Too often I read comments or emails from hard working folks that have been victim of work at home scams. I sympathize with these people because I've fallen for a few myself. Sadly the stories tend to end the same way. The victim loses their money and the scam artist gets away. The victim carries this experience with them like a dirty little secret.
But some victims don't go out without a fight. There have been some brave souls that have shared their stories on our scam page. I call them brave because too often as victims we feel embarrassed or stupid because we fell for a scam.
As a hardened New Yorker it's even more difficult for me to admit being scammed several times. You're practically trained at birth as a New Yorker to be street savvy. You also have to keep in mind, I was born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx which are some of the toughest areas of NY! We don't play that out there! So when I fell victim to a few scams I just kept it to myself for fear of ridicule from my fellow Bronx Bombers.
But con artist are literally banking on this. Why? If you're too embarrassed to admit that you have been scammed to others, then it leaves the door wide open for them to scam countless more unwitting people. It's funny, most of us will tell someone not to head to certain places (i.e. The Bronx, LOL) because it's dangerous. But we don't do this when it comes to online scams. Do the right thing and put aside feelings of shame and “put these scam artist on blast”! (Translation for the slang challenged: Expose the scam artist to anyone and everyone!)
NBC Dateline & ABC's 20/20 recently did this to some work at home scammers in front of millions of viewers. I hate to sound negative, but it was a great source of pleasure to see these scam artist put in a very uncomfortable position. Ultimately it doesn't bring the money back that you may have lost, but I think it may still give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside as you watch the videos below:
Face to face with spammers and scammers
Hope you found the videos informative & at the very least comforting. I know it seems like you're always on the losing end, but sometimes the bad guys get what they have coming. Did you guys notice Chris from RatRaceRebellion.com? That's why we have her site listed as one of our top work at home websites to visit.
In any event, I'm interested in your feelings regarding the videos above, so let loose in the form below. Feel free to chime in on the whole silent victim mentality that I discussed earlier as well. I always felt that only happened in domestic abuse situations (i.e. Rihanna) but it seems to happen when folks lose money as well…
Hello Eddy,
I think you misunderstood my comment and should have phrased it in another way. What I should have said is that people fall prey much easier to sites or advertisements that promise easy quick money in lieu of legitimate business ventures that require study, hard work and patience.@Eddy Salomon:
Fair enough. Thanks for being clearer.
Hey Eddy,
sounded like you knew me personally there for a minute when you talked about job security. I recently lost my position as a Sr. Project Manager in the telecom industry, I was bringing in 80K+ a year. Here today, gone tomorrow, poof!
Having owned businesses in the past, some successful some not so much, I agree with you that people thinking about starting a business should definitely do their homework. I did this and after weeks of finding anything (very little) negative on Shaklee, I joined. They have been in business for over 50+ years, and are the real deal, no doubt about it. Now it’s up to me to work my ass off to make it a success for me.
I’m not one of those internet marketers that has a “secret” to sale, God I hat that. My job is to put it all on the table, no secrets, no hidden fees and let the informed prospect decided if it’s right for them.
Simple concept but yet so many what I’ll call lazy marketers just want your money to get traffic to your site, or increase your tweets, or whatever you don’t need. Man I’m getting pissed …lol 🙂 I guess I grew up in a time where integrity and hard work were values we lived by.
Good Luck in all that you do.
Chuck LaPenta
http://theworkfromhome.biz
OK all great comments but let me sum this up for you. People who just want a regular, consistent paycheck should not be in business for themselves. Also, don’t think its a scam if you have to pay a “small” upfront fee to get started. My current biz opp cost 300 to join, they sent you 500 in products, win/win. This is my third business and I spent thousands on top of thousands to be successful. The hard work and determination are a given and borrowing your way to wealth sucks but it works, most of the time 🙂
Chuck
http://theworkfromhome.biz
Hi Chuck,
I think that’s the point. Most people don’t want to own or run
a business. Most folks have been trained all their lives to be
employees. So they wouldn’t be open to getting involved in
home business even though it has the potential to pay them
what they really deserve & not what an employer determines
they deserve.
But there is this notion that a job is safe. But I think
people are starting to see that’s bull now with all these
companies screwing them over.
At the end of the day you need to have the right mindset
to work for youself. Most don’t have it so chasing after jobs
is what they will do. Different strokes for different folks.
By the way a fee is acceptable for a home business NOT a
job. And even with that folks should always do their research
because there are alot of scammy business opportunities out
there.
The main problem why individuals get scammed by illegitimate Work From Home opportunities, is that they don’t take into consideration that Scammers know they are searching for a Get Rich Quick Scheme.
By being ignorant to the fact that viable and successful Work From Home ventures take a lot of hard work and study, they become easy prey to “Hyped Up” opportunities that promise the world without any hard work from their part.
I can’t agree with that statement. That’s like saying because a woman dresses sexy she’s looking to get raped.
Not everyone that has gotten scammed was looking to get rich. Most just want a way to pay their bills or support their family.
When I got scammed in the early 90s, I was just looking for a simple data entry & typing job. So let’s not blame the victims.
People new to the industry are also assuming that this job search search is a like a normal job search where you can
let your guard down and not assume everyone is out to get you. Most of the times it’s only after you’ve been scammed, that
you realize this industry is plagued with scam artists vs real jobs. Now with that said, once you’ve been educated about this industry
then it’s a lot easier to maneuver. Unfortunately, most people don’t get this education unless they’ve been scammed or stumbled upon a page like this.
I agree that being educated on the industry is the key because it will help you avoid a lot of mess. But too often people aren’t willing to read good information
but are willing to open their wallets to strangers. So go figure. At the end of the day you’re right anything good will require work on your end. And sometimes
that work means doing your research and being willing to read tips that help you avoid the crap out there.
Great advice. I just hope people read this before jumping into the next “to good to be true” offer they see.
Chuck LaPenta
Lapantz Work Force
“Go Marching One By One”
Work From Home
http://theworkfromhome.biz
Regarding the RatRaceRebellion website, I “stumbled” upon it quite by accident some months ago and have added it to my favorites, have subscribed to it, and I visit there very frequently. It’s a wonderful site and the husband and wife of the site are such a nice looking couple. Like the workathomenoscams site here, it’s a godsend! I haven’t had any luck yet but it’s nice to know these two trustworthy sites are here for us.
I saw the broadcast of this special last year and it was very funny, especially when, on one occasion, they showed one of the scam artists, after he knew he was “busted,” running down the streets with his suit coat flagging in the wind. I get those emails all the time and I answer every one of them (very nastily). I then report it as spam to my email provider and forward them on to the SPAM@UCE.com fraud website. I’ve also copied the entire email with all that extra stuff that doesn’t ordinarily show up, but has information that is helpful in tracing the soucre and send it to the FBI website and other fraud sites. I’ve seen special news shows who’d placed hidden cameras in a call center outfit located in Nigeria, showing the scammers seated in rooms and all of them are talking on the phones, making calls all day long to unsuspecting victims. I’ve lost too much money to scam artists to feel any sympathy for any of them. And I hope Madeoff rots in jail!
The other problem and fact of the matter is, that many money making scams are legal in the way they are setup. It is just usually next to impossible though for the average person to make money with them.
I find rat race rebellion a really good site after I found out about it from a book.
I list some sites that are my fave on my own blog at Freelance Mom Journey
Anyway, I love how you guys are honest and don’t believe in scamming people.