Pursuing side-hustles to generate additional sources of income can be a great way to get ahead financially, and working from home can seem like a dream solution. There are a number of legitimate job and business opportunities that you can pursue in addition to your full-time job, including some that will allow you to work from home. This is especially true if you have expertise or a skill setthat is highly prized by individuals or companies not looking to hire, but willing to pay as they go. The key is separating those from the scams that can waste your time and make a nightmare of your finances. Here’s how to recognize fake business opportunities and job scams, and avoid the con artists.
If they ask you to pay money up front, before you make a penny, to get started, don’t go for it. You should never pay anyone for the privilege of selling products or services for them, nor should you ever pay someone to prove yourself “qualified” or eligible for a job or business opportunity.
If they promise thousands of dollars a week for work that requires little or no time commitment, qualifications, training, or experience, look out. The only one who makes money off of easy, get-rich-quick schemes is the scam artist offering the so-called opportunity.
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If a job or business opportunity sounds too good to be true, it is–always. Are there exceptions to this rule? Maybe. But con artists stay in business because their victims are all too willing to believe that they’re the exceptions–only to learn the hard way that they’re not.
If they tell you it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you must accept right away or lose out, let it pass. The time-is-running-out, act-NOW! routine is a classic way to get you to make a decision before you have a chance to investigate the legitimacy of an opportunity. The idea is to get you to commit before you have time to figure out that what’s being offered doesn’t really make sense, when you think about it.
You’d make more money from recruiting others than you would for actually doing work. This is a classic sign of a pyramid scheme disguised as a legitimate multi-level marketing or direct sales business. Proceed with caution–and hold on to your money.
The best way to get past the scams to find legit work-at-home opportunities is to hold on to your money, do your research and resist acting hastily or out of desperation. Don’t get hustled in pursuit of a good side-hustle.