As you trawl through the search engines looking for home working opportunities or online business plans, you will no doubt come across many websites promising wealth and happiness like you’ve never known. All you have to do is pay an upfront fee then sit back and watch the cash roll in. Sounds great, right? Wrong! Watch out. Some of these offers are scams and once they’ve got a hold of your money, you never hear from them again. A cleverly devised scheme can catch anyone out. So don’t be a victim. Here are a few pointers to help you recognize a scam when you see one.

1.Some of the most popular work from home scams include: data entry and typing jobs, stuffing envelopes, product assembling, work from home directories requiring a fee, and online businesses plans that promise an immediate high return for limited, unskilled work.

2.As a general rule please always be wary of companies that ask you for money upfront to join their workforce.

3.Please avoid organisations that promise unrealistic earnings for little work, in exchange for a registration fee. Agencies that offer genuine work will not ask you for a sign-up fee.

4.Never give out your personal banking details via e-mail or to a company you have not fully investigated.  

5.Use your instincts before parting with any personal information. Check that the company is registered and has all the right credentials. An online search can reveal a lot about a company and its reputation, it would only take a short time to complete and could save you being ripped off.

6.Check websites for a landline telephone number, a valid address with postcode and a company registration number.

7.Watch out for websites that are poorly presented and contain lots of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and get rich quick hype.  

8.Genuine companies will not ask you for money before offering work, nor will they make any fast track millionaire promises. You should never be required to buy your own materials to complete work for any business.  

9.As an additional precaution, never open attachments sent in e-mails from companies that you are not familiar with as these may contain viruses or hacking devices that can steal personal details stored on your computer.  

10.Not all work from home opportunities are scams. There are plenty of legitimate websites offering genuine work and business prospects. By following this action plan you can safeguard yourself against falling victim to the many unscrupulous ones on the prowl. And finally, always remember the saying, ‘if it sounds too good to be true….it probably is!’

Author’s BioEva Kelly is a Freelance Writer and Webmaster in association with http://www.homeworking4me.co.uk/ - a free information guide for people who want to work from home or for anyone who'd like to freelance. Homeworking4me offers well researched and insightful articles on work from home options and offers leads, links and general information.