By Anne Fisher , contributor. FORTUNE -- Dear Annie: I was interested in your column about how to get back into the workforce after a long time-out to raise kids. How can I avoid getting stung?

Most of my work experience is in customer service.

Can I find a legitimate at-home job in this field? Thanks largely to the Internet, the number of people working from home in the U. So how can you tell the good guys from the bad? Only about 1 in work-at-home opportunities is legitimate. In other words, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Legitimate Work from Home Jobs

Nevertheless, starting with a list of about widely advertised work-at-home positions, RetirementJobs winnowed companies offering bona fide opportunities in 18 areas, including health care, IT, sales support, and personal care. Some are well-known, like Avon avp , Tupperware tup , and Mary Kay, but most are less familiar.

In the customer service category, since you asked, the guide lists 8 legitimate employers. In alphabetical order, they are AlpineAccess. La Gioia runs TeleworkRecruiting. One word of caution about seeking home-based work in order to spend more time with your kids: La Gioia says that many people harbor unrealistic notions of how easy it will be to combine child care with job duties.

La Gioia recommends lining up babysitting help just as if you were going out to an office.

How to Find Legitimate Work From Home Jobs Stuffing Envelopes

Have you ever taken a home-based job? How did it work out for you? Leave a comment below.

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