The advertisements are all over the internet, in your local paper, and even in the back of your favorite magazines. However, knowing how to spot work from home scams will save you a lot of grief and money. Most of these scams are easy to spot, but they are also very tempting. However, the general rule is if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Work from Home Scam #1: Nigerian Money E-Mail – Fund Transfer Scams

Today these scams usually come through your e-mail, and they sound very tempting. Usually the sender will pose as a government official from another country, mostly Nigeria, but other countries have been used. The person will often request assistance in transferring millions of dollars in extra money out of the country. These scam artists will ask for the person's bank account number, social security number, date of birth, and other information. Sometimes they just ask for money to be wired to them for taxes and other fees. However, those people never see their money again. In some cases, people have been lured to Nigeria only to be imprisoned. If you do receive an e-mail like this, you need to contact the United States Secret Service immediately at (202) 406-5572.

Work from Home Scam #2: Assembly Work

Work from home scams come in many forms, and one of the most common ones is the Assembly Work. Often these companies will require you to send them money for craft items that you will need to assemble at home. Remember, work from home scams are designed to deceive, and this one is no different. You will spend your time putting the items together in the belief that you will get paid a certain amount for each item. However, when you send the item back they will tell you it did not meet their “standards,” and you will never get paid.

Work from Home Scam #3: UPS and FedEx Recovery

This is one of those work from home scams that sounds very legitimate, because it uses legitimate and large businesses as an anchor. Yet, the program that you purchase has no real affiliation with UPS or FedEx. This scam involves you purchasing software to track UPS and FedEx shipments to determine if they get to their destination on time, because if they do not a company or person is entitled to a full refund. However, even with the software, the company does not give you a list of clients. Also, there are few people that will hand over shipping information to a stranger. Finally, UPS prohibits the use of any third-party software to access their tracking system - making this one of the more illegal work from home scams.

Work From Home Scam #4: Medical Transcription

Medical transcription is a legitimate job. Yet there are a lot of work from home scams out there promoting medical transcription software that will get you started on your brilliant career as a medical transcriptionist. Sometimes this software can cost you thousands of dollars.

There are plenty of work from home scams out there, so you need to look closely before you jump at something that looks to good to be true. If you want to work from home, realize that most careers require that you do a lot of work to make good money. Therefore, watch for work from home scams and do your homework before you send anyone money or hand anyone your personal information.