2014 was a good year in the work from home industry. Of course, it's unfortunate that we couldn't escape it without all the bogus nonsense littering the web. So with that said, I wanted to highlight the top internet work at home scams of 2014. Scam artists are lazy dirty bunch, so you'll probably see the same scams or variations of it in 2015 and on. So pay very close attention so you avoid them next year and the years to come!
Top 3 Work From Home Scams of 2014
1. Reshipping Jobs – Aka Package Forwarding – Be very skeptical of job offers that you get in your inbox. Often times, this is how this scam gets its start. Even though they may provide a legitimate-looking company name and address, you still need to be cautious. Reshipping jobs scams are cleverly disguised with carefully thought out contracts that are fraudulent.
After gaining your trust with a “so-called legitimate job offer” packages will be shipped to you along with instructions to reship to a P.O. Box address. They claim once you reship, you will of course, get your check. However what they fail to tell you is that the merchandise within these packages are stolen. They were purchased with stolen credit cards which were acquired by identity theft. It's basically a double whammy and you can actually go to jail as an accessory! You can find how to avoid and spot this shady scam with my Reshipping Job Scam article. This is one you'll definitely see in 2015!
2. FaceBook Posting Links Scam – Facebook is one the biggest social networks and it's fertile breeding ground for scams. One that popped this year is a company that claimed you could make up to $10 posting links on Facebook and other places. They make the deal sweeter by offering you a $25 sign up bonus.
The actual company name is Earn4Share but there are variations of it. They make this ridiculous claim you can earn $1,500 or more in your first week. But when you're ready to cash out and get your hands on the money you've supposedly earned, you are made to jump some hoops that pay the company. But you never get paid! You can find more information with my Earn4Share Review.
3. Check Cashing Scam – The check cashing scams are typically one of the most fraudulent scams around worldwide. It begins with scammers posting “bogus job leads or listings.” These scam artists usually find new “easy mark” victims by visiting popular job boards. They read resumes and then usually email the victim what looks like a legitimate work from home job position. It's the same tactic that the re-shipping a-holes use.
The con artists make up some lie about needing your help to deposit money here in the US because for some magically reason a person abroad can't do this. So they're hiring people like us. All we need to do is deposit the checks into our own personal account. In return you are told to keep a portion of the check. Once the bank wires the money, it is then that the original check is found to be fake. In addition, some of the YOUR money (or all of it) will have been withdrawn from your account. In some cases the banks will shut down your account. You can read “my story” and find out how to fight back Here.
Stay Safe My Friends!
I hope you noticed how most of these scams never asked you for a dime! There is this huge misconception that scam artists always asks you for money or that any work at home related opportunity that involves money is a scam. But that's totally false. As you can see many of the most dangerous scams never ask you for diddly. And more importantly there are a lot of perfectly legitimate home based businesses that require a financial investment. So don't believe the hype my friends.
Never just make any assumptions. When in doubt always do your research which as simple as watching my scam video! And Lord please don't just depend on the Better Business Bureau as your sole reference to determine if a company is legitimate. You can read why here.
At the end of the day, don't let scams deter to you from pursuing your work at home dreams. There are many legitimate little ways to earn extra money.
I happen to earn a full time income with My # 1 Free Work At Home Recommendation and you can too! As long as you don't let desperation or a fixation on a certain job make decisions for you, you'll be safe.
Let me know if you find this article helpful. If so, please share it with others. Unfortunately someone you know will probably be a victim of one of the scams listed above and it could be totally prevented if we all do our part and share information like this article. So avoid these nasty Internet Work At Home Scams from 2014. They'll probably be around for many years to come in some lazy variation!
Thanks for reading!
Eddy with a y
Thank you Eddy with a y lol! Happy New Year to you and yours too!
Thanks Callie! Good to see you back here. It’s been far too long. 😉
Enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you for taking your time in sharing your knowledge and experience. I have found your blogs/articles to be truly insightful and helpful. Maintain direction.
Wishing you and your family a blessed, happy, healthy and
prosperous New Year.
Godspeed.
Thanks Charles! I really appreciate it. Here’s to a great 2015 for all of us!
Thanks Eddy. I always enjoy your articles and appreciate you taking the time to inform us which jobs are legit and which are total scams. Hope you have a happy new year! 🙂
You’re very welcome Lorrie! Thanks for the continued support. I really appreciate it!
Eddy with a Y help !! this Co is a re-shipping and re-packaging scam and I got burned. So Filed an incident with the State Police in state where I live. Should have known better at my age . All looked legitimate to me WRONG.
Hey Kenneth,
Sorry to hear you fell for this. Just follow the steps in my reshipping article and you should be good. Be sure you share that article with others so they avoid this nonsense!
Tell everyone beware and Eddy check into this bogus Co. I got burned, never received any payment from them and decided to go to the State Police in my state and filed an incident report. Did 5 shipments for this Co supposedly located in New Orleans , Li. , got nothing from them. I should have known better at my age. Just trying to supplement my Disability make it a little easier to get by, live and learn . Has been no theft or harm to me yet other than money I spent for shipping supplies. Thanks for watching out for us Eddy with a Y !
You’re welcome Ken. My advice is to go to the reshipping article and list the company name, and any other contact info such as the email you received etc. This way when folks do their research the article comes up and it warns them.
Hi Eddy!
Thank you so much for your hard work. I look forward to reading your stuff. I am still in hopes that something will work for me, but it is very difficult. However, I do enjoy your hints, warnings, etc. I used to check on many of your jobs, but I can’t afford to pay the dues to be more involved than I am. Thank you anyway. Have a Happy New Year! Sobi
Hey Sobi,
You’re very welcome. There are plenty of little free ways to earn money here. So be sure to check them out.
Thanks Eddy,
Happy New Year and may it be a better one for all of us.
You’re welcome Nancy! I plan to!
Thanks Eddy! Wow! It’s getting more and more dangerous out there! Yikes!
You’re welcome Michelle! Yes it is. But don’t worry I gotcha your back. I feel bad for the people that don’t know about this blog. Sigh. 🙁
Hi Eddy,
Love your website and your emails. I am sad to say that I just got scammed by this company. Hope you can share with others. They claim that they hired me to be a concierge and all they wanted is to deposit wire transfers in my bank account, just like the check scam. This creeps has found a new way to scam us!
Happy New Year!!!
Hey Yasmin,
Thanks for the love. I appreciate the support. I’m so sorry to hear that you were a victim of the check cashing scam. The whole concierge angle is a new one. So thanks for sharing that! Hopefully people will avoid it! Here’s a New Year where the scammers don’t get ya! And if you continue to read this site, I think I can help you with that.
Thank you Eddy for looking out for us! Does this site truly work? I do trust you…just want to be certain.
You’re so welcome Sarah! Which site are you referring to? If you’re talking about my top recommendation, yes it works. It takes time and hard work. But it does work. As you know I don’t personally recommend anything I haven’t tried or made money with. They’re the company that are responsible for a lot of my online success. So I’m confident you’ll learn a lot too.
Hello Eddy,
Happy New Year! I was referring to the Wealthy Affiliate site. Is it a good site to rely on when I have the occasional dry job spell?
Thanks!
Hey Sarah,
Happy new year to you as well. WA isn’t about a job. It’s about building a business for the long term. So it’s not something you want to engage in for a temporary relief. I encourage you to read my page and watch my video about it. It will give you better insight of what it is.