"Earn thousand of dollars a month - from your home - Processing Medical Billing Claims."

On the surface these ads may seem appealing. However, what's behind these may be a work at home scam. Often these types of ads do not fully disclose all of the details. For example, they do not tell you that:

* You may have to work many hours without pay

* There may be a charge for more information or an entry fee

* You may have to spend your own money placing newspaper ads in order to get work

* You may have to purchase your own supplies, such envelopes, paper, stamps, and equipment

* You may have to pay for your training, which usually comes in the form of instructions or "tutorial" software

Please know that people deceived by these ads have lost thousands of dollars, time, and energy. It's sad, but true and leaves a person feeling discouraged and extremely disappointed.

Similarly, have you ever seen a home-based jobs ad that said something such as "No Experience Necessary?" Well, if you're looking for legitimate work at home jobs steer clear of any that say you do not need experience - unless they offer to pay for your training.

Why? Because companies do not hire people who do not have experience, especially if those people are going to work from home. Here are a few reasons why:

* The training process would be too difficult.

* Companies look for telecommuters who have experience in the type of work the job requires one to produce.

* Companies look for people who have a proven track record working independently with no supervision.

You can protect yourself. In order to avoid work at home scams, ask the following 5 questions:

1. What tasks will you have to perform? Ask the program sponsor to list every step of the job.

2. How will you be paid? Ask if you're going to be paid a salary, hourly or based on a commission? If it is commission based what is the percentage, how often will you be paid, and how are they keeping track of the work from which your commission will be based?

3. Who will pay you?

4. When will you get your first paycheck?

5. Ideally, you should not have to pay for anything. But, if you are presented with costs, ask the following questions to see if you're okay with what is required: What is the total cost of the work-at-home program, including supplies, equipment and membership fees? What will you get for your money?

Get the answers to these questions. The answers will help you determine if a particular home based job is right for you and whether or not it is legitimate.