In this day and age, it's easier than ever to find jobs online. Unfortunately, the popularity of online job searches has resulted in scammers taking advantage of eager job seekers. And even if you're a tech-savvy person, some scams are pretty convincing. Find out how to spot scams before you waste too much time or give away sensitive information.
Before you start looking for work, you should familiarize yourself with a few common scams currently circulating. One scam is the vending machine scam. There aren't many legitimate jobs with vending machines, so tread carefully if you see a listing in this niche.
Another frequent scam is the medical billing scam. While there are genuine medical billing jobs out there, they require a certification. Entry-level roles for people with no training or experience are hard to come by.
If you're in Facebook groups, you may be used to seeing travel agent or financial advisor jobs. Once again, these are usually scams. Even though the job poster might claim to be an independent company, they're probably affiliated with an MLM. You need to pay money to sign up, and you need to be willing to recruit other people to make any money. Working for an MLM rarely results in a decent paycheck and requires money upfront.
Finally, one of the more recent job scams is the sending emails scam. You send emails on behalf of a company, and you're promised a commission from every email you send. However, you need to pay to sign up, and you don't actually make much money.
There are too many job scams to keep track of. To make sure you don't become a victim, you should know the red flags of a scam. If you see any of the following in job listings, you should be wary:
If there were a job that paid well with low effort or limited training, everyone would want it. Job listings that promise $30 an hour to an entry-level worker are often fake. Similarly, jobs that claim to pay $500 a week for a few minutes a day are also scams. If a job seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If you want to be an entrepreneur, you need to put some money into your business. But you don't need to pay to have a traditional job. If a company requires you to pay for equipment or a sign-up fee, it's likely a scam. You should never pay a company to work for them. Typically, this is something MLMs require.
It's worth noting that some companies say they'll send you a check to buy equipment. Then, they'll tell you the check is for too much money, and you need to send the remainder elsewhere. This scam is a way for someone to launder money, and it involves you in a criminal transaction.
A job might seem legitimate on paper. However, if the company gives you a link to a Zoom group interview or if they claim to have daily interviews, it's a scam. During the interview, the speaker will eventually admit that they're part of an MLM and that you need to pay to work. While some people make money working for MLMs, it takes months to earn income and isn't a traditional job.
If someone offers you a job before you have an interview, the job isn't legitimate. No matter how desperate a company is to hire someone, they'll still want to interview you. It might only be a short interview or a phone interview, but they'll still ask you a few questions. If you apply for a job and immediately receive an email saying "you're hired," the position is a scam.
For the most part, employers who have poor grammar or use unusual words are scammers. In many emails from scammers, you can find terms like "kindly." Even though some business owners might not have great English skills, they ensure that all communication is professional. If anything about the job listing or email communication seems strange, you could be dealing with a scam.
A lot of scam jobs have the goal of receiving your personal information. If a prospective employer asks you for personal information before you interview or accept a job offer, they could be scamming you. Don't give out personal details until you're certain the company is legitimate, and the job offer is real.
Whether or not you follow the tips above, you should take time to research the company before you give away too much information. First, type in the company's name and "scam" in your favorite search engine. If you see any articles or BBB reports associated with the company, take that as a warning.
Keep in mind that some companies might be legitimate but may not offer an income potential. This is often true of MLM companies. After a quick Google search, you can find out whether or not there's a potential to earn money. During your research, you could discover that a company isn't a good fit for you because they don't treat their employees well or they don't pay fairly. In the end, your research will pay off.
Finally, make sure the person you're speaking with is actually from the company. The email address should appear professional and should contain the company's name. If you have doubts about the origin of the emails, search the email address and see what pops up. You can also go to the company's website and look for the name of your contact in the directory.
Becoming a victim of a scam could result in you having your identity stolen or you losing hundreds or thousands of dollars. Fortunately, the tips above will help you avoid scams and the trouble that comes with them.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been.