Work-at-home schemes have been around for decades. Originally found as ads in newspapers or magazines, they have expanded to more high-tech media, such as television and radio ads, and on the Internet.

Legitimate work-at-home opportunities do exist, and millions of Americans do their jobs in the comfort of their own homes. But anyone seeking such an employment opportunity must be wary of accepting a home employment offer, as only about one in 42 such ads have been determined to be legitimate.

Most legitimate jobs at home require some form of post-high-school education, such as a college degree or certificate, or trade school, and some experience in the field in an office or other supervised setting. Additionally, many legitimate at-home jobs are not like those in schemes are portrayed to be, as they are often performed at least some of the time in the company’s office, require more self discipline than a traditional job, and have a higher risk of firing.

Types of Work

Common types of work found in work-at-home schemes include:

* Stuffing envelopes
* Assembly of items of some type, such as crafts, jewelry, or medical equipment
* Data entry
* Processing medical claims
* Making phone calls
* Online surveys
* Sales of a product or service that is difficult or impossible to sell. This is often done in the form of a pyramid scheme.
* Legitimate Network Marketing Systems that fall under the Code of Ethics within the Direct Selling Industry (DSA)
* Some ads claim to offer a device that makes passive sales calls, and the “employee” will be paid a commission of the sales.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia