·        Presume that the position is a scam, unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary. Take the time to research the position, the company including talking to other people who work there. That way, you wont be scammed and you will be using your best efforts and best judgment to find a legitimate work from home job.

·        Evaluate every listing you look at very carefully. Find out if there's a salary or if you're paid on commission. Ask how often are you paid. Ask what equipment (hardware/software) you need to provide.  Find out what support the company provides?

·        If you get an unsolicited email telling you that a company that you have never heard of wants to hire you for a job where you don't need experience or skills and can make a lot of money, trash it. There's lots of out there, some of which are personalized and sound quite legitimate.

·        Avoid the hype and look for the meat. Many programs rely on copywriting to create excitement and that feeling of "This is it". However, you need to look behind the hype for the actual details of the program such as what does it involve?

·        Do not send money! Legitimate employers don't charge you to get started or for anything else.

·        Ask for references - request a list of other employees or contractors to see how this has worked for them.

·        If you are looking for a home-based job from your newspaper classified ads, 800 numbers should raise a red flag. Most local companies don't use 800 numbers in local ads. If you decide to call, and it sounds like a "job" situation, get as much information as possible so you can research the company. And remember, never send money.

·        Be careful with jobs that have a free or commercial email address. Anybody with a legitimate job to offer over the internet should have an email address with their company's domain name... not a commercial account (unless of course it is AOL or Yahoo offering the job).

·        However, many solo-preneurs are now hiring help and sometimes use these accounts to help them organize and screen applicants. So you don't have to reject jobs from a gmail or AOL account automatically, but do proceed with caution. 

·        The same rule applies to website URLs. Any websites listed at free hosting sites such as Angelfire, Geocities, and Freeyellow, should be carefully investigated. Any company that can't afford its own website with domain name can't afford to hire you!

·        NEVER SEND MONEY TO GET A JOB. Is isn't uncommon to invest money in a home business, but if you are responding to a job announcement, don't send money. Legitimate employers never charge to hire you. The non-legitimate company will tell you to send money to cover the cost of materials or to process your application. Don't believe it. You wouldn't pay for training or paperclips at your current job would you? These companies usually aren't offering jobs, just information on how to scam others or how to start a business.

·        There are some companies that charge a small fee for their work at home directory and I have personally registered and found them to be legitimate.  What they offer is real work at home jobs which you can apply as many as you want. 

·        Network marketing opportunities abound. Over the past few years, MLM has begun to recover from the negative association with pyramid schemes. While the hierarchy is a pyramid in shape (come to think of it, all businesses are!), network marketing is a legitimate business opportunity IF the main purpose is to market products. You can feel safe in joining the companies that are well-known such as Mary Kay, Melaleuca, Discovery Toys, Shaklee and others. Even so, it always pays to research any business opportunity. Be sure you understand the compensation plan and any refund policies. See below for information on how to investigate companies.