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Alright, so you decided to work at home. You go to your computer and search for work at home jobs. Wow all these ads come up saying you can make $25 an hour typing, $1000 a week stuffing envelopes or assembling crafts. The best yet, make $1000 a day with your computer while you sleep! Sounds too good to be true? It is!

Never, ever, ever, pay to work from home! If they want money it is a scam! Some of the offers are very tempting, believe me, I know. Hey, I have been there. I have fallen for more than my fair share of scams over the past ten years, I learned the hard way. Keep this in mind. You go to Wal-Mart and fill out and application and the clerk ask you for a $100 application fee, what are you going to tell her? Right? Do I make sense now?

It is also a good idea to check out the company on the Better Business Bureau to see if there were any complaints. I also verify the address and phone number of the company. If possible, contact someone that works within the company to ask about the company, such as how long it's been in business.

Stay away from any ads that offer data entry or any other type of typing at home employment. Every one that I ever came across was a scam.

Also, beware of types of jobs that you apply to that ask you to call an 800 number; you will hear an automated message stating something to the effect of "Thank you for your interest in (whatever you applied for) position. Please press 9 so we can verify your phone line." While you do this, the company secretly switches you over to a 900 number and tries to keep you on the line as long as possible. The charges for these calls are outrageous and can be a real nightmare for you to dispute with your telephone carrier. Some carriers can detect the scam and will disconnect the call and take the charges off the bill, but this is not the case for everyone.

Make sure the job listing clearly states the job description, requirements and lists salary and how often you will be paid. Also make sure if any special equipment or software is needed to complete any tasks that the company provides it. You need to know exactly what to expect before you even apply.

Keep in mind that work at home and home business are different. If you are looking at home business opportunities, you usually will need to invest some money.

The key to avoid falling for the many scams that are out there is to use common sense and if you still are unsure do as much research as you can on the company before you make your final decision.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Moll.
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