These work at home programs I get in my email are they for real or just scams?

Answer 1

Most, if not all, are scams or mlm schemes. These operations would't be spending the time and resources to spam everyone unless there was money in it - for them, not you.

The FTC has a comprehensive directory of home-based and e-commerce advisories. I strongly urge you to check it out before you check into any of those offers.

Look here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm

From the FTC also is a list of the 'Top Twelve' most common internet and email scams to avoid: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/doznalrt.htm

FTC Names Its Dirty Dozen:12 Scams Most Likely to Arrive Via Bulk Email
Email boxes are filling up with more offers for business opportunities than any other kind of unsolicited commercial email. That's a problem, according to the Federal Trade Commission, because many of these offers are scams.

In response to requests from consumers, the FTC asked email users to forward their unsolicited commercial email to the agency for an inside look at the bulk email business. FTC staff found that more often than not, bulk email offers appeared to be fraudulent, and if pursued, could have ripped-off unsuspecting consumers to the tune of billions of dollars.

The FTC has identified the 12 scams that are most likely to arrive in consumers' email boxes. The "dirty dozen" are:

1. Business opportunities

These business opportunities make it sound easy to start a business that will bring lots of income without much work or cash outlay. The solicitations trumpet unbelievable earnings claims of $140 a day, $1,000 a day, or more, and claim that the business doesn't involve selling, meetings, or personal contact with others, or that someone else will do all the work. Many business opportunity solicitations claim to offer a way to make money in an Internet-related business. Short on details but long on promises, these messages usually offer a telephone number to call for more information. In many cases, you'll be told to leave your name and telephone number so that a salesperson can call you back with the sales pitch.

The scam: Many of these are illegal pyramid schemes masquerading as legitimate opportunities to earn money.

2. Bulk email

Bulk email solicitations offer to sell you lists of email addresses, by the millions, to which you can send your own bulk solicitations. Some offer software that automates the sending of email messages to thousands or millions of recipients. Others offer the service of sending bulk email solicitations on your behalf. Some of these offers say, or imply, that you can make a lot of money using this marketing method.

The problem: Sending bulk email violates the terms of service of most Internet service providers. If you use one of the automated email programs, your ISP may shut you down. In addition, inserting a false return address into your solicitations, as some of the automated programs allow you to do, may land you in legal hot water with the owner of the address's domain name. Several states have laws regulating the sending of unsolicited commercial email, which you may unwittingly violate by sending bulk email. Few legitimate businesses, if any, engage in bulk email marketing for fear of offending potential customers.

3. Chain letters

You're asked to send a small amount of money ($5 to $20) to each of four or five names on a list, replace one of the names on the list with your own, and then forward the revised message via bulk email. The letter may claim that the scheme is legal, that it's been reviewed or approved by the government; or it may refer to sections of U.S. law that legitimize the scheme. Don't believe it.

The scam: Chain letters-traditional or high-tech-are almost always illegal, and nearly all of the people who participate in them lose their money. The fact that a "product" such as a report on how to make money fast, a mailing list, or a recipe may be changing hands in the transaction does not change the legality of these schemes.

4. Work-at-home schemes

Envelope-stuffing solicitations promise steady income for minimal labor-for example, you'll earn $2 each time you fold a brochure and seal it in an envelope. Craft assembly work schemes often require an investment of hundreds of dollars in equipment or supplies, and many hours of your time producing goods for a company that has promised to buy them.

The scam: You'll pay a small fee to get started in the envelope-stuffing business. Then, you'll learn that the email sender never had real employment to offer. Instead, you'll get instructions on how to send the same envelope-stuffing ad in your own bulk emailings. If you earn any money, it will be from others who fall for the scheme you're perpetuating. And after spending the money and putting in the time on the craft assembly work, you are likely to find promoters who refuse to pay you, claiming that your work isn't up to their "quality standards."

5. Health and diet scams

Pills that let you lose weight without exercising or changing your diet, herbal formulas that liquefy your fat cells so that they are absorbed by your body, and cures for impotence and hair loss are among the scams flooding email boxes.

The scam: These gimmicks don't work. The fact is that successful weight loss requires a reduction in calories and an increase in physical activity. Beware of case histories from "cured" consumers claiming amazing results; testimonials from "famous" medical experts you've never heard of; claims that the product is available from only one source or for a limited time; and ads that use phrases like "scientific breakthrough," "miraculous cure," "exclusive product," "secret formula," and "ancient ingredient."

