Considering working at home?

In addition to editing Historic City News, I wear several other hats.

I am aware that credit remains tight and unemployment continues to rise despite signs that the economy is no longer in a “free-fall”.

If you are considering a new, replacement job or a second job to supplement your regular income, keep in mind that today’s financial environment is precisely what cyber crooks need to exploit those most vulnerable among us.

So-called “work at home” opportunities are flourishing. You will learn about them in classified ads and through some very clever e-mail mass marketing campaigns.

It’s important to remember that while some “work at home” opportunities are legitimate, most are not.

The scams are usually wrapped in an opportunity for self-employment; touting a chance to “fire the boss”, park your gas guzzling car and work from the comfort of your home.

More and more Americans are struggling to make ends meet. Sadly they are the ones that are taking the bait. With so many people out of work, it’s understandable why many of them would latch on to any opportunity to keep their family afloat.

Criminals routinely take advantage of the day’s headlines and are artful at concealing scams specifically designed to get you to launder money or traffic in stolen merchandise.

In some cases, people who unwittingly cash checks they receive in the mail as part of a bogus job offer are being prosecuted on felony charges.

So, while the line separating legitimate job offers from bad ones has become increasingly blurred, one thing you should remember is that if working from home were so easy, everyone would be doing it.