So how do you avoid the scams?

Firstly be very wary of any work from home job that asks you for money up front. You may be asked for money as a registration fee, for materials, for training or simply to get the information or ebook that tells you how to get rich fast. But whatever terms the offer is couched in, it's unlikely to be worth what you're asked to pay.

The most popular internet based work at home scams revolve around e-books and dodgy 'data entry' jobs which promise you will make hundreds or thousands of pounds, euros or dollars a day .

How do you spot a scam website?

They are all big on testimonials and short on information as to what the wonderful money-making idea is.

They generally contain a load of marketing puff that really does nothing apart from promise in various ways how your life will be changed if you sign up. 'I made $3500 in the first day online - two months ago I was broke and now I have a speedboat!'

Many will use highlighted text or BLOCK CAPITALS to make sure that you understand how much you can earn by following the plan!

What do you get for your investment?

If it's an e-book reseller opportunity, then you'll get a load of out of copyright or specially written material which will be of very limited use and value. Why limited use and value? Well - if it was any good, it would be in a real book and sold on Amazon - not distributed free on the web. Either that or it's made up of information that's in the public domain and readily available for free!

How to avoid being scammed

1. Research the opportunity - Ask questions and don't go ahead untill they are fully answered - What will the total cost be? What do I get for my money? Who pays me and is it a salary or commission?
2. Don't send any money. No really -don't - there are loads of ways to make money without parting with your own to do it.
3. If you must send anyone money DO NOT GIVE YOUR CREDIT CARD OR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS - use Paypal or a similar service. Be wary of fake escrow services and sites that try to look like banks or money transfer services. If you aren't sure don't use it.
4. If you want a refund how can you get it? Is there a telephone number? Address? ( Be extra cautious with no address or just a PO Box )
5. Don't send money abroad unless you are prepared to write it off.
6. If it sounds too good to be true then it is!

Ignore testimonials and real-life stories - they are easy to write, mean nothing and are often used to push the unwary into clicking on that 'buy' button.

Real Testimonials from people who have used our method
	'We were about to spend hundreds on a money-making plan when we discovered the 'at work from home' website and it's no-nonsense methods of earning extra cash from home. Now as well as being incredibly rich, I am 4 inches taller and my wife is much thinner and more attractive.' Mr and Mrs J.R. Plymouth

See - it's easy! The psychology is tried and tested and it all goes towards helping you feel a little more comfortable with the 'Buy' option. Ignore it all and concentrate on what the site is actually offering you.

What about getting paid to shop or fill in surveys?

Taking surveys or acting as a 'mystery shopper' is a work at home job opportunity which can ask for a registration or joining fee.

Think about it - If the earnings are as great as they say then why do you have to pay up front? Surely they could make it free to join and then take the joining or registration fee out of your first couple of days earnings!!

Some are genuine and offer limited earning opportunities but treat them with care and don't hand over any money unless you can afford to lose it! You might make a little cash if you're lucky but it will be limited by the amount of time you can spend on-line.

Read the small print and you'll see that while all these kind of sites are big on headlines showing huge earnings, they don't actually guarantee that you'll earn anything...

Read more about paid to surf scams and legitimate ways to earn money with your PC

Envelope stuffing

Envelope stuffing - No, No, NO - all you'll receive in return for your fee is a letter telling you to stuff envelopes with flyers asking people to send you a registration fee to learn how to ..err stuff envelopes. These days all commercial mailings are automated and there is virtually no requirement for homeworkers to stuff envelopes. Having said that there are sometimes specialist mail shots which can't be processed by machine.

Find out more about envelope stuffing

Arts and Crafts or assembly

This can part you from your money by asking for an up-front fee for materials and instructions. Once you've parted from your hard-earned cash, you'll receive either:

A: Nothing

or

B: a selection of materials to assemble, paint, decorate or whatever and send back to head office on completion.

Two things are practically guaranteed - The materials, if you receive them, will be worth a small percentage of the amount you are asked to pay for them and you won't receive any payment if you do complete the work as your efforts will be rejected and returned as failed quality control.

Data entry or administrative work.

Some ask for a set up fee and some don't but all these 'jobs' offer the scammer the chance to rip you off in a number of ways:

Get the full story on so-called 'data entry jobs'. Visit our Home Data Entry Jobs Page for more information on Data Entry Scams

Find out more about scams schemes from consumer direct (opens in new window ) more on scams (opens in new window )