BEWARE: Signs of a job scam

Earn $$$ Without Leaving Your Home! No Experience Necessary! Be Your Own Boss From Your Own House!

Have you seen ads like this? They appear in flyers in your favorite store, emails, newspapers, and websites. They promise a steady, or high, income for home-based work. But the reality is these jobs can be a waste of your money, time and energy.

Work-at-home scams can take many forms. Here are three of the most common types:

• Assembly work: You invest your own money to pay for materials and produce items that a company has said it will buy—but when you complete the work, the company often decides not to pay because the work does not meet certain "standards." In the end, you’re stuck with a bunch of products that cannot be sold and your initial investment is long gone.

• Envelope stuffing: For a fee, scammers tell you how to earn thousands of dollars stuffing envelopes at home. But once you pay, you find out the promoter never had any work to offer. Or, in another variation, a fraudster may encourage you to get your friends and relatives to buy the same envelope-stuffing “opportunity” or some other product; the only way you can earn any money is if people respond the same way you did.

• Medical billing: Medical billing scammers charge a fee of hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars, claiming to provide everything you supposedly need to launch your medical billing business—from the software program to process the claims to a list of potential clients. But, companies that make these offers don't provide contacts in the medical community to get the business started. In fact, most doctors' offices process their own medical claims or contract out to established firms, not individuals working from home.

Before you become involved in any work-at-home activity, and especially before you invest your hard-earned money, ask questions:

• What tasks will I have to perform?

• Will I be paid salary, or based on commission?

• Who will pay me?

• When will I get my first paycheck?

• What is the total cost of the program - supplies, equipment, membership fees? What will I get for my money?

• What is your refund policy?

And do your research: check online for the company or promoter’s name along with a word like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam” and see what pops up. You can also check out the company with your local consumer protection agency or the Better Business Bureau to see if other people have reported on their experiences.

How to report a job scam:If you’ve been targeted by a job scam, contact the State Attorney General’s Office, and file a complaint with the FTC

This is a message from AARP Washington and the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. If you or someone you know has been a victim of identity theft or fraud, you can contact the AARP Foundation Fraud Fighter Center at 1-800-646-2283 for help.

Sign up to receive future Fraud Watch Network alerts online. Also be sure to share this alert with your family and friends so they know how to spot the common strategies scammers use and have the tools they need to defend themselves against their tricks.