Twenty-six states have ‘business opportunity’ laws to protect you from those idiots that claim you can make thousands of dollars while you sleep. The laws prohibit the sale of business opportunities unless you’re given a pre-sale disclosure document that must be filed with a designated state agency.

They typically cover every imaginable type of business opportunity that might be offered. If a business opportunity seller is not required to provide pre-sale disclosures by the FTC Franchise and Business Opportunity Rule, then these disclosures will almost always be required by the laws of the states listed below. If you live somewhere else take a look at one of the other states laws to see what questions you should ask.

The disclosures required by state business opportunity laws differ somewhat, and typically they provide more abbreviated information than the FTC’s Rule requires. However, most of these laws provide you important rights and remedies, including required security bonds to cover investor losses. If the opportunity you’re looking at can’t be verified with a state agency or the FTC, run don’t walk to the nearest exit.

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If you are considering purchasing a work-at-home or other business opportunity, and live in a state with a business opportunity law, find out more about the protection provided by your state statute before you invest.

Alaska, California,Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina,

Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

Alaska (filing required)

Attorney General’s Office

Commercial and Fair Business Section

1031 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 200

Anchorage, Alaska 99501

(907) 269-5200

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California (filing required)

Attorney General’s Office

Public Inquiry Unit

P.O. Box 944255

Sacramento, CA 94244-2550

Toll-free in California only (800) 952-5225

Out-of-state callers (916) 322-3360

E-Mail: piu@doj.ca.gov

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Connecticut (filing required)

Department of Banking

Securities Division

260 Constitution Plaza

Hartford, CT 06103

Phone: (860) 240-8230

Toll-free: (800) 831-7225

Fax: (860) 240-8295

Website: http://www.state.ct.us/dob

E-mail: marcelle.groves@po.state.ct.us

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Florida (filing required)

Dept. Agri. & Consumer Services

407 S. Calhoun St.

Finance & Accounting Section

Tallahassee, FL 32301

(850) 488-2221

(800) 342-2176 (FL only)

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Georgia (no filing required)

Office of Consumer Affairs

No. 2 - Martin Luther King Dr.

Plaza Level, East Tower

Atlanta, GA 30334

(404) 656-3790

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llinois (filing required)

Illinois Securities Department

Lincoln Tower

520 S. Second St. Suite 200

Springfield, IL 62701

(217)782-2256

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Indiana (filing required)

Indiana Office of Attorney General

Consumer Protection Division

302 West Washington Street

IGCS 5th Floor

Indianapolis, IN 46204

(317) 232-6330

[Top]

Iowa (filing required)

Securities Bureau

Second Floor

Lucas State Office Building

Des Moines, IA 50319

(515) 281-4441

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Kentucky (filing required)

Office of the Attorney General

Office of Consumer Protection

1024 Capital Center Drive

Frankfort, KY 40601

(502) 573-2200 NOTE: DOESN’t Work

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Louisiana (bond filing req’d)

Office of the Attorney General

Consumer Protection Section

1885 3rd St.

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

(225) 326-6460

[Top]

Maine (filing required)

Banking Bureau

Securities Division

State House - Station 121

Augusta, ME 04333

(207) 624-8551

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Maryland (filing required)

Attorney General’s Office

Securities Division

200 St. Paul Pl. - 20th Floor

Baltimore, MD 21202

(301) 576-6360

[Top]

Michigan (notice required)

Consumer Protection Division

Dept. of the Attorney General

PO Box 30213

Lansing, MI 48909

(517) 373-7117

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Minnesota (filing required)

Department of Commerce

Registration Division

133 East 7th Street

St. Paul, MN 55101

(651) 296-6328

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Nebraska (filing required)

Dept. of Banking & Finance

Commerce Court

1230 “O” Street, Suite 400

PO Box 95006

Lincoln, NE, 68509-5006

1-877-471-3445

Website: http://www.ndbf.org/

[Top]

New Hampshire (filing required)

Attorney General’s Office

Consumer Protection Div.

State House Annex

Concord, NH 03301

(603) 271-3641

[Top]

North Carolina (filing required)

North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State

P.O. Box 29622

Raleigh, NC 27626-0622

(919) 807-2000

[Top]

Ohio (no filing required)

Attorney General’s Office

Consumer Protection Section

25th Floor, State Office Tower

30 E. Broad Street - 14th Floor

Columbus, OH 43215

(614) 466-8831

800-282-0515 (in-state only)

Website: http://www.ag.state.oh.us

[Top]

Oklahoma (filing required unless exempt)

Oklahoma Department. of Securities

Suite 860, First National Center

120 N. Robinson

Oklahoma City, OK 73102

(405) 280-7700 (voice)

(405) 280-7742 (fax)

Website: http://www.securities.ok.gov

[Top]

South Carolina (filing required)

