Top 10 Stay-at-home scams

[kappa2]

Having been a "consultant" for a few of the companies mentioned, I thought that this could have been written without actually mentioning specific companies, but this is how it was forwarded to me. I thought it made some pretty good points overall though!
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10 Ways to spot a scam before you start working from home.

You can detect a fraudulent job posting before you even submit your application. Keep an eye out for these top 10 red flags.

1. You pay them-part 1. Many companies have “registration fees”, “application fees”, “filing fees” and the like. This is especially common with companies such as Avon and Mary Kay. Been selling, but haven’t sold recently? Many of these companies will slap an “re-activation fee” onto your bill. How would you feel if you went in for a teaching job and was told there was a $20 “filing fee” for your resume? It’s nonsense.

2. You pay them-part 2. Similarly, some companies have “introductory packages” that they make the parties selling for them purchase. Home Interiors, Tupperware, and many jewelry lines function this way. Imagine if you wanted to work for Best Buy in retail sales, but you had to purchase $500 worth of items before starting? See how ridiculous this is? These are not real jobs, they are pyramid schemes.

3. You pay them-part 3. You’re the employee looking for a paycheck. If you had the money to hand out to strangers, you wouldn’t be looking for the job in the first place. So be wary of any company that charges a fee for administering materials or promises a large return if you send them money. If a company states they need your bank account information, report them immediately!

4. Your friends and family are your bread and butter. If the company wants you to tap into your friends and family’s wallets, this is a terrible way to make money because either you will lose friends or you will lose your business. Think carefully about a company that talks about who you know rather than what you can do.

5. “Work-from-home” is the name of the job listing. Scammers use this term to reel in candidates, but remember, "Work from home" is not a job title.

6. Experience and résumé optional. Most legitimate jobs require applicants to submit a résumé and possibly provide references. If the job posting doesn’t ask for either, be concerned. Why would any employer be willing to trust you to work from your home without being certain you’re right for the position?

7. Make $3,000 in one day! If anyone had a sure-fire path to making a five-figure paycheck each week, he probably wouldn’t be placing ads on a job site. Don’t be fooled by job postings that sound too good to be true.

8. The job finds you … as junk e-mail. A reputable company isn’t sending mass e-mails to strangers in hopes of finding the perfect candidate. If you receive an unsolicited e-mail for a work-from-home position, feel free to move it to the trash folder. How could this man from Romania have known you were looking for home-based work? Miracles do happen, but not via spam.

9. You don’t know anything about the job other than the fact that you work from home. If the job posting is full of hooks but fails to explain the actual duties or even give the position’s title, move on. You probably wouldn’t give a second look to a job posting that said, “Work from an office!” but nothing else.

10. The pictures speak louder than the words. Vacation brochures should have pictures of a tropical paradise; a job posting shouldn’t. If the ad you’re looking at features palm trees, a mansion and a Ferrari, it’s probably a scam. The employer should be selling the position to you, not the illusion of a Hollywood lifestyle.