What are work-at-home scams?
Technology improvements have made it possible for people worldwide to work from home. These roles are more convenient and flexible than traditional office jobs. Freelancers, employees with growing families (and, therefore, more responsibilities), and many others like the flexibility of working from home and prefer these roles.
Scams can be run through jobs that can be done from home. Fake employers say they have jobs available that allow people to work from home. Instead, people looking for work are asked to help with shady things that are often illegal.
What’s at stake for you?
Some people might be willing to “try” a work-from-home job that seems bad because they don’t think there are any real risks. But this approach might not work out well. You could lose money in the long run if you fall for a work-from-home scam. Also, a scammer who wants to use your money to make big purchases might post an ad for a work-from-home job and ask you to send your credit card information. This could seriously hurt your credit.
How to Spot Them
In work-from-home scams, the “perks” are often too good to be true, like making a lot of money with little work. You might also find that the job posting says you have to call a “1-800” number to find out more or that you have to pay “startup” fees to get started.
Work-from-home scams are unfortunately common, taking advantage of job seekers’ busy schedules by encouraging them to “Call today,” “Apply right now,” or promising that they can “Make money fast.”They don’t want you to fill out an application, go through an interview, or give them any personal information at all. You can’t trust job advertisements that urge you to accomplish things faster than you feel comfortable with.
How to Be Careful
Learn as much as you can about home-based work to protect yourself from work-from-home scams. If you don’t already know of one, ask your friends, relatives, and coworkers if they can suggest any. If you find a work-from-home opportunity that seems sketchy, someone in your network may be able to tell you if they have worked with the same company and how it went.
Searching online is the first step to finding legitimate work you can do from home. Working from home is a perk of many jobs, but specifically searching for “work from home jobs” tells the search engine (and scammers) that working from home is your main concern. Scammers put these words in their job titles and postings because they want people to be so interested in working from home that they will jump at any chance. Try using search queries that aren’t just about the location but also about the type of work. To do this, try to use a wide range of words. Try searching for remote, telework, or telecommuting instead of “work from home.”
Your intuition can be your best asset when looking for a job, especially since you’ve become an expert at spotting red flags in postings. After all, you’re not just looking for any old job—you want one that’s right for you. And if something feels fishy about a work-from-home opportunity, it probably is.
Protect yourself from falling victim to one of these schemes. JOB1 is here to help connect you with employers who are committed to offering real opportunities. Continue to keep an eye out for our latest updates and start your search today!
