Happy Home InsiderHaving the ability to make money from home without having to hit the office can improve your finances and overall quality of life. But before you begin your search for remote work, you need to know how to avoid and spot scams that could steal your information, hard-earned cash, or time.
Protecting Yourself From Work-At-Home Scams
Here are some tips that can keep you from getting scammed so you can get that work-from-home position you seek without any issues:
STOP!
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1. Don’t let your emotions get in the way.
Scammers love to play on people’s emotions to get them to give in to their cons. They know that some online job seekers want the dream of quick and easy money, and they exploit this with offers that are too good to be true.
Are there plenty of work-at-home opportunities online? You bet. But you have to know how to sift through them and avoid the shiny objects that only exist to separate you from your money or information.
If a job offers an extravagant income with hardly any work or skill involved, it’s probably a scam. As such, avoid it at all costs. And if you are interested in learning more, search outside of the site to see what others have to say.
2. Research, research, research.
As mentioned, seeing what others have to say can pinpoint a scam in seconds. If you’re close to applying for a work-at-home job, find every bit of info that you can. This includes:
- Physical address
- Phone number
- Social media presence
- Reviews
To get to the point, you can search the company’s name with “scam” behind it.
3. Avoid these hot spots.
Two areas where scammers love to hang out and advertise include search engine advertising and unsolicited emails.
If you do a search for work-at-home jobs and “legitimate” opportunities with incredible incomes appear up top as an ad, you may want to shy away.
The same holds when it comes to emails you never signed up for. No legitimate company will reach out to you out of the blue and make a job offer via an unsolicited email. Mark it as spam and move on.
4. Use reputable sources.
While search engine ads and unsolicited are two spots to avoid when seeking work-at-home opportunities, places where you should concentrate your time include:
- Company websites
- Job boards or job search engines like Indeed.com or CareerBuilder
- Digital editions of newspapers
- Sites like Upwork and Fiverr
5. Beware of these common offenders.
Here’s a list of online jobs or business opportunities that usually drift into scam territory. Some may be legit, but tread carefully and do tons of research before committing to any, especially if any investment is involved:
- Business startup kits
- Financial trading systems
- Mystery shopping
- Paying for access to a “secret” directory of online jobs
- Envelope stuffing
- Check cashing or wiring money
- Multi level marketing
- Pyramid schemes
6. Keep your money in your pocket.
Although the saying that “it takes money to make money” may be true, don’t let it cloud your thinking when searching for a work-at-home job.
If any opportunity requires a financial investment, look elsewhere. The goal is to earn an income and not spend your savings.
7. Act fast if you give in.
If, for some reason, you send someone money or personal information and you feel you’ve been scammed, contact the following:
- Your bank/credit card company
- Your state’s attorney general
- The FTC
- Your local consumer protection agency
