How to Avoid Work-from-Home Job Scams 6 Tips

How to Avoid Work-from-Home Job Scams 6 Tips How to Avoid Work-from-Home Job Scams 6 Tips When it comes to finding an online job, many people are concerned about being scammed. And for good reason- for every one legitimate work-from-home job, there are approximately 60-70 job scams. Its for this reason that avoiding work-from-home job scams can seem like a tall task. One of the reasons was created was to provide a safe, trusted way for people to find legitimate remote and flexible jobs, without having to worry about the junk and scams. If you use for your job search, you can be assured that all of the opportunities on our site have been screened by a real human and are completely scam-free. Listings can be ripe with scams and savvy scammers know how much people desire to work from home. They impersonate potential bosses, recruiters, and hiring managers in order to scam job seekers out of personal financial information- and in the worst-case scenario, their life savings. If youre not using for your job search, or youre supplementing with other sites, use these tips to avoid job scams and keep yourself safe on other job boards. Trust your gut if a job feels scammy. As with most situations in life, one of the single best ways to avoid a job scam is to listen to your instincts. That can be hard if you’ve been out of work for a while and a plum position seems to fall smack dab into your lap. But think about the job and how you were approached about it in an objective light. If something just feels off, or you feel uncomfortable for any reason (e.g., the job recruiter is pushy or demanding, or you don’t have a clear understanding of the job responsibilities), don’t think twice about walking away from it. More than likely, your instincts are right. And remember, there are  plenty of real online jobs out there  to choose from. This won’t be your one and only opportunity to work remotely, so don’t feel intimidated or pressured into doing something you don’t feel comfortable with. Know the  signs of a work-from-home job scam. While job scammers have adapted their tactics over time, there are still some hard-and-fast warnings that a job is a scam. Here are some basic signs of a work-from-home job scam: You’re asked for personal financial information- such as your social security number, your bank account, your home address and phone number, your date of birth, etc.- early on in the job interview process. The job pays a lot of money for little work. After all, if it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is. The company boasts several rags-to-riches stories that showcase high-flying lifestyles. The job posting mentions quick money, drastic income changes overnight, etc. The job posting has glaring grammatical or spelling errors. The product is supposedly endorsed by countless celebrities or public figures. The contact email address is personal (e.g., johnsmith3843@gmail.com) or one that mimics a real company’s email address (e.g., johnsmith@dellcomputercompany.com). The job requires several up-front expenses from candidates. Compensation is based on how many people you recruit. A recruiter offers you the job immediately without verifying your work experience or doesn’t ask for references. Consider your keywords. In general, be careful of the keywords you use to search for online jobs. The following options (and variations) can be indicative of a work-from-home job scam: Free work from home jobs Quick money Unlimited earning potential Multi-level marketing Envelope stuffing Investment opportunities and seminars Research the companies. Let’s say a “recruiter” contacts you and wants you to apply for a job. They say that based on your skills and work experience, you’d be perfect for an open position. That doesn’t mean the job is legitimate (or the recruiter is who they claim to be). You should always do your due diligence on both the recruiter and the job. Conduct research to see if you can find out any info on the recruiter/hiring manager to determine if they are indeed a real person. The Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission can be great resources to find and report online job scams. You should be able to find a trail verifying the person and company, and, if not, you may want to reconsider moving forward with the job process. Connect with the company directly. A hiring manager might reach out to you with a potential job. They might offer all the details about the job but not the biggest one of all- the company hiring for the job. Although they might say they  can’t disclose the company or they’ll  lose the potential commission associated with placing you in the position, you should know for certain the name of the company you’re interviewing for. If the hiring manager won’t tell you, it could be a sign that you’re in the middle of a scam. So contact the company that you might be working for to verify that a) the job recruiter is working for them, and b) the job you’re applying for exists. Question the communication. The job interview process has evolved quite a bit over the years to keep up with changes in technology. Almost everything is done online, from job applications to interviews, which are happening more frequently via video conferencing, particularly for remote positions. That being said, there are still a few red flags when it comes to using technology for hire, and those are email or instant messaging. Any hiring manager or boss worth their salt is not going to conduct a job interview via instant message  or email. Most often, you might be initially contacted by email, but after that, you should still have a phone or video interview- or both. Dodging Work-from-Home Job Scams It’s unlikely that job scammers will ever go away, but there are ways to protect yourself and avoid job scams. Using a reputable job search service like   can help you find a real online job faster, easier, and, most importantly, safer. We pre-screen every job and company before posting them to our site. Our trained research team weeds out both the obvious scams and the more sophisticated ones, along with commission-only jobs, low-quality positions, business opportunities, and other junk so our members are guaranteed a quality job search experience. Wherever else you might be searching, use caution and always consider the signs of a work-from-home job scam and stay safe and find legitimate, real online jobs! Start Your Search for a Legitimate Online Job SIGN UP FOR TODAY This is a version of a post that was