Watch out for pyramid schemes
You don’t have to look far for people who “prey” on the unemployed. From MLM jobs, Job Fairs, and various work from home disasters waiting to happen.
I get a lot of emails everyday with job listings that “fit my profile” – more than half of them are scams.
The first one that everyone should be aware of is the “mystery shopper” ads. You will NOT make BIG MONEY being a mystery shopper! By the time you take into account the time you spend in the store and the follow-up questions you are making a lot less than minimum wage. However if you like to role play and you like to shop – you can get some things you like for free or close to free and end up with a little play money. If you receive a check in the mail from a mystery shopping company, most likely they are a scam. They want you to deposit this large check and then pay them. You DO NOT HAVE TO PAY TO BE A MYSTERY SHOPPER. If you want to find a legit mystery shopping service – here is a link to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association – there are two companies in Michigan – one is right here in Ann Arbor – Second To None.
Job Fair Scams – Michigan is under attack by companies looking to take advantage of those of us that are unemployed. One of these companies came to Dearborn a few weeks ago. Claiming to help you land a government job – for only $5 you get to come in and listen to them tell you about government jobs and then they let you take a simple test to see if you “are qualified” (of course every one qualifies) and then they tell you about their training course that costs a lot of money. This one was run by Public Service Pathways – if you google their name you will find numerous issues with the BBB and lots of complaint sites. You don’t have to pay money to learn how to apply for government jobs – you can apply directly on your state’s website or on the federal jobs website – http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ – there are no shortcuts, don’t let a company convince you otherwise!
The last scam I see a lot of – “marketing jobs – no experience necessary” – this should send up all kinds of red flags. Good marketing requires experience and knowledge – it isn’t a job just anyone can do, nor is it a job that a lot of people want to do once they experience it. Most of these are MLMs or Multi-Level-Marketing companies, meaning you pay a fee to get into “the business” and then you are required to go out and sell “the business” to others to get them in and when they come in you get a portion of their money paid to join “the business.” Most of these pyramid schemes promise you “enormous amounts of money to be made.” If you are promised to make lots of money with little work – more red flags should be going up. Some MLMs are legit – Avon, Pampered Chef, Aflac etc. They actually sell a product but they also actively recruit as well. I have no problem with legit MLMs. The MLMs that basically only concentrate on getting new members in and forget the product they are selling, that I have a problem with that I recommend you to stay away from.
As an unemployed person, scam artists see you as a big target – they can smell your desperation! So keep your wits about you, investigate any company that sounds fishy, promises big financial returns or makes you pay upfront for advice. Use the internet to do your research, it could save your financial future.