Scam Alert: Fake Check Job

I received this email the other day from a “Mrs. Kahn” who wants my help in collecting delinquent debts. She reports wanting my help and counsel, but the email is sent to undisclosed recipients and isn’t even addressed to me (Dear Sir/Madam). This tells me its gone out to thousands … maybe even millions of people.

Other red flags:

1) Typos in particular using “i” instead of “I” to refer to herself.

2)  “10% of every debt you collect from any delinquent customer and then the Company will instruct you on how to send the rest balance to their End.” Legitimate companies may hire debt collectors, but those collectors don’t accept the debt payment and then send it to the company. Instead they arrange for the debtor to pay the company directly. Anytime a company asks you to accept checks on its behalf or use your personal checking to help it do business, you should run away as a fast as you can. The checks you receive will be fake. If you cash them, eventually the bank will contact you about the fake check and want its money back. You can also be arrested for passing a fake check.

Here is the copy of the email. I have removed all phone numbers and emails.

Dear Sir/Madam

My name is Anita Khan living in Ontario Canada i am sending you this Request for a possible Representation in my Organization i serve as a Representative of Asia Pacific Microsystems Inc. in Canada/USA Region i act as their Collective Agent here i.e i recieve payment from delinquent customers.

The Reason why i am writing you this email is to seek your counsel and know if you will be able to take up this job as i am on holiday and will not be returning till the next 3months.

Here are the Benefits if you wish to take this Job

1. $3,500 Every month as your Salary.

2. 10% of every debt you collect from any delinquent customer and then the Company will instruct you on how to send the rest balance to their End.

If Accepted kindly contact Mr John Change of (APM) he will advice you of Next step to Follow.

His Details are as follows.

Full Name: John Chang (Mr)
Phone Number: Tel (General):(Removed by WAHS)
Fax (General): (Removed by WAHS)
Email: (Removed by WAHS)
Position At Work: Vice Chairman/Administration / Asia Pacific Microsystems, Inc.

Do contact him by email and advice him of the following details from you

FIRST NAME:
LAST NAME:
OCCUPATION:
CONTACT ADDRESS :
HOME PHONE NUMBER :
CELL PHONE NUMBER:

Thank you and do have a lovely day

Mrs Khan

Remember, stay away from any “job” that wants you to use your personal bank account to help it do business!

How to Research a Work-At-Home Job

One of the most challenging parts to getting a work-at-home job is determining whether or not the job announcements you’re finding are legitimate. The free job boards and many websites are filled with offers of high paying jobs that turn out to be duds or scams. The first step to any successful work-at-home job search then is to weed out the good offers from the bad.

Keep Your Emotions in Check: One of the most important things you can do to avoid work-at-home scams is to not let your emotions get involved. Scammers are brilliant copywriters who are able to use their offers to get you excited about the prospect of paying off debt, being home with children or making tons of money in a short time. They do this because they know buying decisions are made emotionally. Therefore, keep your head in the game. Legitimate jobs don’t use hype or promise you the moon because they’re not selling anything.

Go through the scam check list: If the job asks for money to hire you or wants to sell you its own equipment or software, it’s not a job. Other scams to watch out for include envelop stuffing, assembly work, payment processing, any job asking you to use your bank account to help the company do business, email processing, rebate processing, repackaging, and any offer that uses the word “guarantee” in relation to income. Employers don’t offer guarantees; they offer a salary or a wage.

Read the job description: If you get to the end of the job announcement and you don’t know what the job entails, it’s likely not a job. Work-at-home job announcements are like traditional job announcements in which the employer gives the job title and description, a list of requirements, and instructions on how to apply.

Do your research:  Visit the company’s website, which should not be hosted on a free site (i.e. company.freehost.com). It should also be professional looking with easy to find contact information. Use a search engine to find information about the company. Type in the company’s name along with the word ‘scam’ to see if anything pops up. Visit quality work-at-home or scam forums to see if anyone has shared experiences with the company.  You can check the Better Business Bureau to see if there is any negative feedback and if so how the company responded. However, not all companies are in the Better Business Bureau and not being a member doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a scam.

