We've all seen them; many of us have responded to a few. Those highly tempting propositions from work at home business commercials or ads that want us to believe that with just a little effort and small investment we can be pulling in the big bucks and living the sweet life on a beach. How can we tell what's legit and what's more often that not a scam? If not a scam, then very likely exaggerated in the area of 'getting rich.'

With the positive turnover of profits from home businesses, many people have made the choice to work from home. Surveys show that nearly 15.7 million businesses have been established as home based organizations in the United States alone. However, not all businesses are created equal. Some of these were created through unscrupulous means. Some of the all-time classic home business or work at home scams that everyone has surely stumbled upon by now are the 'envelope stuffing', 'Call 1-900', and the ever popular scam of email spamming for others where a person will supposedly get paid to send emails; becoming a spammer as a result.

There are, of course, legitimate home business owners making nice livings. So, how did those folks figure out the real thing from the fraud? Some now fortunate home business people may not have been so lucky at the beginning, but have finally found their niche. These people are usually very willing to share with newbies their less than positive experiences; network with home business people on forums or message boards and learn from their mistakes if possible. There are a few simple tips and suggestions for avoiding being ripped off or scammed by a bad home business opportunity. For those of us who are genuinely looking for a real home business opportunity, how can we weed through the junk and get to an actual honest companies?

Here are some simple tips on how you can avoid home business scams:

1. If it seems too good to be true, chances are, it probably is. If a home business idea or work-at-home-job offers you huge amounts of money for doing next to nothing, chances are, what you’ll actually get in return is next to nothing or nothing at all. People have lost quite a bit of money in home business scams, so do your research before paying anything.

2. Never pay a company for the chance to work. Remember, you’re looking for a job home-based business because you want to be paid, not the other way around. Now, keep in mind however, that network marketing and direct sales companies usually require a consultant fee of some kind, which is completely legal. You are not an employee, but a business builder and an independent contractor for the company, so requiring a start-up fee is not a sign that an opportunity is a scam.

3. If the information about a company arrives in your email or mail box from someone you've never heard of before, chances are it's something you should steer clear of. Honestly, would you go into business with a total stranger off the street just because she drove a fancy car? Don't answer that. Fancy bells and whistles in the form of an email does not make the opportunity legit. If it’s spam, it’s most likely a scam. There’s only one thing to do with spam, and that’s hit delete.

A home based business can be a very lucrative and fulfilling venture, and just what you need to help supplement your current income or replace one, but make sure that you’re getting involved with one that’s legitimate and with actual worth.