As someone that works from home as a freelance writer, I know how difficult it can be to find work at home jobs that aren't scams. And on top of that, there are many different types of scams out there and unfortunately, it's easy to fall for these scams especially if you are in desperate need of a job. Here are some tips to help you avoid work at home job scams.
1. You're contacted by a company you didn't apply to. If an employer or company reaches out to you for a job that you didn't actually apply to that can often be a sign of a scam. This may not be the case if you have a resume on a job site but if that's the case make sure to ask them how they found you. Some scammers get hundreds of resumes from sites like Linkedin and Indeed and they reach out to all those people hoping that someone falls for their scam.
2. Pictures of beaches and luxury cars. A job that's really a scam needs a way to lure people in. A lot of these scammers put tons of pictures of beaches, luxury cars, and money all other their websites to send the message that you'll become rich if you decide to work for them. But let's face it, most jobs do not pay a lot of money unless it's something that requires you to have an advanced degree.
3. The job flat out promises you'll make a ton of money. Some scammers have stopped using pictures of luxury on their sites but their job ads still promise that you'll make $1,000 a week or more. These job descriptions are often very vague and leave you with little to no idea of what the job would actually entail. If you see an ad like this you should ask for an exact description of what kind of work you'll be doing. If it sounds like very little, easy work then what are the chances that it would really pay a lot?
4. The job asks for money from you. Imagine if people had to pay to work at McDonald's. They would have gone out of business well before they became a household name. You should never pay a company to work for them. Any job that asks you to pay money to THEM for a job is a scam. Sometimes you might come across something like that and it's actually legit but even then, it isn't a job it's a business opportunity and there is no guarantee that you'll make any income.
5. Your contact is using a non-corporate e-mail address. This isn't always the sign of a scam because sometimes it's just easier to use a private e-mail but it's not considered very professional and most employers will use a corporate or work e-mail. But this is a sign that the job could be a scam and you should do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions before agreeing to work for them.
6. The job involves wiring funds. This is really common in mystery shopping scams. The fake employer will send you a cashier's check and tell you to deposit the money in your account and keep a small amount for yourself but send the rest of the money to someone else. If you do this, once the bank realizes there was no money you'll be held responsible and have to pay the money back. This is often a sign that a scammer is overseas where they are unlikely to get in trouble for these kinds of scams.
7. They refuse to talk on the phone. If the employer refuses to talk to you on the phone or over Skype (or something similar) then it's likely they are scamming you. It's much easier to lie to someone in text than through voice chat or video.
8. Follow your intuition. Sometimes a scam isn't immediately obvious but if your gut is telling you something is wrong, it's probably right.
9. Use Google. And finally, one of the best tips is to do lots of research. Google the company and see if any reviews come up. People are usually pretty good about speaking out against scammers. If a company is really scamming people you can usually find plenty of reviews explaining what really happens if you work for them.