Proceed with caution through the process: Sometimes scams don’t reveal themselves until you’ve started the application process. So take each step with care. Don’t give your social security or other information that can be used to steal your identity during the hiring process (employers will eventually need your social security number, but not until they actually hire you). If you’re asked for money for anything besides a criminal history check, walk away. You should never have to give payment information for a job. Work at home jobs are just like traditional jobs, so if during your job search process you’re asked to do or provide something a traditional employer wouldn’t ask for, stop the process and assess.

Work-at-home jobs are prevalent, but so are the scams and schemes used to trick you out of your money. Protect yourself and stay focused on finding legitimate jobs by taking time to research and evaluate job announcements.

Buying a Business Checklist – What you need to know before you buy!

Did you know that you can start a business today…right now? While building a business from scratch has its own advantages, buying a business is one of the fastest ways to start working from home. There are many advantages to buying a business including brand recognition, working systems, existing customers, available inventory, and support and training. Nevertheless, buying a business also comes with potential problems and issues such as costs, risks, and sometimes limited control such as when buying a franchise.

There are four different ways to buy a business:

1) Buy an existing business that was started from scratch by someone else.

2) Buy a franchise.

3) Buy business opportunity

4) Buy into a direct sales company

All offer a host of advantages and disadvantages, so before signing a contract and paying your money, do your research and get answers to the following questions.

Buying a Business Checklist

Below are a set of questions you should answer before buying a business whether its an existing business, franchise, biz op or direct sales. This is a generic checklist. You can get business type specific check lists such as Franchise Buying Checklist in The Work-At-Home Success Bible.

1. Who is the seller/company? Did he/she start the business and if not, who did?
2. How long has the business been in existence? How long has the seller owned it?
3. Why is it for sale?
4. What is the price? How was the price determined?
5. What does the price include?
6. Is there inventory? What is its value?
7. Are there any equipment or materials included in the sale?
8. Does the purchase include ownership or use of logos and the brand?
9. Is a customer database included? What is the size and purchase history?
10. Does intellectual property rights convey with the sale (trademarkes, patents, copyrights)?
11. Will the seller provide training and support?
12. What is the current financial state of the business? Debs? Assets? Accounts receivable?
13. Does the business/seller have contracts with specific ventors/contractors and will those relationships transfer to you?
14. Is the business required to operate under any laws, franchise or license rules, or other agreements?
15. What is the history and track record? What are the last two years of sales and returns?
16. What current marketing campaigns are running?
17. What is the reputation of the business?
18. What is the quality of customer service?

What is crucial to know is 1) what EXACTLY are you getting for your money. If you buy a business but the sale doesn’t include the brand or customer database, you actually aren’t buying very much. You also want to make sure you’re not buying a business that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Finally you want to know what laws or legal obligations the business is required to work under or uphold.

Scam Alert: Fake News Sites Promoting Work-At-Home Opportunities

Scammers are always looking for ways to make their money-stealing schemes look legit in order to dupe you. For awhile now, many have been using website that look like media outlets to promote their scams. These sites look like they belong to a newspaper or t.v. news station on which they are “reporting” a work-at-home story. They even include videos and other items that make the information seem real.

But don’t be fooled. There are a couple of ways to evaluate these sites.

1) Many actually have the work “Advertisement” at the top (as this example does). Some also have disclaimerss at the bottom. These types of sites are hoping you’ll not see these things. However, if these aren’t present, don’t assume its a legitimate page because many scammers won’t let you know.

2) Report is vague about how people are making money at home. All legitimate news reports on working at home focus on something like home business, direct sales, telecommuting, etc. If they are profiling a specific person, they will reveal what that person is doing to work at home (i.e. what company they work for or business they started).

