Wednesday, June 1, 2011

How I got taken by a work-at-home scam

Thandi Zulu was single, pregnant and staying at a women's shelter in Houston, Texas, when she received a mysterious letter one day.

A company told Zulu that she could make big money working at home in a data-entry job. No résumé or experience was needed. All she had to do was pay a $200 fee.

You probably know what happened next. Zulu called the company, gave them her checking account number and then tried to stop herself because she realized that she was doing something stupid.Zulu, the single mom, subscribes to Durst's theory.

"I didn't pay attention," she said. "When you're desperate and you're looking for something, you just go ahead. I was pregnant, and I didn't have a job. I wanted to work at home."

Zulu says she finally found a legitimate job. She moved to Laurel, Mississippi, and now sells medical and dental plans through a company called Ameriplan USA.

She even calls people and tells them that they can sell Ameriplan from their own homes.
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But sometimes she runs into an unexpected problem.

"They don't believe me," she said. "People think we're scammers."


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