Dear Nicole,

How do I choose a Home Business? There are so many scams out there, and I've been burned in the past by “opportunities”. How do you know which ones to trust and how can I protect myself in the future?

Thank you for your help, as always.
Izzie

Hey Izzie!

My good friend, Kristie T wrote this article and I think it's a great intro to Scams 101 and How to Avoid them. Rather than telling you my thoughts, she's already gone over such great information, I'll just share her research with you.

Please feel free to share it with a friend if you know someone looking for an oportunity — or post it on message boards. It's free reprint so that's fine.

Warmly,
Nicole 

How to Avoid Scams and Fraud

People who are eager to start a home business are often new to the Internet and filled with hope. Unfortunately, that can make them easy prey for con artists. The lure of easy money can serve as a difficult lesson for those who fall for it. If you are looking at job opportunities online, it’s important to watch out for scams and get-rich-quick schemes. Many scams are cleverly packaged, making it hard to determine the legitimate work opportunities from the fraudulent ones.

“If you are looking at employment or business opportunities online, watch out for scams,” Tamsevicius says. “Many get-rich-quick schemes are cleverly packaged, making it hard to sift legitimate work opportunities from the swindles.” Common cons include Nigerian letter schemes asking for money, pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes, and “work at home” offers that involve stuffing envelopes or assembling crafts.

Here are some tips for sidestepping scams:

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Any offer that promises to make you rich overnight with a business that works while you sleep is a rip-off. Watch out if a company promises large profits for little or no work, or claims no experience is necessary. If anyone can do it, why should you pay to learn about it?

For that reason, multilevel marketing (MLM) has gotten a bad rap. Granted, there may be some legitimate money-making programs out there, but there are also a large number of overhyped, overpromising, underdelivering scams too.

2. Be especially wary of any company that requires an initial investment to get involved.

3. Be leery of anyone who uses hard-sell tactics or pushes you to sign up right away. Take your time to think about opportunities. If you do find a program that intrigues you, do yourself a favor and check it out first.

4. Double-check the reputation of a company before signing up for its program. Get at least three references from people who are currently involved in the program to get the real story. Find out what strings are attached, how much money it will take to get started, and what the “fine print” says. Also find out how long they have been in business. Ask what their experience has been working with them. How long have they been in business? What kind of training will the company provide? Do they have a good support system for their sales representatives?

5. Read the fine print before you sign anything. If you don't understand an agreement, have a lawyer or an accountant review it before signing.

6. Make sure there is an out. Before you sign ANYTHING, find out what the procedure is to withdraw if you change your mind and what, if anything, it will cost you. If you have to pay startup fees, pay with a credit card rather than cash or check. That way if things go awry you can cancel payment or dispute your credit card charges.

How to check out a scam or potential “business” opportunity:

1) Contact your local Better Business Bureau (BBB). The national BBB web site is www.bbb.org/. There you will find a link to locate the BBB for your area and information on work-at-home scams and how to file a complaint.

2) Check the Scambusters

3) Go to WorldWideScam, offers a funny insight into some of the more outrageous scams in circulation.

4) Visit the MLM Survivor Site. Here you can check out any potential MLM opportunities to see how reputable they are.

5) The United States Postal Inspection Service offers several pages on its web site about scams, including work-at-home schemes, multi-level-marketing schemes, distributorship and franchise fraud, and how to file a mail fraud complaint.
www.usps.com/postalinspectors/

6) The Federal Trade Commission offers information on work-at-home schemes, medical billing, business opportunity schemes, the top 10 Dot Cons, and how to file a complaint.

7) The National Consumer League’s National Fraud Information Center offers information on pyramid schemes, MLM, and how to report a fraud.

HAVE YOU BEEN VICTIMIZED BY SCAM?
If you fall victim to a scam let others know so that you can protect them from falling prey too! Here’s how to report a fraudulent business:

1) Contact the attorney general in your local state.

2) File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in the fraudulent business’ native state. You can find contact information for that individual state at the BBB web site at .

3) Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Call them at 1-800-876-7060 or visit their web site at www.ftc.gov/ to file a complaint.

