The Work at Home Scam Blog

Phishing is an epidemic affecting work at home parents as well as most other Internet users. If you have your own website with your email address on it, or post it anywhere on the web, you’ve probably received some phishing emails. I’ve been getting all sorts of them lately.

One of the biggest targets of these types of emails is the Ebay or PayPal user. The emails state that there is some sort of problem with your account, and advise you to click on a link in the email. The link takes you to a page where you are supposed to correct your information. These emails usually include PayPal or Ebay logos and look very official. So the only solution is to be extremely cautious when dealing with emails claiming to be from these companies, or any other.

Ebay, PayPal, and most other companies do not include links to your account in their emails. If a link is included, do not use it, but type the address into your browser instead. If there is any problem with your account it will show up anyway.

If you are in doubt about an email that purports to be from a company that you do business with, forward it to the company’s spoof email address. For PayPal the address is spoof@paypal.com, for Ebay it is spoof@ebay.com. If it is from another company and you’re not sure of the address, go to their website for instructions.

I don’t have the time or resources to list specific companies or post emails involved in known scams. But I’ve found a website that does just that.

Scamdex has databases of scam emails and lists of fake companies that have been reported, and a forum where people can post scams they have discovered. It’s a good resource if you want to see some examples of what to look for.

But remember, scammers are like chameleons- they change constantly. When they are discovered, most simply get new websites, email addresses, and identities. So it’s wise to learn the “red flags” to look for in a scam as well.

A few years ago, medical billing jobs were supposedly all the rage. Every way you turned there were advertisements for medical billing classes. They promised you training, the necessary software, and job placement upon successful completion of training.

The companies behind all of that hype must have made a lot of people very angry, because the ads aren’t seen nearly as much these days. There were several catches to all the promises they made.

The training and software usually cost several hundred dollars. But the software was often out of date, and there was no guarantee that the offices you would be working for would even let you use that software. And the job placement? They would send you a list of medical offices to call and try to convince that they should hire you and let you work from home, with no indication whether they were even in need of personnel. Not a very effective way to get a job.

So if you do happen to see these types of advertisements for medical billing jobs, or any variation on them, run in the other direction.