1. Educate yourself on the many scams that are out there.
2. Research various online job opportunities for one that meets your needs.
3. Sell your unneeded stuff or crafts online.
4. If you enjoy writing, consider becoming a freelance writer.

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• by Jacky Graves

• There are a number of legitimate ways to make money from the comfort of your home. However, mixed in with these opportunities are also a wide array of scams. This guide will help you locate legitimate ways to make money online while weeding out the scams.

• Prior to beginning your search into making money online, you need to educate yourself about the potential scams you may come in contact with. According to the AARP, scammers make $427 billion dollars per year on work from home schemes.AARP.org: Work-At-Home Scams There are some things that you can look for to avoid falling victim to one of these scams.

1. Stay away from get rich quick opportunities.
   • -Working from home requires and work and skill to make money.National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch: Tips for Avoiding Work at Home Scams
   • -Be wary of any opportunity that promises you a high income for little work.
2. Do not respond to unsolicited emails promising work from home opportunities.National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch: Tips for Avoiding Work at Home Scams Legitimate companies are not going to use spam as a means to recruit new workers. ABC News: Creative Consumer: Avoid Work at Home Scams (February 11, 2008)
3. Ask questions.
   • -A legitimate business should have no problem answering your questions about the position or company.National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch: Tips for Avoiding Work at Home Scams
   • -Many scams will fail to provide this information up front so it is important that you ask.Federal Trade Commission: Work-at-Home Schemes (November 25, 2008)
   • -If you do not receive adequate answers, the chances that the position is a scam are good. AARP.org: Work-At-Home Scams
4. Watch out for companies that requires you to purchase equipment or pay a fee.
   • -If you are asked to purchase equipment, be sure to ask about a refund policy and under what circumstances a refund will be delivered.National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch: Tips for Avoiding Work at Home Scams
   • -If a company requires that you pay a fee, walk way from the opportunity.American Foundation for the Blind: How to Investigate Work-at-Home Job Listings
   • -A legitimate company will not require payment to work for them.
5. Check references.
   • -Check with the Better Business Bureau and consumer protection offices to find out the company's reputation.ABC News: Creative Consumer: Avoid Work at Home Scams (February 11, 2008)
   • -Ask people who have worked for the company about their experiences and advice.National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch: Tips for Avoiding Work at Home Scams

1. Multi-level marketing(MLM)
   • -These positions require you to recruit other sellers who, in turn, are hired to recruit even more people to sell the same item.American Foundation for the Blind: How to Investigate Work-at-Home Job Listings
   • -These positions may be illegal and will not make you much money.American Foundation for the Blind: How to Investigate Work-at-Home Job Listings
2. Business opportunities
   • -You are required to send money for information on starting an online business.AARP.org: Work-At-Home Scams
   • - Your are provided information that could be easily obtained for free.AARP.org: Work-At-Home Scams
3. Posting ads
   • -You are told that you will be paid for posting advertisements online.American Foundation for the Blind: How to Investigate Work-at-Home Job Listings
   • -In reality you will only be paid if other people respond to the ad and sign up.

• The internet has opened up a wide array of jobs for people wishing to work from home. Some companies hire at home workers as employees of the company, while others hire independent contractors (IA).About.com: Work at Home Jobs According to the Internal Revenue Service, the basic difference between an employee and an IA is that an IA controls when and how they work whereas an employee is told how and when to perform the work.Internal Revenue Service: Independent Contractor Internal Revenue Service: Employee (Common-Law Employee)

• If you are a fast and accurate typist, you might consider getting a job as a transcriptionist. Transcriptionists convert audio to text in a timely manner.ABC News: Tory Johnson's Work-From-Home Tips (July 23, 2007) Medical transcriptionists also require the completion of medical transcription courses.iVillage: Hot Home Business: Medical Transcription Below are some companies that hire transcriptionists.