3) Report doesn’t cover scams. I’ve been on and in several news media outlets and nearly all of them are skewed towards skepticism when it comes to working at home. They spend a lot of time talking about scams and providing information about avoiding scams.

4) All (or nearly all) the links go to the same website. Legitimate news sites have links that go to all sorts of resources, weather, travel, etc. In the example above, the “politics”, “sports’ and other links all go to a 404 page not found. All other links go to a single work-at-home opportunity.

5) The one program it presents doesn’t pass the scam test. If you find the repot compelling and decide to check out the offer, put it through the test. Often you’ll find it won’t pan out.  Things like Auction Listing Agent, Web Marketing Specialist, Rebate Processor are all going to be scams or deceptive schemes (pretending to be a ‘job’ when its not).

To avoid being scammed, take time to learn about working at home as well as learning how to evaluate work-at-home options. Work-At-Home Success offers many tips and ideas, and you can check out the Scams page to learn how to research opportunities to avoid scams.

Scam Alert – WAHS Doesn’t Produce “Work At Home Success Kit”

I received an email wanting a refund on a product called “The Work At Home Success Kit”. This is not the first time I’ve been asked to refund money on a product I don’t sell. But not only do I not produce, sell or any way affiliate with the Work-At-Home Success Kit, but I would caution you against getting it as it appears to be a Google Money Scheme (check out my post on the old WAHS Blog about Google Money Schemes). While Google offers ways to make money through its services, these schemes are deceptive and sneaky in the way they continue to bill you month after month. Google has started taking action against these scammers.

To stay safe and get a refund if you need it on anything you buy online:

1) Always write down or bookmark the site you’re purchasing from. That way you can go straight to the source.

2) Save all email receipts and packing slips. These will have email and other information to help you find the company you need to contact.

3) Use a credit card over a debit card or checks online. Its easier to reverse charges and stop payment fraud. With debit cards and checks, you may have to close the account and open a new one to stop on-going charges.

Truth about Surveys, Data Entry, Rebate Processing and More

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simply find a great income earning program that didn’t require too much skill and yet paid well? While working at home is straight forward and fairly simple, its not always easy and it ALWAYS requires work. When you run across a work-at-home opportunity the promises big pay for easy work, you need to be skeptical and do your research.

Data Entry, Typing, Rebate Processing, etc: The truth is that you won’t find legitimate work in typing, rebate processing, repackaging, email processing, most data entry ads, envelope stuffing, and assembly work. So my suggestion to you is to not even bother looking at these offers. They are scams. For more information on protecting yourself, visit the scam page here at WAHS.

Surveys and mystery shopping: While you can make a few bucks and often get free stuff, you can’t make a living off these options. Further, most sites that charge you money to do surveys aren’t actually survey sites. They list survey sites. Real survey sites are free to join as are mystery shopping sites. I list a few in the free report that comes with the newsletter subscription here at Work-At-Home Success.

If you’re serious about working at home, start your journey by reading the articles posted here and on the WAHS blog. The more you know, the faster and easier it will be for you to become a Work-At-Home Success!

WAHS Approved Resources

Below are a few of the many work-at-home resources that WAHS has used and/or reviewed and found to provide helpful content or a legitimate way to make money from home. Please remember that there is no fast and easy way to make money at home. All work-at-home options require research, planning and work! Read the details of any work-at-home resource or opportunity to make sure you understand what they offer.

Home Jobs Stop – Find work-at-home job announcements in a variety of areas including administrative support, customer service, and more.

Become a Virtual Assistant - Learn what it takes to start you’re own successful virtual assistant busines.

Make Money Blogging – Learn step-by-step with video and written materials on how to set up a money making blog from a mom who paid off over $70,000 in debtthrough blogging.

Affiliatenaire by the great Jimmy D. Brown offers a step-by-step approach through an email course in making money with affiliate marketing in just a few hours a day.

