30-to-1 Scam Ratio in Internet Work-At-Home Ads No "Valentine's Day Gift" for Moms, Reports Staffcentrix

Widespread scams and dubious "opportunities" victimize those least able to afford it, costing home-based moms -- as well as seniors and people with disabilities -- millions of dollars annually.

Woodstock, CT (PRWEB) February 14, 2006 –– A hefty 30-to-1 "scam ratio" in online work-at-home job ads is bilking moms and other would-be work-at-home Americans out of millions of dollars annually, reports home-based career experts Staffcentrix. Further, federal and state consumer watchdogs lack the manpower to stem the tide unleashed by the Internet and the immunity of scammers offshore.

The bleak ratio of "scams" to legitimate job opportunities emerged through Staffcentrix' ongoing research into Internet work-at-home job listings, conducted as part of the weekly publication of its popular work-at-home jobs bulletin, the "Rat Race Rebellion" ( http://www.staffcentrix.com ).

"In some ways, this is much worse than identity theft," says Staffcentrix COO Michael Haaren. "Both are terrible experiences, but if someone else uses your credit card, at least a bank will often make good on bogus charges. With work-at-home scams, however, the victim often bears all of the loss."        

Work-at-home scams consistently rank among the Federal Trade Commission's "Top Ten" complaints, with the Internet increasingly becoming the preferred means of transmitting fraudulent offers of all kinds. (In 2005, Internet-related complaints made up a whopping 46% of all fraud complaints received by the FTC, the Commission reported.)

Staffcentrix, however, believes that where home-based work scams are concerned, the FTC's figures are only the tip of the iceberg. "In our experience," says Haaren, who is also the editor-in-chief of the company's weekly jobs bulletin, "many moms victimized by these con artists simply don't have the time or energy to get involved in the official complaint process. After the demoralizing experience they've been through, and the challenge to make ends meet even in the best of circumstances, I think the last thing that many moms want or need is to have to deal with red tape."

Many moms also know that federal and state agencies, however well-intentioned, simply don't have the resources to recover the money they've lost, says Staffcentrix CEO Christine Durst, herself a mother of two. "If a mom pays $30 to access a Website that promises legitimate work-at-home jobs, and she finds nothing but stale ads gathered from other sites, she'll certainly and justifiably be angry," says Durst. "But she'll also know that her complaint won't be a top priority for consumer protection agencies. Moms are resilient, and they realize that, sadly, their time may be better spent continuing to look for work."

The scams Staffcentrix sees most often include such "classics" as craft assembly and envelope stuffing -- "Earn thousands a week stuffing envelopes from the comfort of your own home!" -- but they've grown to include others as well. "Phony 'data entry' jobs are also big now," says Haaren. "But contrary to popular belief, some 'Mystery Shopper' ads are actually legitimate. The trick is to learn to spot the few good ones among the many bad ones."

Haaren says that offshore scammers are often tough even to identify, much less catch. "The last bogus job-listings site we dug into was owned by a company in Belize," says Haaren. "The phone number was right out of a movie -- 1-555-555-1234. And that was their fax number, too."

About Staffcentrix
Staffcentrix is a leading advocate of home-based, virtual careers as a platform for individual growth and stronger family life, and a leading provider of virtual work solutions, products and publications. Its co-founders, Christine Durst and Michael Haaren, developed the first virtual careers training programs for the Armed Forces and the US Department of State, and appear often in the media as experts on home-based careers. For further information, please see http://www.staffcentrix.com.

Contact:
Michael D. Haaren, COO
Staffcentrix, LLC
http://www.staffcentrix.com
Tel. 703-333-2927

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