Secretary of State’s Office

P.O. Box 11350

Columbia, SC 29211

(803) 734-2169

[Top]

South Dakota (filing required)

South Dakota Division of Securities

445 E. Capitol Ave.

Pierre, SD 57501

(605) 773-4823

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Texas (filing required)

Secretary of State’s Office

Statutory Documents SectionP.O. Box 12887

Austin, TX 78711-2887

(512) 475-1769

Website: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/statforms.shtml#BOAF

[Top]

Utah (filing required)

Consumer Protection Division

160 East 300 South

Salt Lake City, UT 84111

(801) 530-6601

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Virginia (no filing required)

Consumer Affairs Office

101 North 8th Street

Richmond, VA 23219

(804) 786-0594

(800) 451-1525 (in-state only)

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Washington (filing required)

The Department of Financial Institutions

Securities Division

P.O. Box 9033

Olympia, WA 98507-9033

Voice: (360) 902- 8760

Fax (360) 902-0524

[Top]

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture

Trade and Consumer Protection

P.O. Box 8911

Madison, WI 53708-8911

(800) 422-7128

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There are a growing number of online employment services that either specialize in telecommuting or have a special telecommuting section. But watch out, some of them are nothing more than scams.

Everything may seem like it’s on the up and up–reasonable salaries, professional website, even a warning to watch out for scams–but when we looked closely we spied something fishy going on.

Our first clue was that the website required you to pay to register. Now what sense does that make? If the site is in the business of finding good employees they can rent to employers, why would the block the road to success with a toll booth?

Other sites don’t charge to join or register, but they do charge a fee to cover their ‘administrative costs’. That’s total bull. All businesses have administrative costs, and those are paid by customers (employers) not employees. Remember, a temp agency charges employers for your work, say $25/hour, and they pay you, say $20/hr. That $5 an hour difference is supposed to cover their costs and also a bit more–that’s called profit.

Our second clue something wasn’t right with some sites was that they charge you before they even look at your resume. If they were serious about getting you work doncha think they’d might be interested in what you can do, even to the extent of testing you on things you claim you can do? ‘Real’ temp agencies certainly do. Temp agencies are very interested in qualified folks because their income depends on an on-going relationship with their clients, your potential employers. If they hire incompetent people their customers will be unhappy and look elsewhere.

The smoking gun clue, though, was the fact that these sites charge employers, their customers, a fee to register. Why would an employer pay a penny before they knew the company had qualified candidates for their job openings?

But don’t get the wrong idea, just because a site doesn’t charge a fee to join doesn’t mean it’s not a scam. The safest bet is to be sure you don’t pay a penny to get a job. Honest employers are happy to pay recruiting and training costs.

Your bill says you watched that pay-per-view movie 13 times, non-stop. So you call the cable company, and the idiot you talk to says that’s tough, the computer says you watched it so you did, and you’ll pay for it or we’ll turn of your cable service, so there. Well guess what, boys and girls, you can be one of those idiots too!

That’s right, cable companies are looking for people to “work from home educating and assisting our customers with their bills, which can be very complicated. You will be responsible for ensuring it’s a great experience for each and every customer. The work is fast paced and your performance will be closely monitored.”

Have you ever, even once, had “a great experience” talking to your cable company? Or for that matter has a Billing Customer Service Representative ever had a great experience talking to a customer? And don’t you love being closely monitored?

Okay, maybe they aren’t as bad as the phone companies–one cell phone company rep actually told us, “I’m sorry, you have to come into the office, we can’t do business over the phone”–but customer service jobs in a call center or at home, regardless of who you work for, have to be for masochists. If you’re anal retentive too, one company even has a Customer Retention position available.

Still, all this does suggest that yet another segment of the marketplace has recognized the advantages of working from home. Check it out, this might be for you even if you aren’t an idiot.

If you’re a computer guru and really know what makes a computer tick, if you have good communication skills and enjoy helping people, there may be a full- or part-time work at home job waiting for you at SupportSpace.com.

People who telecommute have no way to earn a living if their computer is on the blink, and company tech support often can’t (or won’t) help. For many baby-boomers and seniors, computer technology just isn’t easy to deal with. SupportSpace responded to that need with a unique approach: all their techs work from home. And you can too if you have what it takes. If you’re an exceptional techie, and can make a disappointed customer with a fried hard-drive thrilled they called you, read on. A college degree isn’t required, but you do have to be at least 18.

You’ll have to go through an initial interview and a thorough check on your background. Then you’ll take a technical skills test. What they’re looking for are competent, experienced techs, so don’t expect them to provide technical training. They will, however, provide training for their online tools so you know how to let the world know you’re open for business, how to take calls, how to download remote desktop software, and how to use proprietary and commercially available tools to solve problems. They also provide webinars and encourage interaction among their techs, which offers the opportunity to learn from others.

