Work at Home In US: If You Think That It’s an Internet Scam it likely is

Saturday, July 30, 2011

If You Think That It’s an Internet Scam it likely is

Internet fraud or scams are a new twist on something that has occurred for a long time. With our current economy, internet scams that were reported to the BBB at nearly 8,000 in 2009 were only 4,000 only two years earlier according to the Better Business Bureau.

There is work at home internet scams all over the world, including here in America. Not only are there internet scams for working at home, but internet scams also involve training, certification or classes that are provided online.

One example of an internet scam that was mentioned in USA Today, involved a character that used at work at home medical billing scam. This work at home billing scam involved charging thousands of people up to $6000 for training, materials and a licensing fee to allegedly start a lucrative work at home business for medical billing. The FTC or Federal Trade Commission advised that they shut this individual down and in June 2011 he pleaded guilty in Federal Court in the state of Ohio to internet fraud and will be sentenced in August.

There is a company that is going by the name of Search Profit System and Money Mastery that has been identified by the Better Business Bureau as companies that have been scamming customers for money. The example reflected in the USA Today article (http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2010-06-29-workathome29_CV_N.htm)

Indicated one customer paid $1.95 to learn how to make money online. After paying the $1.95 a customer was charged $49.95, but she never received anything for her money. The company simply charged her debit/credit card for the fee.

Another example was a woman that has two disabled children, debilitated arthritis and a husband laid off of his welding job wanted to attempt a job she saw online for Darling Angel Pins. This particular company pays for making the company pins at home and sending them in to the company for payment. She provided up to $600 to get started with the work at home company, but never made any money.

Each time she completed her pins and returned them to the company for reimbursement, the company sited there was poor workmanship and refused to pay her, over and over again. This happens a lot with internet scams. People invest and want to receive payment and cant or never do. Not only did this woman become the victim of the scam so did her disabled mother who also invested $600. None of her pins where ever accepted by the company because of poor quality.

The sad thing is that the Angel Pin Company has been in business since 1986, defrauding and scamming people. However, after filing a complaint with FTC and a restraining order filing they will no longer being doing any additional business.

ConsumerSearch is a blog for consumers that advise there are work at home jobs that are legitimate. Many of the customer service providers and mystery shoppers are a mixed bag of legit and scam artists alike.

Numerous work at home scams have been around for the last twenty years believe it or not. However, our current economy has made them soar with the rate of unemployment and more people searching for work at home opportunities.

Many work at home scams will advise they are not work at home scams or are 100% scam free. Before the internet was available there was envelope stuffing and these unscrupulous people have really began to target a lot of people in dire needs.

In addition to the BBB and the FTC you can also file an investigation or complaints with the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center.

If you are giving the work at home company more than you are actually making, this should be a tip off that there may be a scam taking place. If you are questioning anything about the company, make sure that you verify you are working with a legitimate business.