Are you looking for work-at-home employment? I consider it my personal duty to forewarn you that there are things that you need to be on the lookout for.
- For starters, is the company legitimate? How do you know this? Look the company up at bbb.org. If you don’t find them, call us at the location nearest you.
- The next thing you should consider is what the position is and what are the required qualifications? If you are being asked to stuff envelopes for $18/hour or mail checks, typically, these are bogus job opportunities. No one is going to pay you $18 an hour to stuff envelopes, and if you find the opportunity, let me know because I want to be your assistant.
- As far as mailing checks, be aware that there are counterfeiters out there, who make their money off of bait and switch schemes. The way this all works is you receive a check, deposit it into your bank account, send the money elsewhere, and then lo and behold… the check bounces! NOT a good money-making opportunity, at least not for you.
- Likewise, if you are asked to wire money through Western Union, Money gram or Green Dot Money Pak Card, these are common ways that people get taken advantage of. Generally, there is no way to get your money back, once it’s sent.
- If you are asked to mail checks to individuals, be aware that this is often a method scammers use to send out fake lottery checks. Always check on a company, before agreeing to work for them. You might be surprised with what you find!
- If a job opportunity asks for your social security number, checking account number or credit card information, these are red flags as well. Sharing your SSN over the internet and especially on an unsecured site is the quickest way to compromise your identity. Don’t go there!
- Avoid giving out banking or checking account information, no matter what the reason given. Whether it’s to pay for training, materials or a starter kit, these are common tactics used to take advantage of job seekers. Think how easy it would be for someone to key in your banking information onto eBay, to buy plane tickets or make other purchases in your name. It takes less than a couple of minutes. Then you’ll have the hassle of having to contact your bank or credit card company to dispute the charges.
- Some other clues to watch for are promises of high pay with little to no experience.
- If a job offer comes from nowhere via email or text message from someone who is impressed with your credentials, this may be another indication of a red flag. Find out what the company’s address and phone number are and research them. If the person offering the job is hesitant to give out this information, run for the hills!
Should you have other questions or concerns about Work at Home opportunities, feel free to give us a call! If you are a victim of a scam, we want to know that as well so we can help and warn others!
photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/notm/2125758602/”>ShaneRobinson</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>
