By Matt Stroud and Joseph L. Flatley, with additional reporting by Jesse Hicks
Barron Hansen is a self-employed web developer and researcher in San Diego. Like many people who work from home, he spends a lot of time alone in front of the computer, listening to talk radio. Over time, he began to notice that all of his favorite radio personalities seemed to be endorsing a “business opportunity” called Income At Home.
“Start making money on your own terms,” said one ad, read by Glenn Beck. It sounded too good to be true, the kind of thing most listeners probably dismiss without a second thought. And as long as Hansen had been hearing the endorsements, that’s exactly what he did. That is, until last January, when one of his web development clients burned him to the tune of $50,000. Suddenly, Beck’s offer seemed worth considering. The first step in this exciting opportunity was the purchase of an information packet for $9.95, so he went to incomeathome.com and entered his personal information, including home address and credit card number.
A few days later, the Internet Business Starter Pack arrived. Consisting of a single DVD and a 12 page glossy sales brochure that "could’ve been designed by some high school kid," according to Hansen, what most infuriated him was what the kit lacked: any indication of the actual business behind the business opportunity.
His curiosity pivoted. No longer wondering what sort of opportunity Income At Home might provide, he was now curious about who — or what — might be behind the company itself.