Be wary of work-from-home offers

It may not have made the Better Business Bureau's top-10 list of business categories against which consumers filed the most complaints, but the work-from-home sector is rising fast to get there.

In the past  year, consumers lodged 424 complaints against work-from-home companies that are based, or allegedly based, in the metropolitan area, said Brian Rauer, executive director of the Long Island Better Business Bureau. That's up more than double since 2008.

In such work-from-home and other business-opportunity schemes, consumers are hired for jobs, such as mystery shopper or financial agent, receive checks that they deposit in their accounts, and are asked to wire a portion of the money to the scammers, only to find those checks were bogus.

The frosting on the cake? Many find they're also victims of identify theft, having forked over personal information, he says.

For those thinking about trying a work from home job, Rauer suggests checking the following first:

Wiring money. This is a "huge red flag," yet this tactic and being asked to send money orders are often hallmarks of such schemes. Also be suspicious if you're asked to pay money upfront just to be considered for the job.

Recruiting. Watch out if people are not really selling anything but are just recruiting others to work beneath them. This sounds like a pyramid scheme, so "run - don't walk - away from such an 'opportunity' because not only is it not an opportunity, it's also not legal," Rauer says.

Getting real. Yes, if you've been out of work a year or two, you may be tempted by that "six-figure salary for one hour or one day's work a week." But, what's that called? "Too good to be true," Rauer says. So, don't lower your guard.