Story Created:
Jul 14, 2009 at 6:19 AM CST
Story Updated:
Jul 14, 2009 at 6:28 AM CST
(July 14, 2009)
Main Topic: New ‘twitter’ Technology provides another marketing tool for ‘Work at Home’ scams.
Many Americans are looking for ways to bring home a paycheck. Work-at-home schemes have often preyed on unsuspecting job hunters and now Twitter is being used as a way to convince cash-strapped consumers that they can make quick and easy money.
“Twitter’s growth in popularity makes it a perfect hook for more work-at-home schemes. The pitch used to be about making money by sending e-mails or by placing ads on Google, but now job hunters need to be on the lookout for scams revolving around earning extra cash through Twitter.”
Unfortunately, “Make Money With Twitter” schemes may sound risk-free, but bear many red flags prompting BBB to advise job hunters to be extremely cautious.
One e-mail picked up by BBB stated:
“Twitter Workers Needed ASAP, You're Hired! Make Extra Cash with Twitter; As seen on USA Today, CNN, and ABC... Apply Now!”
The e-mail links to EasyTweetProfits.com, a company out of Surrey, England. EasyTweetProfits.com claims you can make $250-$873 a day working at home with Twitter. The Web site offers a seven-day free trial of their instructional CD-ROM for $1.95 to cover shipping. Buried in the lengthy terms and conditions are the details that the trial begins on the day the CD is ordered—not when it is received—and if the consumer doesn’t cancel within seven days of signing up, they’ll be charged $47 every month.
Similar to other work-at-home schemes, phony blogs by made-up individuals have been created as testimonials touting the success of Twitter-money-making programs. Make-money-on-twitter.com is one such phony blog—supposedly by a Derrick Clark of Virginia—where the author brags about making up to $5,000 a month posting links to Twitter. The blog also includes an image of the supposed check Derrick received for posting links on Twitter, but the exact same photo of the check has been used multiple times on other phony blogs for various suspect work-at-home jobs.
The blog links to TwitterProfitHouse.com which, similar to EasyTweetProfits.com, claim you can make $250-$873 a day working at home and offers a seven-day free trial of their instructional CD-ROM, for $1.99 shipping. Again, however, reading the fine print shows that the trial period starts once the CD has been ordered and the consumer will be billed $99.99 every month if they don’t call the company to cancel.
BBB wants job hunters to be aware of the following red flags when searching for a work-at-home job online:
- The “job” is actually a money-making scheme and doesn’t provide actual employment.
- The work-at-home scheme claims that you can make lots of money with little effort and no experience.
- You have to pay money upfront in order to be considered for the job or receive more information.
- The exact same tweet touting the program is posted by many different Twitterers. The links in such tweets could lead you to scam sites or install malware onto your computer.
Scheme of the week: New ‘vanity ‘scam arrives by fax in local business offices.
Vanity schemes are again hitting our area. This time it comes in the form of a fax to your business. The solicitation states that your business has been chosen to appear in the latest edition of
Princeton Who’s Who of Executives, Professionals & Entrepreneurs.
All you have to do is return by fax your business information. What follows is allegedly a telephone interview which can last up to thirty minutes. Sounds great until the promoters hit you up for a $849 platinum life-long membership.
Please realize that if you are to be listed in a real prestigious publication, you will not be asked for money. Aside from losing money on these deals, consumers could be subjected to identity theft depending on what information they real to the schemers.
