost $25.00. As a bonus, once you sent in the $25.00, they would make the first trade for you, and send you $100 in legal currency from the trade. Well, how could I lose? I sent in the $25.00 and got back $100.00 in Venezuelan money. I checked the exchange rate and $100 Venezuelan was worth less than $5.00 U.S. The instructions they provided had me doing the same thing he did, placing ads in magazines for currency trading, collecting the $25 per customer and sending them $100 in whatever country's currency I could get the best deal with. Your profit in the business was the $25.00 fee you collected minus your ads and cost of buying the foreign currency. I felt so stupid, I didn't even bother to report the guy or try to get my money back. I just let it go and haven't fallen for any scams since.
A friend of mine ran an operation like these and made over $250k his first year.
These types of scams will never go away because everyone wants a piece of the American dream and thats what these scammers fraudently offer.
bear
Edited: THEBEARHUNTE on 3rd Mar, 2005 - 3:57am
Work-at-home job scams thrive on economic trouble
Reid, who can't work outside the home because she cares for her terminally ill father, paid $1.95 to learn how to make money online. Then she was charged another $49.95 but never received anything for the money. Reid is one of more than a dozen people scammed by a company that goes by the names Search Profit System and Money Mastery, the Better Business Bureau says. Ref. Source 1?