SuperAffiliates.com - There are many good affiliate marketing resources, but I like Ewen Chia’s SuperAffiliates.com membership because its tons and tons of information, monthly resources and a business-in-a-box, and easy to follow video and written tutorials.

Make Money Giving Away FREE Satellite TV -  Especially in today’s economy with people wanting to save money, and satellite being less expensive than cable, giving away the system plus offering special deals, is a great way to earn an affiliate income from home. VMC pays $120 for each system install you give away (see site for complete details). Click on “Affiliate Program”.

Also check out Work-At-Home Success’ Recommended Resources for approved or recommended work-at-home ideas, tools, and more.

Scammers Stopped! FTC Halts Massive Cramming Scam That Took in $19 Million

“A U.S. district court judge has ordered a halt to the illegal practices of an Internet services company that crammed unauthorized charges onto the telephone bills of thousands of consumers and small businesses for services they never agreed to buy. At trial the Federal Trade Commission will ask the court to halt the practices permanently and force the defendants to give up their ill-gotten gains.

The FTC charged that Inc21 and its affiliated companies sold Internet services, including Web site design services, Web site hosting, Internet directory listings, search-engine advertising and Internet-based faxing, for charges ranging from $12.95 to $39.95 a month.

The FTC alleged that the defendants hired off-shore telemarketers to call prospective clients. Sometimes the telemarketers offered a free trial, without explaining that consumers would have to take certain steps to avoid charges. In other cases the telemarketers said they simply were calling to verify their business contact information.”

Read the entire press release at the Federal Trade Commission.

Scam Alert: IF YOU CAN PROCESS 30 EMAILS PER DAY, THEN YOU’LL EARN $750 EVERYDAY!!

I hate these emails. People get duped into these scams all the time. But there are no jobs (or businesses) as email processors. These scams are on online version of envelope stuffing. Essentially you pay $25 to learn how to send the same email you responded to get other people to send the email to get even more people send $25 and so on. There is no actual product or business making it a scam and therefore something the Federal Trade Commission would take action against. If you participate, you could be liable too even though you’re a victim (ignorance is not a defense when duped in perpetuating a scam).

SCAM EMAIL:

Subject: IF YOU CAN PROCESS 30 EMAILS PER DAY, THEN YOU’LL EARN $750 EVERYDAY!!

Below, You Can Earn Online!!!

How many emails can you process a day?
If you can process 30 a day you’ll
earn $750.00 everyday straight in your Paypal Account!

You Are Guarant’eed to be Paid Instantly for Each Email
You Process! This is an easy, profitable opp0rtunity to earn
$1000′s every week.

SPECIAL PROMO: 50% DISCOUNT ON THE FIRST 50 SUBSCRIBER
CLICK Below ON THE PROMO CODE TO AVAIL 50% LESS

This is your Link:
Removed for your safety

Watch Out for Fake Census Takers

The Better Business Bureau issued a statement that said American’s should be cooperative to census takers, but be cautious. Scammers are notorious for pretending to be part of a legitimate group in order to gain sensitive information from unsuspecting victims. The Better Business Bureau gives this advice for determining a census taker from a scammer:

• If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

• Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, it will not ask for Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers nor will employees solicit donations.

• Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail or in person at home.  However, they will not contact you by e-mail, so be on the look out for e-mail scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an e-mail that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Top Scams of 2009

Better Business Bureau offices all around the country are sharing their top complaints for 2009. While they vary slightly in order, nearly all list the same types of scams. Here are the top scams of 2009:

• Advance Fee Loans
• Door-to-Door Sales
• Friend/Family in Distress
• H1N1 Flu Scams
• Home Improvement Scams
  
• Lottery and Fake Check Scams
• Job Hunter Scams
• Mystery Shopping
• Phishing E-mails
• Robocalls
• Teeth-Whitening Offers
• Weight Loss Pill Free Trial Offers

We should all resolve to be better consumers in 2010 because I doubt the scammers are resolving to be better people in the coming year.

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