Consider this when you search for online jobs – It can be pretty difficult to define the word “Scam” without going far into a technical definition, anyways, the way I like to define a “Scam” is someone or company that takes your money and not delivering what you paid for.
While there are many options suited to professionals seeking a work-from-home career path, there are also a lot of deceptive internet job scams to watch out for.
You should also research any company you aren’t familiar with before you start working with them by looking up online reviews and news coverage. If a company turns up in the news for the wrong reasons, such as misleading consumers, that’s a red flag.
With that in mind, here are some tried and tested methods to find legitimate work-from-home jobs.
- Do not set unrealistic expectations.
- When looking for a side job, stick with reputable and reliable companies.
- Look up sites that have a specialty in work-from-home jobs.
Sure Signs of an Online Job Scam
Online job scammers do change their tactics from time to time, there are still some hard-and-fast warning signs that a job is a potential scam. Here are some obvious signs of a potential work-from-home scam:
- Being asked to provide your personal financial information—such as your bank account, social security number, 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. Yes! if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely a big lie.
- The company proud itself with several rags-to-riches stories that showcase high-flying lifestyles.
- The job posting mentions things like quick money, overnight drastic income changes, etc.
- The job posting has obvious grammatical or spelling errors.
- The product is supposedly endorsed by countless celebrities or public figures.
- The contact email address is personal (e.g., johnnydoe3843@gmail.com) or one that mimics a real company’s email address (e.g., johndoe@dellcomputerfirm.com).
- The job requires some kind of up-front expenses from candidates.
- Compensation is based on how many people you recruit.
- Being offered the job almost immediately without verifying your work experience or doesn’t ask for references.
Let’s say, you find a company with in an industry with a product/service you like, doing your own due diligence is highly recommended. Here are some questions to ask and a few things to look out for:
- Does the company have more than 5 years of history?
- Business credentials. Example would be is it a private owned company or publicly traded company? Does it have an active registration?
- Compensation is based solely based on getting other people to come on board?
- Does this product/service add value to consumers? For instance, Most companies have their services designed to include free sign-ups. To upgrade to payment plan is optional. This is a “Value added” service to the general public.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it is good way to start. But this is how you should start evaluating any opportunity presented to you.
Final tip: beware of people who post a review online. Anyone can post anything on online nowadays. No matter how highly ranked blog post is, do your due diligence.
Whenever you read a review of “XYZ” company that ends with “my number 1 recommendation is click here”, Immediately disqualify such reviews. This is sadly the dark side of “Attraction Marketing”.
Lastly, Avoid this Keywords
Be wary and careful of certain keywords in posts. The following variations or option can be indicative of a work-from-home job scam:
- Quick money
- Free work from home jobs
- Multi-level marketing
- Unlimited earning potential
- Envelope stuffing
- Investment opportunities and seminars
There are many legitimate online job opportunities out there, and I wish you all the best landing on one where you find success and prosperity. All the best!
Jobs that may interest you:
