• Medical Transcription Scam Alert
Posted by Tom Harnish on May 16th, 2008
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.
May 18th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Do you know if Transam Associates, Inc. is legite. They offer free training but say you need to buy software. I appreciate any info you can provide.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:34 am
We don’t have an personal knowledge of the company, but–as the post indicates–we’ve been told by industry insider that they are indeed a scam. Google the phrase “Transam Scam” and check of few of the websites the pop up.. Apparently an awful lot of people have been burned.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Does this school ,Stratford Career Institute provide an up-to-date highly informitive educational course in medical transcription ,that will insure proper training for sucess in this particular feild.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Does Future MT really provide a highly imformative educational course, in medical transcriptionist that will ensure proper training for sucess in this feild that it claims it does ?
June 9th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Sarah: Trying doing a search on Google with the following terms: Stratford Career Institute scam, and Future MT scam. Some very unhappy people out there.
If I were interested in becoming an MT I’d do my training with one of the AHDI approved schools.
Their ‘Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval’ means you’ll get your money’s worth, and finish with an employable skill.