Work-at-home scams get sneakier
This blog post may not be written by me even though it’s me.
I need to warn all of you out there that you can’t believe everything you read. I know that’s odd coming from a journalist, but in today’s Web world you have to question everything you read.
Case in point, work-at-home hucksters have reached a new low.
I wrote a story a while back about the best and worst jobs out there, and some unethical scammer somehow was able to take my story and put in bogus information about a work-at-home company and make it look like the article was coming from MSNBC.com and written by me.
The bogus article is located at this Web address: http://www.msnbc.msn.com-top-careers.us/?id=48590. It clearly looks like it’s coming from MSNBC.
Here’s an excerpt:
Patricia Feeney of Houston, Texas never thought she would have a job working at home until one day she filled out a simple form online. Before she knew it, she discovered her secret to beating the recession, and being able to provide for her family by working from home.
I asked her about how she started her remarkable journey. “It was pretty easy. I filled out a short form and applied for a Online Business Systems. There is a small shipping and handling fee, its not really free but it was under $10. I got the Kit and within four weeks I was making over $5,000 a month.
First off, I never even heard of Online Business Systems until this fake article surfaced. And most importantly, if you’re offered a work-at-home job opportunity and are asked to pay money upfront it is likely a scam.
The shame story was brought to my attention after I got a bunch of emails from readers asking me about the company and whether the claims made by Feeney were true.
This email came from Jennifer just yesterday:
Hi, Eve! I just read your article on MSNBC on the best and worst jobs. I noticed the top job is Online Affiliates and wanted to Know if the company, Online Business Systems, is truly legit. Was Patricia Feeney’s story and income verified? I want to make sure this is a legitimate company before looking into their program. We could really use the extra income so I’d like to check it out if it is reputable.
This really gets me upset, and makes me sad at how underhanded and evil people can be when it comes to making a fast buck.
I’ve been ridiculed widely on Twitter, and probably other social media sites, for the story, which sounds and is too good to be true.
I immediately contacted my editors at NBCNews.com and they’ve got lawyers looking into the matter. But it’s a good lesson for all of us.
Just because the Internet says something doesn’t mean it’s true, even if it appears to be coming from me.
Here’s a link to the original story.
The Career Diva
The Career Diva Blog
Eve Tahmincioglu has been writing about business for nearly two decades and her stories have appeared in a host of publications including the New York Times, Time, Salon.com, and BusinessWeek. She is also a columnist for MSNBC.com where she writes the weekly “Your Career” column. From labor strife in the auto industry to buying funerals online, you never know what topic she’ll tackle next. Her specialties include workplace issues, the small business and entrepreneurial world, and leadership, including interviews with some of the biggest names in Corporate America. She was named one of the top ten career tweeters on Twitter by CareerBuilder and CNN; and CareerBuilder named CareerDiva.net one of the 9 Job Blogs You Should Be Reading.
Eve is the author of the book “From the Sandbox to the Corner Office”, which includes interviews with 55 CEOs and leaders from all walks of life talking about the life lessons they learned from parents, mistakes, career twists and even bad bosses. Eve has been writing about career development and labor issues for nearly two decades as a staff writer for a host of publications such as UPI, Women’s Wear Daily and the St. Petersburg Times. Selected portions of Eve’s book can be viewed here.