With the advent of the internet, work-from-home jobs became quite popular among the younger generation.
Instead of commuting long hours for a 9 to 5 job they preferred to join work-from-home jobs. This led to the sudden boom in online jobs.
13 Effective Tips to Avoid Job Scams when Working from Home
With this unprecedented growth came a flurry of work-from-home job fraudsters. Internet became full of impersonators who wanted to fleece money from innocent job seekers.
After the pandemic COVID 2019, this became even worse. Now people have to be extra cautious when they are looking for a remote job online.
If you are new to this world then I recommend you read the following 13 tips that can save you from getting scammed online.
Tips are very practical and don’t need any extra effort from your side. Here are they ….
Trust Your Instinct
When you are searching for Work-from-home jobs online let your instincts decide what is real and what is fake. If you come across a website or a job offer that appears bogus or doesn’t look genuine then you must follow your instincts and not fall for it.
Once you are on the internet you are on your own. There is no one to guide you except your gut feeling.
Each day millions of web pages are created and there is no regulatory control over the dissemination of information.
It is up to you to use your brain and avoid scams.
There is a lot of money on the Internet for deserving and hardworking people. You can make some real money by doing trending online jobs. You just need to work consistently and keep patience before you start earning from online jobs.
Search for Jobs Only on Reputable Sites
Internet is full of fake websites which are designed to dupe innocent job seekers who are inexperienced searching jobs for the first time.
Even I was scammed when I started looking for work-from-home jobs in 2008. The mistake I did was I trusted a lesser-known website and went along with their offer.
Perhaps I should have visited more reputable and popular remote job sites like flex jobs, Fiverr, Upwork, Linkedin, etc. Sites that are popular and receives millions of visit each day.
Don’t trust a website where you landed randomly through Google search results. Today there are hundreds of reputable sites that provide genuine work-from-home jobs.
Look into the Keywords and Grammar of Job Description
The use of certain keywords is indicative of a work-from-home job scam. For example, a job description that uses the words like “free work-from-home jobs” or “quick money” or “unlimited income” or “work part-time get full-time pay” etc should make your hair stand.
If you come across such phrases then definitely it is a scam. Moreover, vague job descriptions full of spelling and grammatical errors should ring a bell in your head.
A genuine job description should include information about the company, job profile, experience/skills required, etc.
If the information furnished is too little and incorrect then you must avoid such jobs.
Asking Money Upfront
Almost every job scam on the internet will ask you for money. To get a job you will be asked to pay a one-time registration fee. Or they will ask you to become a member by paying some money.
Any justification for charging a fee like they have to pay for your training, background check, and interview must be rejected right away.
Please don’t ever pay any money to such companies or job sites. A genuine company doesn’t ask for the money.
Once they have taken your money they will vanish in thin air without leaving a trace. They won’t give you any job because they don’t have one.
No Experience, No Qualification, and No Interview Required
When a job listing emphasizes that you don’t have to require any experience or educational qualification then it could very well be a scam.
For example, a job ad that reads “anyone can apply” or “No Experience, No Qualification required” must ring a bell.
Most of the genuine work-from-home jobs require some skills and experience otherwise why a company would hire you.
If you don’t have to give an interview, or interview questions were too easy then something is wrong.
Why a company would recruit you without conducting an interview. It doesn’t make sense. They would like to assess whether you are fit for the job or not.
Job to Good to be True – Offering Huge Salary
Usually, on the internet to bait new job seekers, a huge salary is offered by the recruiter. Jobs will claim to pay huge money for little or no work.
If that were the case then everybody would be rich! But this is not the reality. So don’t fall for it, it’s totally fake.
There is no such thing as passive income or side income. People get an impression that internet jobs are a jackpot and you will be rich doing nothing. This is how it is being promoted.
But in reality you have to work hard to earn a decent salary every month. There is no shortcut.
Look for Website or Email Spoofing
People who have been scammed say they were duped because the website looked very authentic. They couldn’t make a difference between a fake site and a genuine one.
As a matter of fact, fraudsters spend huge time and money building a fake site that appears like a popular reputable job site.
They impersonate a legitimate company by using their name and information.
Similarly, email spoofing is where email messages are created with a forged sender address.
To avoid fraud I suggest people scan through the whole website and read some of their content. Especially look out for their logo design and branding.
Be Vary of Data Entry Work and Pyramid Marketing
The most common work-from-home jobs that are being offered online are either data entry work or MLM (multi-level-marketing).
Unfortunately, most of these are absolute frauds. A suspicious data entry company will always ask for an upfront payment from job seekers, mostly an enrollment fee to get work. You must not pay any money to them.
Likewise, 95% of MLM jobs or pyramid marketing jobs offered online are total scams. Though there are some genuine MLM companies rest of them are just frauds. In fact, pyramid marketing is illegal in many countries.
As a rule of thumb, any work-from-home job that offers extravagant wages is more likely to be a scam.
Don’t Give any Personal Information
Some of the websites are created only to obtain your personal information like your name, phone number, home address, credit card details, social security number (SSN), etc.
Scammers are so good at it that they are coming up with new and creative ways only to scam you. One such way is by offering work-from-jobs to people who are desperately looking for a job.
They will lure job seekers by promising a high-paying salary and in return, they will ask you to furnish your personal details.
You should only provide your name and email address, that’s it. No phone number or Credit card details.
Research the Companies and Read Companies/Recruiters Reviews
I think this is a no-brainer! But individuals who are new to the world of the internet need to pay heed to this.
They have to dig deep about the company. You can do this by going through their web pages. Read them in detail and try to learn more about them.
On their “About us” web page read about founders and managers. If they are real people with faces then they are genuine.
Similarly read their reviews on job discussion boards. What ex and current employees are saying about the company.
Check Offline Presence – Talk to the Recruiter on the Phone
Take your research to a next level by checking the recruiter’s offline presence. Most of the online companies exist only on paper. They will create a website and upload it. That’s it. There are no further details provided by the company.
If it is a genuine company then they will provide you with a phone number so you can contact them. Not just contact them but also pay a visit to their office and talk to people there in person.
This way you will know more about the company.
Check the Company on BBB
If you are very lazy and don’t want to visit their office then you can perform a background check on the company using Better Business Bureau.
BBB is a pioneer in tracking, researching, and informing people about employment scams and other fraudulent business activity.
Whenever you are applying for work-from-home jobs you can find out more about the company on BBB.
I recommend you to go to the site and find out more.
Have Patience
Have patience and let the opportunity come to you. People who are really desperate are more likely to become a victim of online fraud.
Impatience will force you to take wrong decisions and you might end up being duped.
Wait for the right time, an opportunity will definitely come by.
Bottom Line
Don’t let the fear of being scammed keep you from looking for a remote work-from-home job.
While searching for remote jobs online keep the above 13 tips in mind, you will never go wrong.
There are some really great work-from-home jobs; you just have to discover it.