Working online part-time or full-time has become a viable career choice for many people interested in working at home and according to their own schedule. Numerous sites have sprung up to try to help meet the demand. Some sites are reputable, though not every employer at the site is. Others are scams it is easy to fall for because people are so desperate to earn money online.
There are a number of ways to tell that a job offer is fake.
You Have to Pay to Get the Job
A real job will not charge you an application fee or insist you sign up for a membership site which is nothing more than listings of jobs. Typical types of jobs that scammers list include supposedly high-paying social media jobs and freelance writing jobs.
The Prospective Employer Demands Custom-Made Samples
On popular freelance sites like Upwork, you can find ads where the employer writes a listing for what they are looking for, such as articles for their blog about a particular topic or niche. In the listing, they ask for one or two samples according to the specification they set.
This is against the terms of service for most of these sites and there is nothing to stop them from using the content without having paid for it. Create your own portfolio of samples that represent your skills and abilities.
They Contact You
If you use any of the popular resume-posting sites like Monster, chances are you will get what appears to be job offers, which many people might be desperate enough to consider. This will usually be a phishing attempt to try to get your social security number and other personal details. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Scamming Job Offer Emails
These are usually full of mistakes and very vague about the duties of the supposed job. Many of these emails will come from outside the US and be nothing more than attempts to steal your identity.
Interviewing via Messenger, or Not at All
Some companies say they will interview via Messenger, which forces you to set up an account which gives away personal information. In other cases, there is no interview at all. Most legitimate companies would want to know you were a good fit. Plus, the higher the salary offered, the more interviews you should have to prove you are the right person or the job.
The Email Address Looks Suspicious
It might be misspelled, a free account, or a personal account.
The Company Can’t Be Found on Google, or You Find Many Negative Things about It
Whenever you apply for a job, you should always research the company to understand what it does and whether or not you will be a good fit. This is doubly true if you get a job offer out of the blue. While it is true that some recruiters and human resource managers do target candidates with promising resumes from time to time, in general, any job offer via email will usually be a scam.
Making You Pay for Training or Buy Software
This is a common scam with careers like medical billing and coding. They are in huge demand so it might seem logical to get a job offer from a company looking to recruit good candidates, but you should never pay for anything as a requirement for taking the job.
Be mindful of these scams when looking for jobs online. Again, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.