4) List them with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www. ifccfbi.gov

5) Take action by reporting any spam emailers to www.Spamcop.net and www.abuse.net

Kristie Tamsevicius, is the author of “I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home”! Thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs have used her step-by-step home business system to earn money working from home. Get a free ecourse Home Business Success Secrets at www.webmomz.com/ilovemylife1.htm

I have a confession.

I’m a mostly-sane WAHM. I’m far from the ‘got it together’ work at home mom that I’d like to be.

I believe that there are a lot of women out there like me – clutching onto your sanity while juggling family, daily work requirements, basketball practice, ballet recitals, PTA meetings, and the many other responsibilities we carry on our shoulders.

If you’ve been a WAHM for more than a minute, you know the predicament we face. We chose to work from home so we could spend more time with our children. This is great in theory. What happens, though is that we end up with no scheduled and defined work time, so it becomes a struggle to find time to spend with our kids. When you hear other people say “It must be so nice to work from home so you can spend time with your kids all day”, you roll on the floor laughing. If only it were so simple! Finding the balance between work and home can be a constant struggle especially when work IS home.

I remember the days when I worked out of the home in an office job. I had two separate and distinct compartments in my life. There was the office, where I could work in peace and quiet, focus on projects and be productive. And, then there was home, where I was able to focus on my children and have fun. I had scheduled working hours, and also distinct family time.

Now, I have the ‘hom-ffice’, an odd melding of home and office. The line between the two compartments is unclear. My office is now an extension of home. And, home is becoming an extension of my office.

Because of this dilemma, I find that I’ve got the focus of a gnat. Here’s how my work day goes.

I wake up, grab a cup of coffee, and sit in front of the computer to check my email. Fifty new messages. No problem. I get ready to tackle the first one.

“Dear Nicole, I was wondering if you might be interested in” …

“juice in a sippy cup, pretty please my pretty mommy?”

Whoa!! Ok, brain switch! I turn and look at my little girl who just crawled out of bed. She is a perfect picture of childhood, with her big brown eyes, sweaty wildly curly hair and big grin. I hug this rosy-cheeked angel and go to the kitchen to get juice. Then, I sit back down and attempt to read my email

“Dear Nicole, I was wondering if you might be interested in my new affiliate program selling” …

“the new Lego robot I built!”

Brain switch again. I swivel my office chair and see my son, his blue eyes twinkling, and his face beaming proudly, holding up his Lego creation. I ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhh’ over the new Lego invention — a robot that can climb walls. I rub his blonde head and tell him how wildly creative he is. He grins and goes back to Lego-building.

I swivel back to work, and try to get as much done as I can between the many interruptions, karate practice, dinner and bedtime stories. Oftentimes, late at night, you can find me working, while watching late night TV shows. My husband comes in to check on me. I swivel my chair to get my good-night kiss and I tell him that I just want to wrap up a few last projects. I stagger to bed late at night only to start again, before the kids wake up in the morning.

Are you seeing the pattern? Is there any wonder that I’m mostly-sane? Look at your own days and I’ll bet they are very similar to mine.

Despite the frazzled hours and days, and all the distractions, I love being a WAHM. The honest truth is that I wouldn’t trade my job for any corporate job in America.

However, as I meet more and more work at home moms, it’s becoming apparent that I’m not alone in my struggles. Other moms are setting expectations that are just not matching reality. What can we do about it?

1. Reclaim your office:

If you have one room that you can dedicate to your work, stake your claim on it. Clear out all toys and non-work items. Make your “hom-ffice” a real office. No more messing around with half a commitment to your business. Your office is your turf. Protect it.

2. Buy a timer:

If your children are old enough to understand the concept of time, invest in a timer. It’s a life saver. The next time you need uninterrupted working time, tell the kids that you’re setting the timer for 20 minutes. If they give you 20 minutes of uninterrupted work time, then reward them with quality time with you. Play a board game together or go to the park.

Set goals this month to reclaim your work area and your time, and you will take a step closer to being a happy, relaxed, and successful WAHM!

Nicole Dean is a mostly-sane WAHM, and proud owner of http://www.ShowMomTheMoney.com – a fun and informative site to help moms find success at home!

* This article was originally published in the WC It may be reprinted online or in print with author resource box and credit to the author intact.*