There are many office triggers that I cannot stand. The fluorescent lighting is one of them. Also, I can’t stand the constant distractions from useless meetings and coworkers.
This last part may be a joke, but it is true. I’m pretty lazy. I am lazy. This is why I found ways to work from home more and even landed a couple of 100% work-from-home jobs in the past (but working in IT.
MY LATEST VEDIS
My previous job was with a company who contracted with the VA. It was a remote office. All of their employees worked from different parts across the country.
The V.P. The President lived in North Carolina, HR was in Colorado, and I lived in Missouri.
Do you know how I got that job? Indeed. You can usually rely on this job board to find good opportunities.
Not all listings on legitimate online job boards are genuine. There are many scams on the Internet. Ads for home-based jobs and scams are particularly common.
If you’re not careful, they will squeeze themselves into any platform.
Table of Contents
Red Flags You Should Be Aware Of
Specific Job Descriptions That Are False
Find legitimate work-from-home jobs
Final Thoughts
Red Flags You Should Be Aware Of
What characteristics should you look for in a work-at-home scam?
You need to be on the lookout for sleazeballs, whether you’re looking to work remotely part-time or full-time.
There is not enough detail in the job description and posting
While searching for remote work on Indeed, I was shocked to find that many positions seemed… so empty. It was usually a familiar name or a legitimate company, so I clicked it thinking that it would be a great job.
I was disappointed to find listings that were only a paragraph in length and were vague.
This was 3 years ago, when remote work opportunities were scarcer on job boards such as Indeed. These scenarios are now less common but still occur.
Avoid vague job postings online, including job boards. They are often generic and lack any detail.
Some require payment upfront
We’ve all heard about a website called FlexJobs, which requires a subscription for their remote and telecommuting job board.
This is the exception to rule that you shouldn’t pay for a job upfront because they sell their platform (not the job itself) as the product.
It’s a red flag if a job at home requires you to pay fees up front in order to start working.
Work to get paid. Work to earn money.
There is no information about the company
You will find ratings under the company names on job boards such as Indeed, where you can search for jobs by using the “remote location” filter. These are important.
Glassdoor also allows employees to rate and review their experience working for a company. This feature is great because it provides us with some extra insight on what might be expected of a job description.
Do a quick Google Search if a company does not have any reviews or information about it. You can be sure that they don’t have an online presence if you cannot find any information about them.
Do your research on the company that you are interested in working for and make sure to thoroughly vet it!
When things seem too good to be true, they usually are
Please don’t accept a position that pays $100,000 per year for 20 hours of work a week, can be done at home, requires no experience, starts tomorrow, no on-call, and allows you to choose your own schedule. This is not a good sign.
I’ve never heard of a job where you can work remotely, part-time and make six figures with no experience.
If it happened, the United States unemployment rate would be lower.
You should do some research if you notice that a certain aspect of a job description seems too good to be real. You can do a lot of research on these through the Better Business Bureau.
Specific Job Descriptions That Are False
There are a few “work-from home jobs” which are completely fake.
Medical Billing
Medical billing is a legitimate profession, but it cannot be done remotely. Medical billers work for doctors, medical facilities or insurers and are usually on-site.
Envelope Stuffing
This one I’ve seen too many times. You send money in exchange for envelopes or whatever else you’re told to send.
You “get” $2 for every envelope you send, but in reality you’re just trying to get others to send $2 to you. The claims of huge earnings are false.
Mystery Shopping
Some mystery shopping jobs, such as those offered by Bestmark, are legitimate. However there are many that are not.
Scams are those you’ve never heard of that offer fake certifications and request money via “wire.”
It is a scam where they ask for money to be deposited so that they can wire the money back.
How to Find Legitimate Work at Home Jobs
The following job boards and sites are generally safe places to search for work-at-home opportunities.
You can also find out more about us on our website.
Glassdoor
Linkedin
FlexJobs
AngelList
Stack Overflow
Work Nomads
Virtual Vocations
You can also hire your skills out as a free-lancer by using sites such as Fiverr or Upwork. Both are 100% free and easy to get started.
Create passive income streams that you can generate from anywhere, using a blog or course, an ebook, a podcast, etc.
Final Thoughts
Internet is both awesome and shady. People will always try to trick you.
You can avoid many of these scams if you are aware of what to watch out for, and you have realistic expectations.
If you are in the middle of a crisis, you can follow these steps:
Alert your financial institutions.
Report it to BBB Scam Tracker.
FTC (Federal Trade Commission): File a complaint.
You can contact the Attorney General in your state to find out if there are any laws protecting home workers.
Take immediate action if that’s where you find yourself. If you’re just starting your job search for remote work, I wish you the best of luck!
This article was originally published on The Money Mix and is republished here with permission.