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of working as a remote tech is that your schedule can be whatever you want it to be. Need some extra money? Then work some extra hours. Are you a college student and need to study for finals? Work fewer hours–or even not at all if you want to go out with the gang afterwards and blow off some steam. This kind of work makes a great second job, too, because you can schedule around the demands of your primary job.

When you’re ready to work you simply log into the SupportSpace online workbench, and when customers call you’re shown as available. Log off, and you’ve effectively put out the cat, pulled down the shade, and locked the door on your shop.

Tech support problems cover the range of issues, systems, and equipment that people use; but you don’t have to be an expert in everything. You can promote your special talents to deal with Windows XP and Vista, system tune-ups, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, e-mail, backups, networking issues, security, printers and other hardware, virus prevention or removal, digital cameras, MP3 players, video and webcams, and malware/spyware removal.

SupportSpace gets 25% of what you bill, but you set your own rates. Full time, hard charging techs with plenty of experience and good repeat customer ratio can average $30-$40 an hour take-home, although $18-$20 per hour is more typical. (Keep in mind these are clock hours, not billable hours. You might be logged in and available, but not working with a customer. You might advertise a $75 per hour rate, but only work an average of 20 minutes an hour.)

Another nice aspect of remote tech support work is that you don’t need any special equipment or tools. SupportSpace provides online diagnostic tools, and if you’re a geek, you already have everything else you’ll need.

Keep in mind this kind of work depends on electricity and online access. That’s good news, and that’s bad news. The good news is you can do it from anywhere. If you decide to go to beach for the summer, you can take your laptop and work there. But the bad news is, if your ISP goes down or a hurricane puts out the lights you’re out of business.

Also remember that as a freelancer you won’t be paid for sick days, you won’t have a 401K, and you won’t have your taxes deducted. On the other hand you also won’t have an increasingly expensive and aggravating commute, or an ogre for a boss (unless you’re really hard to work with).

SupportSpace is the standout employer for work at home techs, from our research. Their business model has attracted the venture capital community, and their online approach is unique. Best Buy’s GeekSquad is the largest in the business, but theirs is a bricks and mortar, office-based culture. PlumChoice is an online competitor that “served 2.5 million transactions in 2007″ but they seem a bit embarrassed by their at-home workforce and asked not to be included in our upcoming book because of its title: Undress For Success.

To summarize then, working from home as a remote tech support specialist has the advantages of flexible scheduling and decent pay, but you’d better know your stuff and be prepared to watch out for yourself.

If you want the inside scoop visit TechComedy.com for a look at the funny, and sometimes aggravating, side of the business.

I’m working on a chapter about Medical Transcription for our forthcoming book about work at home jobs, Undress4Success. If the subtitle The Naked Truth About Working From Home was ever appropriate it’s here. There are oodles of nasty scams associated with the field, and the truth needs to be revealed.

Three-quarters of MTs work from home, and on the face of it, it seems like a job anyone with some typing skills could do. Trust me, it ain’t. But that doesn’t stop unscrupulous rip-off artists from preying on people who don’t know any better.

Several industry insiders have told us about one company they love to hate that they affectionately refer to as TransScam. Their concerns are backed up by website reports that describe a scam that goes something like this:

• You post your resume on one of the job sites such as monster.com and mention something about typing skills or anything to do with the medical profession.

• They send you an email saying how impressed they are with your background, and ask if you’d be willing to take a free medical transcription test. If you pass it, they say, they’ll pay for your training and guarantee you a work at home job. All you have to do is buy some piddly transcription software.

• You pass the test with flying colors, of course, and they rave about your potential. You’ll be rich!

• But you’re cautious, and ask if they’re legitimate. “Why of course, silly, we’re members of the Chamber of Commerce,” and email a logo. Now that is impressive, isn’t it?

• So you fork over 400 bucks for what turns out to be awful software, and they try to up-sell you on “professional” software and a foot pedal to make you more productive.

• But that stuff’s junk too, to so you ask for a refund.

• They say read the fine print, we don’t do refunds, have a nice day.

Still, if you have an affinity for language, are good at interpreting what you hear, can learn quickly, and can type about 100 words per minute you are a good candidate for a rewarding job as a medical transcriptionist. There are some very reputable schools, such as The Andrews School and CareerStep that in about six months can teach you what you need to know to make a go of it. And MTs are definitely in demand.

ANY school that you talk to should have the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) approval. But even if they do, do your homework; some companies claim to have accreditation, but it’s only from a phony made-up outfit of their own. Rummage around the web, and see what people have to say about the school you’re considering. If you can’t do that, you probably shouldn’t be thinking about being an MT anyway.

There are other renditions of this theme in every industry, so if your interested in finding a work at home job, in telecommuting, or freelance work look before you leap. In fact, if you want, leave a comment here about a company you’re interested in and we’ll check ‘em out.