Apart from freelancing, how do you avoid scams when looking for other work from home opportunities?

EliteWriter Level 3

June 1, 2016, 7:01 am

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Apart from freelancing, how do you avoid scams when looking for other work from home opportunities?

Even though work from home opportunities may seem to be an ideal option, it is crucial that you choose wisely. There are several work from home scams that you will find online. These are some of the key things I try to be aware of:

1. One of the first things you need to analyze is the ad posting. If the opportunity seems to be almost too good to be true, than in all probability, it is a scam.

2. There are cases where you have to open up classified websites, create an account, and post ads that will be given by them. At the end of the day, if you have reached your target of 1000 ads posted, then you would get $ 3 - $ 5 for the day. Even with such a meager pay, most will even end up not paying, citing a lot of technicalities and the wrong posting techniques.

3. The other work from home job that often turns out to be a common scam is surveys that promise you a lot of money. All you would end up doing is filling the survey, and then the website will tell you that you’re not eligible to get the money, due to certain technical issues such as country of origin. Do not try and put a lot of hope into making money through such websites.

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W130SN

Some good points there, people MUST use their common sense and not let greed or desperation lead them astray.

I would also suggest that people do a thorough Google search of any opportunity. A search like the following can sometimes reveal other peoples experiences: Search = "opportunity" SCAM (add SCAM after the opportunity/job name)

You must carry out your own Due Diligence and never part with any money until you are satisfied that the opportunity is genuine.

10 years ago

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EliteWriter

Yes, one should try to look up reviews on the work from home opportunity he is interested in, and also, never pay anything in advance. That is something that is best avoided as most likely they are just scams trying to steal money from people who are too innocent and trusting.

I think that while we are discussing this subject it is important that if one feels that he may have been subjected to a particular scam, then it is very important to check with the authorities before working for them anymore. The Better Business Bureau for instance, has a list of the authorized websites and companies that can be trusted. You can visit the website to gain more information. You could also visit scam.com, or a simialr website that lists scam business opportunities and related websites that one should avoid. Have a look at that list to gain an understanding about whether the job you are considering working for is listed as a scam or not. And before you register for anything, do your homework, and look up further information so as to avoid scams from the start, not after you have spent time and effort working for them.

10 years ago

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MasterA

I think the most useful way to avoid scams is looking at reviews. There are normally reviews for PTC or surveys websites and if you can’t find any on Google, then something isn’t right and I would avoid that website. However, reviews can be fake and you cannot guarantee that those are true. Therefore, you should look at multiple websites for reviews. If it is a scam, people are more likely to leave reviews and this means there will be something on Google. Other things to be careful with is high payouts; some websites have high minimum payouts so you do lots of work for them and then they end up not paying you. Although some websites with high payouts may be legitimate, this is still something you should be careful with.

If you are going to make a private deal with another person, then I would highly recommend using a marketplace or Escrow services to protect yourself. That may mean higher costs for the buyer or lower profits for you but I think it is worth it overall as you will earn more overall by avoiding scams.

I always use these tips and have never experienced scams.

10 years ago

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hitmeasap

Good points here!
The sad part with all of this, is that these scams still exists due to all naive people out there who ain't able to see things clearly. These newcomers are thrilled because of all fantastic "I made millions with this thing on the internet" type of stories and they end up with nothing after putting in lots of work. One way to minimize the risk of encounter a scam site is to check for reviews. Search on google for the specific site names or scheme as already pointed in here by MasterA. In general I have always kept me away from these kind of things and I've been focusing on providing my own services on SEOClerks for instance. That way I'm totally certain of the fact that I will get the money for the work I've put in.

Best Regards,
hitmeasap

10 years ago

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Corzhens

I am lucky to have been warned by writer friends of the scam sites some years back. They were writing sites that accept articles. You can imagine the huge content those scam sites got from writers for free. For now, I always check with writer friends when I find a tempting site that is not certified. There's also one forum that I go to for information on sites that pay and sites that don't pay.

8 years ago

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augusta

I try to check online to read reviews before joining any site, there's always this red flag because must of this scam site has high cashout rate.So I check out the cashout rate and also if the pay per task is too to be true it might truly be.But important is to read reviews about the site and maybe look for payment proof before joining.

8 years ago

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vinaya

After being scammed from a number of sites and earning programs, I have learned the lesson.
Never invest in HYIP program
Never join the program that sounds too good to be true
Withdraw your earning as soon as you reach the withdrawal threshold
Do a background check and look for reviews.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Taake risk but do not put both of your feet inside the water without knowing the depth.

8 years ago

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