You might wonder if there really is any legit online way or business to make money on the Internet. One case in point is Work at home United. Is this a legitimate way to seek help or is it a scam?

Its Function

The function of Work at Home United is to help people build their own home businesses that allow people to be their own boss and work around their children’s schedules.

Work At Home United is an independent home business owner. They partnered together in mutual respect for the purpose of mentoring others. This was done to help develop home business leaders.

About the Company

Work at Home United is a reputable company that has a solid track record of success. They sell a variety of cleaning products and makeup. They also sell health food, vitamins, and skin care.

They provide a variety of tools for people to use to advance their business. For instance, when you sign up you receive the following:

• Personalized websites on which to market products
• Professional coaching and mentorship
• Team support any time you need it
• Informative monthly publications printed
• Global marketing potential
• A 100% satisfaction guarantee

Brief Evaluation

When you visit the Work at Home United website it does appear that they have quite a system set up. They also seem very ready and willing to help you, as they do have an e-mail support service.

One disadvantage is that there is no contact phone number on some supporting websites. However, you have to sign up apparently to receive information. Be very careful though if they do not allow you to receive any answers to questions before paying.

You will be, however, contacted by a professional and they can give you additional details about the Work at Home United opportunity. This is something you should think about.

For every legitimate work at home opportunity, there are probably at least dozens of scams. Fortunately, the FTC had reached a settlement regarding this on more than one occasion. One particularly striking case was the one that was resolved as of May 2009.

Home Medical Billing Scam

A fraudulent marketer convinced people that they could make in upwards of $500 per week processing medical bills. Training was promised to the victims of this very unscrupulous scam.

The result of this entire operation was a won lawsuit fought by the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of consumers. The advertisers of this supposed medical billing specialist opportunity ordered this company to pay back a total of $15,000 to consumers affected by this scam.

Defendants of Case

This particular FTC case was fought against Wilson Jose Caceres of Caceres Quality Distribution Inc. (CQD) and Chris Taylor of Medical Billers Network Inc. (MBN). They are barred from any other activity associated with attempts to promote any type of work at home opportunity-particularly that related to medical billing.

FTC Consumer Tips

If you are seeking opportunities to work at home as a person who processes medical bills, you should find out what you are getting yourself into. For instance, you may want to learn the following:

• Ask the promoter of the opportunities to provide you with references of other people involved in this program. This will help you verify whether or not it is a legitimate operation.
• The best way to ask for these references is to simply just request names of purchases-and ask them to give you as many as possible. Beware, of course, that these references could be “staged” or falsified.
• Find out what responsibilities are required of you while participating in this type of work. At the same time, find out what exactly is the amount of financial investment required to get started as a medical biller.
• Research on websites of major business and e-commerce bureaus to make sure the company has no unresolved complaints against them. If there is none, this does not always mean they are legitimate but it does increase they chance that they are.
• At the same time, keep in mind that even legitimate companies have complaints on occasion, but its how they are handled that matters-whether the complaints were resolved satisfactorily or not. Observe this as you learn more about work at home medical billing opportunities.

WARNING: Fraudulent advertisers and companies often change their names several times even if caught victimizing people. Beware, and be careful!

The opportunity to work at home is becoming far more acceptable than in the past. However, of course unscrupulous, deceitful people still run home business and home income scams. This has greatly increased ever since the Internet has been used.

Here are some simple tips for identifying work at home scams:

• Remember that if you are seeking regular employment in a telecommuting position you should not have to pay the employer. No legitimate employer is going to require you to purchase registration packets or ask you to pay an application fee.
• Beware of opportunities supposedly requiring no experience (“no experience necessary”). Be particularly cautious of opportunities, which claim you can make large sums of money even with very little training. This may be possible, but this is not necessarily a regular work at home job but rather a home business opportunity.
• Beware of ads that read “Work at Home” in the job description title. This is not an actual “position” but a type of job. Although there are legitimate opportunities out there, oftentimes scammers will take advantage of free job posting opportunities to lure in desperate people.
• You may have seen some of the ads on TV, which convince you to sign up for what is supposedly a “lucrative business opportunity.” You are then often told about the long vacations you can take and how you can make money even while you are sleeping and so on. This may eventually be the case, but keep in mind that it takes work and does not come easy.
• A major red flag about a specific business opportunity which claims you can make money and not leave your house is if it has received horrible Better Business Bureau (BBB) rankings. If it has received a “C” or worse rating, beware.

How Scammers Operate

Oftentimes these fraudulent schemers will find a way to acquire your personal information. For instance, maybe they will entice you to sign up for a trial that only costs a dollar.

Sometimes when doing so, they use payment transaction systems that are not at all encrypted. This is how they obtain your credit card information. In some cases, they may also insist that they take your birthdate, driver’s license number, or social security number.

While legitimate website may need this info, beware of signing on with a supposed work at home opportunity that may indeed be a total fraud. Being careful will save you from numerous problems, such as being the victim of identity theft, loss of bank savings account funds, or unauthorized charges.