By Doug Snyder
Let's see. Well, I've noticed this thing called the internet. Didn't I read somewhere that the internet is an untapped market? Isn't it the new frontier? Maybe I'll start looking around."
The above thoughts were mine a few years ago. I started looking around the internet for these work at home or telecommuting opportunities. One of the first things that I noticed is that these work at home opportunities seemed too good to be true. I was bombarded with such things as:
"$200 to $1000 per day. No experience necessary. Direct deposit to your bank."
"Medical billing at home. Start your medical billing career. Free info."
"Legitimate work at home opportunities. Start today. Accepting applications in your area."
Now I'm a suspicious person by nature. I can pretty much see through the (well you know.) I clicked on a number of these links presented to me to read up on these wondrous opportunities. The websites that these links took me to were brilliant. Great big letters telling me I can be making big money just by using their system, software, service, and more. I was told about the Johnson family's yacht and million dollar mansion. They got it just by working at home.
I think that you can see the trend here.
Yes there are some legitimate work at home jobs out there. You just need to be careful and not fall for the "Great Work at Home Scam." As the owner of a free job board I have come across all kinds of scams like the ones noted above.
Here are some of the things to look for to identify these scams:
There is no such thing as "typing at home" or "data entry at home" jobs
About 95% of the jobs that claim to be home typist or home data entry jobs are scams. The so called "employer" reels you in by posts on free job boards or forums. The post typically will mention a one time materials fee or instruction manual fee. After you pay this fee (if the instructions do arrive) you are instructed to copy and paste the same message in forums and free job boards but request the money be sent to you instead. It is a perpetual scam because many people feel like they want their money back and the only way to get it back is to try the system. It's not worth the time or the money. You'll be spending the majority of your day trying to find forums or job boards that will let you post these scams and the rest of your day avoiding angry emails.
What is the email address for the employer?
Is it myemail @ gmail.com or myemail324 @ yahoo.com? These work at home scam artists don't want give out their real email address so they use free email accounts given out by some of the major search engines. If they start getting nasty emails requesting their money back they simply get rid of one email address and get another one. An email address like myemail@mycompany.com where "mycompany" is a company that you may have heard of is probably a legitimate email.
Does the employer have a website?
Having a website doesn't give legitimacy to the employer. Having a website with a valid way to contact them, a frequently asked questions section, and a professional looking layout does help to boost confidence in their opportunity. Send an email to the email address listed on the contact page or via the contact form. Did you get a response in a timely manner? Did they answer your concerns? Does it sound fishy? If you have any apprehension at all you should steer clear.
Why does the employer need my money?
Doesn't this sound absurd? Well it really is. Employers should pay you money. This should trigger your spider sense from the beginning. Never give an employer money unless you are absolutely sure that it is for a legitimate cause. If you feel that it is for a valid reason, see if the employer will accept a check. When you write a check and mail it you have at least a couple of days to stop payment. If they don't accept a check; why? A simple rule of thumb is you should be making money not paying money.
I really, really want to work at home. What can I do?
As I stated before there are some legitimate work at home opportunities. These are typically freelance positions where you are hired as a contractor and where you use your existing skills such as drafting, programming, graphics design, sign making, knitting, etc. These are tangible skills that you can use to market yourself to employers that do hire contractors or off site employees. Search out these types of employers and you won't have to worry about getting caught up in the "great work at home scam."
Doug Snyder is the owner of TeleportJobs (http://www.teleportjobs.com) free online job board offering free job posts and free resume search for employers.
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