6. Effortless income

The trendiest get-rich-quick schemes offer unlimited profits exchanging money on world currency markets; newsletters describing a variety of easy-money opportunities; the perfect sales letter; and the secret to making $4,000 in one day.

The scam: If these systems worked, wouldn't everyone be using them? The thought of easy money may be appealing, but success generally requires hard work.

7. Free goods

Some email messages offer valuable goods-for example, computers, other electronic items, and long-distance phone cards-for free. You're asked to pay a fee to join a club, then told that to earn the offered goods, you have to bring in a certain number of participants. You're paying for the right to earn income by recruiting other participants, but your payoff is in goods, not money.

The scam: Most of these messages are covering up pyramid schemes, operations that inevitably collapse. Almost all of the payoff goes to the promoters and little or none to consumers who pay to participate.

8. Investment opportunities

Investment schemes promise outrageously high rates of return with no risk. One version seeks investors to help form an offshore bank. Others are vague about the nature of the investment, stressing the rates of return. Many are Ponzi schemes, in which early investors are paid off with money contributed by later investors. This makes the early investors believe that the system actually works, and encourages them to invest even more.

Promoters of fraudulent investments often operate a particular scam for a short time, quickly spend the money they take in, then close down before they can be detected. Often, they reopen under another name, selling another investment scam. In their sales pitch, they'll say that they have high-level financial connections; that they're privy to inside information; that they'll guarantee the investment; or that they'll buy back the investment after a certain time. To close the deal, they often serve up phony statistics, misrepresent the significance of a current event, or stress the unique quality of their offering-anything to deter you from verifying their story.

The scam: Ponzi schemes eventually collapse because there isn't enough money coming in to continue simulating earnings. Other schemes are a good investment for the promoters, but no for participants.

9. Cable descrambler kits

For a small sum of money, you can buy a kit to assemble a cable descrambler that supposedly allows you to receive cable television transmissions without paying any subscription fee.

The scam: The device that you build probably won't work. Most of the cable TV systems in the U.S. use technology that these devices can't crack. What's more, even if it worked, stealing service from a cable television company is illegal.

10. Guaranteed loans or credit, on easy terms

Some email messages offer home-equity loans that don't require equity in your home, as well as solicitations for guaranteed, unsecured credit cards, regardless of your credit history. Usually, these are said to be offered by offshore banks. Sometimes they are combined with pyramid schemes, which offer you an opportunity to make money by attracting new participants to the scheme.

The scams: The home equity loans turn out to be useless lists of lenders who will turn you down if you don't meet their qualifications. The promised credit cards never come through, and the pyramid money-making schemes always collapse.

11. Credit repair

Credit repair scams offer to erase accurate negative information from your credit file so you can qualify for a credit card, auto loan, home mortgage, or a job.

The scam: The scam artists who promote these services can't deliver. Only time, a deliberate effort, and a personal debt repayment plan will improve your credit. The companies that advertise credit repair services appeal to consumers with poor credit histories. Not only can't they provide you with a clean credit record, but they also may be encouraging you to violate federal law. If you follow their advice by lying on a loan or credit application, misrepresenting your Social Security number, or getting an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service under false pretenses, you will be committing fraud.

12. Vacation prize promotions

Electronic certificates congratulating you on "winning" a fabulous vacation for a very attractive price are among the scams arriving in your email. Some say you have been "specially selected" for this opportunity.

The scam: Most unsolicited commercial email goes to thousands or millions of recipients at a time. Often, the cruise ship you're booked on may look more like a tug boat. The hotel accommodations likely are shabby, and you may be required to pay more for an upgrade. Scheduling the vacation at the time you want it also may require an additional fee.



