The Internet advertisements are so enticing. “I make $250 every day! Work from home!” reads the ad which is placed next to a hijab-wearing woman. A click leads to a site called “Career Journal” with the banner headline “Work from home program in Saudi Arabia.” The banner is complete with a Saudi flag. The “testimonials” at the site are inspiring. Aamina says, “Thanks for the info, just started this 3 weeks ago. I've gotten 2 checks, pretty cool!” The advertorial report at the site is professionally done, but doesn't tell much about how the income is earned. This of course is a scam. Specifically it's a “negative option” work at home fraud. Although the website looks to be that of a reputable company which has been interviewed by so many major news organizations, scrolling to the bottom of the page reveals the truth. In fact there is an advisory posted telling consumers to “carefully read and agree to the purchase terms below before ordering.” The advisory goes on to state that the company is “not affiliated in any way,” with any of the news organizations whose logos appear on its site. The story of big earnings depicted on the website is “based loosely off a true story, but has been modified in multiple ways including, but not limited to: the story, the photos, and the comments. Thus, this page, and any page on this website, are not to be taken literally or as a non-fiction story.” If it's not to be taken literally or as a non-fiction story – then what is it? It's fiction of course. Who makes the money if a person signs up for this work at home scheme? The people behind the Home Income Cash System are the big earners. In the beginning, the potential home worker must provide a credit card number and pay a “small activation fee,” to get the “training guides, video tutorials and custom money making website” to use in the work at home program. After seven days, if not canceled, that initial “under $2” fee rises to $69.95 monthly. In the USA, the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and many other websites have warnings about such work at home plans. There are numerous complaints about how difficult it is to stop charges coming to a credit card once the activation has been done. An agreement for further charges is hidden in the sign up menus and how to stop the charges isn't clear. In this type of “negative option” credit card billing situation if the card holder fails to cancel the agreement, then there is an implied willingness to be charged for the goods or services. Stopping the charges may be so impossible that the only reasonable way to halt the financial damage is to cancel and reissue the credit card used for the authorization transaction. This home work scheme attracts so many victims because it's tailored to the viewer. The initial website has the ability to detect the IP address of site visitors. This allows the next site to present a header modified as per the location of the visitor. The flag and country name are easily changed to reflect the visitor's location. Special promotion offers at the site also constantly update with “tomorrow's” expiration date. This makes the site look more authentic. In some countries, credit card companies track cardholder disputes against merchants as this may point to some sort of deceptive marketing practice being used by the seller. According to Visa, up to 20 times as many consumer disputes are recorded against sellers who use deceptive marketing practices as the average e-commerce merchant. The website for signing up for the Home Income Cash System is very difficult to close once it loads, indicating some sort of unusual scripting is in use. In fact the only way to get rid of the sign up screen is to actually close the entire browser and clear the browser history before using the program again. Fraud is unfortunately a common negative aspect of cyberspace. What is really surprising though is that in Saudi Arabia, where we have an Internet authority which is supposed to be acting to prevent harm to our families, such deceptive sites are still accessible.
