• Learn what kinds of work-at-home job ads to avoid.Caroline Woodham/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  People get duped by get-rich-quick schemes or promises of a fulfilling career. The best way to prevent getting taken is to educate yourself on the different types of scams that keep circulating online so that you may ignore them. The biggest red flag is any upfront payment requirement. You should never have to pay to get a job.
  
  

Envelope Stuffing

• The companies that offer envelope-stuffing opportunities will ask you to send a small fee, claiming that the money you send will go toward their administrative or training costs. Once you send in your money, they will send you a bunch of envelopes to stuff at home. Their sales letters make this opportunity sound quite lucrative.
  
  In reality, this is a pyramid scheme that earns the schemer money if you can dupe your friends and family into signing up for the same "opportunity." Companies do not need you to stuff envelopes because they have sophisticated machinery that will stuff hundreds (or thousands) of envelopes per day.
  
  

Assembly or Craft Work

• Assemble craft kits or other types of products at home. The big red flag is the upfront investment in materials and equipment. They make it seem like you will recoup your investment, once you make the products and send them in for payment. A typical ad will claim $350 per week in craftwork earnings.
  
  The reality is that these companies never had any intention of paying you for your investment or your hard work. What will happen is that they will jilt you by telling you that the quality of your work is not up to standard. Legitimate companies often rely on cheap labor from Mexico or China to perform their assembly work.
  
  

Rebate Processing

• Process rebates in the comfort of your own home. Earn hundreds of dollars per week. That is what the ad says. The reality is that they will charge you around twenty dollars for useless training materials and provide you with zero rebates to process. Unless you know how to be a squeaky wheel, you will never receive a refund.
  
  

Medical Billing

• The ads promise you a lucrative career in medical billing. No experience is needed to open your own medical-billing practice, according to these ads. You will invest hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars for software, technical support, and a list of potential clients.
  
  In reality, these client "lists" are outdated, and the competition for medical billing is fierce. You have to know the medical terminology and billing codes. Therefore, you need specialized training. Better yet, you need experience in a hospital or medical office setting in order to learn the business before you embark on it.
  
  

Conclusion

• The best way not to get burned by these fly-by-night schemes is to practice due diligence. If you see an ad that appears promising, research the company and perform an online search to check for any dissatisfied customers.