The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Answer 2

Based on logical thinking, they are scams. Just imagine, they could have say the joining fees will be deducted from your earnings instead of charging you a sum before you start. Most of these programs do not even have a decent and presentable Web site while the testimonials and statistics they showed are just unrealistic. Based on these logics, some of the scams are learning a lesson and start to look professional, going into the ebooks industry. This is another form of scams, which targets people really in need for particular remedy, like weight loss, grow taller, dating etc. These scams, as professional as it seems, can actually build an online store for you. Another type of scams involve helping you to create your Web site on which giving little, useless, or inaccurate information about some topics. They then ask you to buy ebooks or subscribe newsletter. The process keeps on and if you are not careful, you will be the new victim of scams. Even if you are not cheated by it, they still earn some advertising profit. That's why nowadays Google returns a massive list of useless Websites whenever you make a search. These websites usually have many unrelated keywords trying to lure people. Most of them have .info or .biz domain. And whenever the domain name is too long, it's most probably not a good and reliable Web site ie. making-money-quick.com (I don;t know whether this exists. This is hust an example).

So whenever you see Web sites like that, just ignore it. They are scams. And REAL stuff will NEVER reach you in email without your discretion because this is SPAM.

Answer 3

If they're sending you spam, they are more likely to be scams than legit. That isn't because there aren't real work at home opportunities out there; it's because real opportunities have policies against spamming.

The first thing you need to do is learn how to spot scams. There are many characteristics that mark a scam.

After that you can think about what you want to do from home. Are you after a job or a home business? A job should never ask you for money while a business probably will require an investment.

Answer 4

Hi my name is Beau Williams. I started a small business 3 months ago. I named it Extreme Pest Control. I put everything I had into it to get it off the ground. What I do is telemarket home owners. My script goes like this:
Hi my name is beau with EPC I am calling to let you know that we will be spraying some of your neighbors houses on __________ Street this week. What we do is spray a six foot protective barrier all the way around the foundation of your home. It keeps out spiders, ants, crickets, beetles anything that crawls. We also put down a flea and tick treatment in your lawn that kills over 50 different bugs that live in your grass as well as spray around all of your windows, doors and sopheting to keep away bees, wasps, hornets and mud dobbers. We come out every two months and its guaranteed so if you ever have a problem just call us up and we'll come back out for free. There is no contract and it's only sixty eight for the first treatment and forty eight per treatment after that. So will you give us a shot?

Please understand this is just a basic sample of my script. I spray the houses in the daytime and telemarket at night from 5:00 to 9:00 that's when most people are home. My wife helps me when she is off of work from wal-mart. We are getting sales every day. Sales is a numbers game if you dial the numbers you will get sales. I know that $68.00 doesn't sound like much but if I get 50 sales in a week that's $3,400.00 that week and I spray them every 2 months. So every 2 months I get all of the new customers plus the ones that are due to be resprayed. It will grow bigger and bigger because business will double every 2 months. The only problem I have is I need capital to start a telemarketing room. I want to employe 10-20 telemarketers to telemarket the whole state of Indiana. If you don't think there is money in Pest Control then look at
Terminix or Orkin both very successfully companies. I Know that if I had someone like you self that would invest $20,000.00 Twenty Thousand Dollars I could turn it into streams of residual. I am not sure how things work with investors so I hope you take me serious. If nothing else I could could you help point me in the right direction? I know this business will I just need money to get things moving. I did try the better business bureau but they wont even look at me because I filed bankruptcy in 2004. Once again my name is Beau Williams. My Phone Number Is 812-718-
my email address is [e-mail] I hope that you are interested in this opportunity because I guarantee it will make money.
Thank You
Beau Williams [e-mail]

Answer 5

99.9% of them require you to put money out to even get started. Most of them promise you will make thousands of dollars per week or month and basically, the only way you'll earn any money is by putting up a website "just like the one that lured you in" and hope people will visit it and want to work from home too! they leave their info and then you begin calling and explaining that with just a few dollars you can be on your way to success.Twenty years ago the local want ads were overflowing with"work at home" ads.They required you to send $30.00 and the would ship the materials for you to get started! My sister in law and I decided to split the cost and go for it! 6 weeks later our "work at home" materials arrived.To our surprise! it consisted of a really small booklet,someone had typed out lists of places that hired people to stuff envelopes at home!There is a Better Business Bureau (BBB)website with listings for every state,when in doubt call or email the office in your area! Good Luck!

Answer 6

Not everything is a scam. If you start your own site and work at it, you can succeed. So with that in mind, check out this site for some ideas. I got mine going with a couple of the ideas they have.

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

Some real and some scam. www tinyurl.com/jzs3u is the example of real busniess. The business has no products to sell may be it is scam.

Answer 9

PiggyPants lists some great information!

Answer 10

i have personally tried and yes they are

Answer 11

yes i am accept