Computer Equipment and consumables
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I've not provided a long list of named companies to avoid as most will fall into one or more of the categories below. A few examples are included for illustration, but if you're not sure about business details you've received, e-mail me for specific information Homeworking Scams fall into three main categories; directory scams, recruitment scams and craftwork scams. You can find full details of these types of scams, and several examples, on our homeworking site at http://www.homeworkinguk.com Recruitment scams are far more serious than most other homeworking scams, in that you are either being duped into handling stolen funds or you give sufficient information about yourself for your own identity to be stolen. This is covered in more detail at http://www.homeworkinguk.com/employmentscams.html Scams involving business opportunities may be more subtle and more varied, but generally if it seems to be too good to be true they usually are. If a company is looking for any money up front, the following checklist may help you avoid getting caught out. If you can't answer yes to all of the following, give it a miss, unless you're happy to risk a small sum giving it a try.
Avoid companies offering get-rich-quick schemes. In almost every case they are merely selling you a manual containing nothing you don't already know. Often you then need to sell the same manual, or carry out impractical instructions. It is extremely rare that you will earn vast quantities for very little work. Money back guarantees are rarely worth the paper they are written on as there are usually so many get out clauses as to make them impossible to claim under.
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Types of Companies to avoid The following list refers to business opportunities. For examples of companies claiming to offer homeworking opportunities check out the homeworking site http://www.homeworkinguk.com You should always check out www.asa.org.uk if you are considering any business. Here you will find a very long list of adjudications following official complaints about advertising. Many business opportunties are listed here. The list covers every case investigated since 1997. Be very careful if they have been adjudicated against. Also avoid:
Examples Cream of Egypt or Bodybite or Zaffaran Trading Ltd or Aurum Marketing or any similar schemes. These companies claim to offer market research posts. By sending off for kits from them for £40 each, they will send you £80 for completing a product awareness form. You'll find they've been closed down before you get your money back. Bodybite (Aurum) already has. "How to Make £25 from each "Sold" Sign that you see". You may well have seen this advert, offered by many different companies. Every wondered whether it really works? The following is a quote from somebody who sent off for this one. "Firstly you have to wait for the houses "for sale" to actually be SOLD. Secondly, the specially-prepared letter you send to them is a letter welcoming the new occupants to the area and introducing them to some of the shops & services in the area. Before doing this, however, you have to contact lots of shops and services and persuade them that, in return for advertising their services for free to new homeowners in the area, they should give you a percentage of the sales arising from your letter. Although the idea may be a good one, I feel that the advertising of this scheme is extremely misleading." The New Millenium Group Inc (NMG)offer you the chance to buy a silver ingot for £62 and receive over £10,000 over a fourteen month period. Despite claiming to comply with all MLM laws this is clearly mathematically impossible. The product is only worth about £5 and there is no way the opportunity can possibly work, even if it isn't closed down in a matter of months. A similar offer is being made by World of Art Distribution whereby you purchase a personalised portrait for £60 and supposedly receive £3,522 over 12 months. Totally illegal in the UK. There are also many chain letters doing the rounds - you may recognise the names Sally Brooker, David Rhodes or Edward L Green. You are asked to send £1 to each person on the list and then circulate the letter to 200 or more people. You will spend a fortune on postage and mailing lists and get nothing back. Don't do it! The only use for these lists is to use the names to compile your own mailing list.  |
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There are several things you can do if you feel you've been caught out. I would suggest that you get hold of a free booklet from the National Group on Homeworking called "A Practical Guide to Dealing with Misleading Adverts and Bogus Homeworking Schemes". E-mail for a copy on homeworking@gn.apc.org or telephone 0113 245 4273. If you were responding to an advertisement in a newspaper or magazine, you should write to the editor asking them to remove the advertisement from future use. You should also report them to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). ASA also covers direct mail so if you responded to a letter you received you should also contact them. Their web site at www.asa.org.uk gives you all the information you need and also lists ever adjudication made since 1997. Write to the company asking for your money back, threatening them with court action, if necessary. (Standard wording available from NGH). Report them to their local trading standards department and the office of Fair Trading. If the opportunity is being run by a limited company registered in the UK, you can get basic information on the company for free or full trading details for a few pounds. Go to http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/WebCHeck/findinfopage/ for further information.  The Office of Fair Trading has just launched its own website with guidelines to warn you about the latest scams Trading Standards have their own website at http://www.tradingstandards.net/ which contains a wide range of current and reference information which should be equally invaluable if you are a consumer with a query or complaint, or if you are a business looking for advice on your legal obligations in this field, including legislation, faq, consumer issues, careers advice and much more. Areas you might want to visit are the Message-board which is a moderated discussion group where individuals can post their own problems or advice, and the newsletter which is sent out by email on a regular basis with current issue updates, site updates, details of current scams etc. Advice guide from Citizens Advice Bureau gives basic advice and information on your rights. It gives you a broad outline of where you stand and what you can do. The DTI has set up a site where you can check out typical scams and also register your suspicions/experiences (anonymously if you wish). Full details at http://www.ripofftipoff.net UK Business Opportunity Review is an excellent site where members submit in-depth reviews of business opportunities they've actually tried so you to longer need to rely on guesswork as to which businesses are worth a further look. New reviews are added to the site every week and members make contributions to the members forum daily so there are already hundreds of reviews to read. Not only do you find out which businesses to avoid you can also read about the ones that are generating a significant income for members. You even get e-mail alerts about the latest scams. The site is more than just a collection of reviews. You also get free legal advice from a UK solicitor, useful articles on starting out in business, the chance to buy and sell second hand business opportunities, and if you're interested in horse racing, tipsters results data - check out actual tips received from members. When you join you also get £700 worth of bonuses including a free domain name and web hosting, website creation software and a huge selection of e-books. Submit a review yourself and you'll get a free one month subscription. Visit http://www.homeworkinguk.com/ukbor.htm for details. http://www.mlmtower.com has an extensive collection of links relating to MLM opportunities, including a comprehensive list of sites warning of MLM scams. Top scams online and offline from Scambusters.org, including the Nigerian e-mail scam, now updated to include similar requests from Taliban leaders and other war affected countries, phishing scams and work at home scams.  |
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