1. TypeWrite: Legal Transcription
2. Ubiqus: Various Transcription Positions
3. SpeakWrite: Legal and General Transcription
4. Tigerfish: General Transcription
5. Oracle Transcription: Medical Transcription
6. Thomas Transcription: Medical Transcription
7. TransHealth: Medical Transcription
8. Applied Medical Services: Medical Transcription
9. Escriptionist: General Transcription

• Data entry is another good option for making money online, though you do have to be careful as there are a lot of scams claiming to be legit data entry positions.About.com: Work at Home Scams Below are some legitimate companies that hire people to do data entry.

1. KeyForCash: Data Entry
2. Axion Data Services: Data Entry Job Opportunities
3. Working Solutions: Data Entry Jobs

• There are many companies that pay people to post on message boards. Here are some of them.

1. Forum Booster: Paid to Post of Forums
2. Posting Direct: Forum posters
3. PostOnMyForum.com: Forum Posters
4. Kickstart Your Forums: Poster Application

• Online guides are hired to assist users on various subjects.ABC News: Tory Johnson's Work-From-Home Tips (July 23, 2007) Below are some companies that hire online guides.

1. About.com: Guide
2. Mahalo.com: How to Create a Page on Mahalo
3. ChaCha: Answer Questions
4. JustAnswer: Answer Questions
5. Weegy: Answer Questions

• There are many other online jobs available that are not listed here. Use these sites to help you search for them.

1. Work Place Like Home: Message Board
2. WAHM.com: Work at Home Resources
3. Work at Home Mafia: Message Board
4. Rat Race Rebellion: Screened Work at Home Jobs

• According to ACNielsen, about 627 million people shopped online in the year 2005.US Department of State: Selling Online (May 12, 2008) Tap into this market by selling stuff that you no longer use or crafts that you make online.

1. Create a seller account on Ebay where you will have the option of selling your items at a fixed price or open it up for bidding. To get started at Ebay see How to Sell on eBay for Beginners.
2. Post free classified ads marketing your items on free sites such as Craigslist.ReadWriteWeb: 6 Ways to Sell Your Stuff Online (June 9, 2008)
3. You can sell your handmade crafts at places like Etsy or Buy Handmade Goods.ReadWriteWeb: 6 Ways to Sell Your Stuff Online (June 9, 2008) Some online craft fair sites are listed below.
   • Etsy: Homepage
   • CraftMall: Homepage
   • Lilly's Craft Stores Mall: Homepage
   • Artsefest: Homepage
4. You could also create a website to showcase your products.ReadWriteWeb: 6 Ways to Sell Your Stuff Online (June 9, 2008) See How to Make Your Own Website.

• If you have a passion or knack for writing, you might consider putting your skills and passions to use by becoming a writer. The internet is full of opportunities, from blogging to writing complete articles.

• A blog is a type of website in which person frequently writes posts on a particular subject. There are a couple of ways to make money blogging.

1. Start your own blog and make money through selling advertising, marketing your products or services, or through Google Adsense.Microsoft: How to Make Money From Your Blog: 5 Tips Steve Pavlina.com: How to Make Money From Your Blog (May 3, 2006) You can sign up for a free blog at places like Blogger, WordPress.com, and LiveJournal.
2. Get a job blogging for someone else. There is usually a long list of these types of jobs posted at ProBlogger.

• It is quite possible to make a decent living at freelance writing.About.com: Freelance Writing If you are interested in pursuing this career, see How to Make Money Freelance Writing.

1. Become a ghostwriter and write articles, books and speeches for others. The downfall here is that the buyer gets all the rights and credit for what you write.All About Ghostwriting: About Ghostwriting
2. Write resumes for job seekers.About.com: Types of Freelance Writers You can go into business for yourself, or locate a company who hires resume writers.
3. Become a content writer and write articles to publish on websites.About.com: Types of Freelance Writers Listed below are some places that pay for articles.
   • Helieum: Homepage
   • Associated Content: Homepage
   • eHow: Homepage
   • Bright Hub: Homepage