Work Scams
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This page is used in the Scams to Avoid Lesson Module, a law-related ESL lesson for newcomers to Canada. |
| This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by People's Law School in March 2017. |
"Make $50,000 in less than 90 days working from home!" If you see a job offer that looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Work at home, make huge profits
Most of us love the idea of earning extra income or quitting our full-time jobs altogether and working from home. But unfortunately the vast majority of these offers are work-at-home scams.
These offers typically promise huge demand, big profits, and big earnings for part-time work. They often demand that you buy a "start-up kit" of supplies you’ll need to use for the work (for example, special software or tools). Or they insist you have to enrol in a costly training or certification program.
Once you buy the supplies or complete the training, you never hear from them again.
Under BC law, an employer cannot ask a person looking for work to pay a fee to find a job. An employer can't charge you for giving you a job or for providing you with information about possible work opportunities.
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Work-at-home scams generally have one thing in common. They require you to buy something before you can begin work. If you respond to a work-at-home offer, you will probably wind up spending money instead of earning it. |
Preventing problems
Here are ways to reduce the risk of being the victim of a work scam.
Research the company
Learn as much as you can about the company and what it does. Check with the Better Business Bureau to see what they know about the company (see the "Where to Get Help" section for contact details).
Get everything in writing
Get a complete description of the work involved. You should never have to pay for a job description.
Make sure you understand the offer
Before you sign anything, make sure you read it and understand it.
 Scams to Avoid © People's Law School is, except for the images, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.
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