Internet users are exposed to multiple online scams daily. Many might be easier to recognize, while others seem indistinguishable from legitimate offers. Work-from-home and other earning opportunities online are no exception. You can encounter fake job listings or pyramid schemes that either want to swindle money or personal information out of you. Let’s see how to recognize them and avoid unnecessary losses.
What are job scams online?
Most people on the job hunt start searching for promising positions online. It can involve trusted platforms like LinkedIn or other similar platforms. Yet, only some listings you find are trustworthy.
Sometimes, fraudulent recruiters can carry out seemingly legitimate interview procedures. That includes initial screening, remote interviews, and some assigned tasks to test your skills. After getting what they need, recruiters disappear, leaving you in a worse position than you were before.
Bogus earning opportunities
Besides full-time jobs, you can find dozens of websites focusing on fast-earning offers. They likely promise high financial or personal gain in exchange for initial investment or personal information. That mainly involves fake investment opportunities and pyramid schemes. Also, avoid bizarre lotteries or other options that promise high rewards for participation.
Fake job listings
As mentioned, fake job listings can appear legitimate and have professional recruiters. Yet, fraudulent recruitment processes have a few distinct red flags. For example, a company should never ask new employees or candidates to purchase equipment from their funds to work from home. Moreover, scammers can impersonate well-known companies to make you more comfortable revealing personal details.
Another scenario is that fake recruiters send you a check and refer you to a website for buying laptops or displays. Little do you know, but scammers run the e-commerce store, and after you cash a check, it bounces. So, you have spent your money on the fraudulent website and likely won’t hear from the recruiters again (nor will you receive the products ordered). Thus, if a company makes such demands, always treat it cautiously and not spend any money.
Fake certification
Fake certification and training also involve phony job listings. In this case, recruiters require candidates to pass particular certifications, training, or courses to land the job. In such scenarios, the training usually has a high price that candidates must pay out of pocket. The courses don’t bring you closer to getting the job as the position likely doesn’t exist.
Sudden email offers
Some bizarre yet intriguing job offers could arrive in your inbox as well. They likely state that you would be the perfect candidate for a particular position. The scammers might expect several actions from you upon receiving such emails:
- They include links to fake websites that might ask you to fill out forms with your application. The forms likely require unnecessary personal details, like your credit card information.
- The email includes attachments that the message urges you to download. These files could be malicious, aiming to infect your computer.
- It could be the beginning of a fake hiring process that will include asking candidates to pay fees to be considered for positions.
Stealing people’s work
Many legitimate companies ask candidates to perform tests or showcase their talents. This task is common, and many people won’t find it strange. However, it is possible that fake recruiters simply wish to steal people’s ideas and work. Then, they can use it for personal gain, like posting articles as their own. In other cases, fake recruiters can send tasks that require you to spend money to perform them. That can include purchasing particular tools.
Report suspicious offers
If possible, consistently report fraudulent activities online. If you find one on a legitimate platform, flag the issue to the site administrators. You can also share your experience through comments or review sites. That will help other people find information and steer clear.
How to find legitimate ways to earn money
It’s best to build immunity against such work-for-home opportunities online. That means doing enough research about the companies. For example, if you find an open position on an external website, take the time to visit the company’s official Career page. On it, you can check whether it is looking for a team member or someone is exploiting the company’s name.
You should also be vigilant about the services and platforms to use regarding various earning options online. For example, when you need money now, pick trusted providers with a good track record of paying their users. You can quickly find out if a service is legitimate by running a search query. After all, many trusted active or passive income options exist online. You can try most of them if you double-check their legitimacy.
Conclusion
Falling victim to a work-from-home scam can have severe repercussions. For one, you might lose money or personal information. The latter also means your data could be exploited for more nefarious activities. So, always be skeptical and double-check everything about the companies or platforms offering seemingly excellent job or earning options.
