WICHITA, Kansas, Mar. 31, 2008 -- Wouldn't it be nice if your commute consisted of stepping to the kitchen for a cup of coffee then to your home office? Thanks to the internet, plenty of people do it daily.

"Best commute in town -- very short. Takes me about 30 seconds," said Scott Malcolm. "We get to choose our own hours so it allows me to have the flexibility to do things with my wife and my daughter."

Malcolm works for Alpine Access: They provide customer service reps to some of America's biggest companies.

Yes, not all call centers are in India. There are companies that get big contracts, then hire workers right here in America to take customer service calls. The pay? About $8 to $14 an hour.

So there are real work-at-home jobs out there, although finding one without being ripped off in the process could be a job in itself. And legitimate companies aren't hurting for hires.

"We receive over 200,000 applications a year across the United States," said David Russell, Alpine Access. "We select typically between 1% and 2% of all of our applications."

So if you want to work at home, job one is to avoid rip-off's. The best way? Never, ever pay money up front for anything and if it sounds too good to be true? Forget it.

And be prepared: Most companies will require that you have, not only a computer, but high speed internet and a land line -- and of course, enthusiasm.

"There are opportunities to work at home," said Malcolm. "You just need to find what type of opportunity you're best suited for and research it and pursue it."