Common schemes and scams
As an entrepreneur I have checked out and started many businesses. Along the way I have discovered many internet schemes and scams masquerading as legitimate businesses. They are usually advertised as easy and low cost. Here are some of the ones I have checked out. Surprisingly some of these have turned out to be legitimate although most are not.
Envelope Stuffing
Most of the companies who advertise envelope stuffing are just out to sell you a list of companies. Some companies are looking for people to mail out brochures. The reason they want you to mail their brochure, is because the return on investment stinks and they want you to waste your postage. Here's how they work. They give or sell you brochures and have you buy a mailing list. You mail out the brochures advertising their product(s). If a sale comes through they mail you a commission. Most ALL Envelope stuffing offers are work at home scams!
Mystery shopping Legitimate, But Not Worth Much
Here's how it's supposed to work: You sign up with a mystery shopping company to go into stores and pretend to be Joe Schmoe their average customer. You're checking to see if they are caring for customers and doing presentations the way the home office wants. You follow instructions on each shop, the way the shopping company wants it done and file a timely, accurate, well written report.
Now-a-days most shopping companies test you and have you sign up for Free on their internet sites. You sign a confidentiality agreement so you cannot share anything about them or the clients with others. When a successful shop is completed they mail you a check or pay you through PayPal. If you buy anything during a shop you usually are reimbursed. Many folks get into shopping for the free meals, drinks and goodies.
You can become a certified shopper online at the MSPA Association web site as many companies like to see that you are certified. Many shopping companies do their own testing as well.
I did work as a mystery shopper, to see just how much money can be made at it. It is Not a Scam although there are a few companies involved that are scammers. There is one that runs newspaper ads to get you to call in to an 800 number. When you do, they charge you a small fee to mail out a package.
This might be o.k., but it's what else they do, that is wrong, in my mind! While they have you on the phone, they try to enroll you in a buying club and a business where you have an internet shopping mall. The start up fee, that day, is small but the next month they charge you 9.95 a month for a listing of shopping assignments. Then, they charge you a fee for the shopping mall each month and 14.95 a month for the buying club. Seems like a boiler room operation to me.
Most legitimate companies, will not charge you to sign up, nor will they charge you for the listing of available shops each month. The biggest problem I had with this, is the lack of good shops to go on and the small fees they pay. Once you pay for gasoline it's unlikely to make any substantial money.
Filling Out Online Surveys
This one is all over the internet and many home business sites will try to get you to sign up to fill out surveys. I have always thought his was a scam, as these companies want to charge you a sign up fee to take surveys. Don't pay anyone to fill out surveys Some of the companies are charging a fee of 29.95 to 35.00 to sell you a list of survey companies. I would not buy that list. I have always thought surveys are a scam.
In order to be open minded, I did sign up for free with one of the survey companies to try them out. In about two months I did not get a check and found that, in most cases, the amount of time involved was more valuable to me than the pittance they pay to complete a survey. I still think they are scams. If I ever find a good survey deal I will let you know. Many home business sites promote surveys. They do this for Greed. For every customer the site owner gets a commission. Online surveys are work at home scams as far as I can see.
Home Business Match Up Services
There are pages across the internet that claim that they will match you up with companies to start a home business. What they do is have you fill out a form and register. What happened? You just gave them permission to sell you name and e-mail as a home business lead.They will sell it over and over again and your e-mail box will overflow with home business offers. You'll also get unsolicited phone calls from unsuspecting distributors who bought a hot lead! These home business match ups are work at home scams.
Internet Malls
The pitch on internet malls is a too good to be true one, if I ever heard one. Usually the only one making money on an internet mall is the guy or gal who set it up. The premise is here is: you own this internet page with all these goods people can buy. The catch is it takes a lot of traffic to make sales and if you are just another site selling at retail. Why would anyone buy from you? They can probably buy cheaper with a little shopping. Most malls prey on the ignorant and so they are work at home scams.
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