Today's Adventure in the Biz Opp Jungle:
'In which Charlie gets his mighty
scambusting mallet out while you skid
away into the distance, reveals another
"work at home" shocker, and offers 4 tips
to protect yourself.'
Hi,
I'm going to scambust something today, but I need your help.
While I can give you some pointers, this contrick has so many different guises and pseudonyms, you may have a different version.
You may have even got a few stages down the line and be in email or phone contact with one of these scoundrels.
If so, you're going to have to do a Starsky and Hutch-style reverse manoeuvre OUTTA THERE RIGHT NOW!
Gather up your cash, slide across the bonnet, hit the pedals and screech down the road away from these opportunities... and don't look back.
You may see a scamster in a cowboy hat running after you, proclaiming his innocence.
Ignore him. His days are numbered.
Sheriff Wright is creeping behind him with a gigantic mallet.
That said, the way YOU can help me out here is to look closely at your recent emails. Figure out if what you've received is a version of this classic dodgy offer...
Why you have to delete or bin these invitations
If you've had an email recently that says "Earn extra income", or "textile Company Seeking New Workers" or "PART TIME JOB OFFER FROM FERGUSON TEXTILES WALES".... then watch out.
They're bad news.
The companies have names like "Noble Textiles", "Arville Textiles"... and the authors of the letter come under different names like "Gary Robinson" or "Tina Howard".
Whatever the names, the offer goes along the lines of:
"We are looking for reliable individuals as
representative in the UK. I would like to
know if you will like to work online from
home and get paid based on a percentage
without leaving or it affecting your present
job if you have any."
And here's how they claim you will profit...
"You will be collecting payments, cash
them at your bank, then be forwarding
them via a medium that would be given
later. And for this service, We agree to pay
you 10% each of each amount you collect
from our clients."
And yes, they're always written in terrible English, as I've illustrated above. (These are direct quotes from emails I've received myself).
While I may mock them, they shouldn't be underestimated. There's a reason why these types of email are so similar and common...
That specific format has been PROVEN to work
The criminals keep sending these pesky things, because people keep responding, time and time again.
Why fix what ain't broke?
Now I don't blame anyone for considering these opportunities. Not at all. If you've never seen one before, it's very easy to get lured in. When I first saw one I thought it may even be genuine.
Now that I'm a grizzled old sceptic, who checks out biz opps for a living, I know the score.
They now go straight into my delete pile.
A useful resource you can look at
To give you an idea of the sheer range of fraudulent work at home opps, check this out:
http://www.scamfraudalert.com/archive/in
dex.php/f-37.html
It's part of a US-based forum, so it's not specifically relevant to the UK. But a lot of these are international, as they're internet based.
And you'll find that they all stick to a handful of tried and tested formats. It's
just the names and countries that change.
Remember the golden rule - a stranger will ever email you out of the blue and offer you a job. And even if they did, they would ask you for an interview. They'd never ask for payment.
4 more tips to protect your cash
If you get any kind of "work at home" job offer, follow these guidelines:
*** Check there's a landline phone number, not a mobile. Get an address, a proper street address, not a P.O. Box address.
*** Never send money without asking the company for specific details of what they're offering. If it's along the lines of what I've described above, then forget about it. If it's a genuine way to work and make money for the time you put in (NOT commission for moving money around) then maybe consider it.
*** Avoid stuffing envelopes. You pay a registration fee in return for advice on how lure other people into the same fake opportunity.
*** Avoid home working directories. They promise you a variety of home work opportunities for a fee of up to £25. But you only get a directory of other companies who have their own registration fees.
Or try something that really works
Better still, go for a decent armchair business that has already been
investigated and checked out.
Go and browse the left hand column here and try something out:
www.bizoppjungle.com
In each case you'll know exactly what you're getting into, and know you're
protected by a money back guarantee.
I'll be back with more during the week.
Later alligator
Charlie Wright
The Biz Opp Jungle
www.bizoppjungle.com