May 7, 201010 Tips for Avoiding Home Business Scams
10 Tips for Avoiding Home Business Scams
By Lesley Spencer, MSc.
Founder Director of
HomeBasedWorkingMoms.com
Before investing in any home business opportunity, we strongly recommend that you take steps to research the opportunity and the company to reduce your chances of losing your hard-earned money.
Here are 10 tips from the national association of Home-Based Working Moms (
www.HBWM.com
)
Research the company and always check them out with the Better Business Bureau located in their city.
Ask for at least three references of people they have worked with. Call each person and ask about their experiences with the company.
Be cautious of any company that asks for money to make money (such as money for registration, materials or instructions).
Don't be fooled by ads claiming you can make large amounts of money in short periods of time. And be cautious of companies that require you to sign up immediately. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Get specific information (in writing) from the company such as how long they have been in business, where they are located (not just a P.O. Box), how many customers they have, what their refund policy is (read it thoroughly), how long it takes to get paid and if there are any restrictions on payments, etc.
If you do invest in a business opportunity, use your credit card instead of cash. It may be easier to dispute the charges with your credit card company rather than trying to get your money back from a fraudulent company.
Research current scams on web sites such as ScamBusters at:
www.scambusters.com
.
Call the National Fraud Information Center at (800) 876-7060 for information or visit their web site at:
www.fraud.org
.
Report any scams or fraudulent companies to the Federal Trade Commission
www.ftc.gov
, your state's Attorney General and the National Fraud Information Center, PO Box 65868, Washington, DC 20035, (800) 876-7060.
Don't invest in any opportunity that you are not sure about. Instead, find something that you are interested in and will enjoy doing. (Do what you love, and the money will follow.)
Lesley Spencer is founder and director of the national association of Home-Based Working Moms (
www.HBWM.com
) and the creator of Mom#146;s Work-at-Home Kit (
www.MomsWorkatHomeKit.com
). Helping moms find work-at-home success.
Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com
Posted by Staff at 1:43 AM