Almost everyone knows how it feels to work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the new widespread of remote work, you may want a work-from-home job.
Maybe you liked the laptop lifestyle when you were out of work or had to work remotely but you don’t want to go back to the office. Regardless of why you want to work from home, there are some jobs that will hire you.
There are also work-from-home jobs that are scams. Here are some ways to recognize online job scams:
The Job Seems too Good to be True
Most work-from-home jobs pay well, but there are some job posts that have unbelievable hourly rates. If you have an instinct that a job is fake, it is best to go with your intuition.
For example, if a company offers to pay you $100 per hour for data entry work, it is a scam. One of the biggest red flags of a job being too good to be true is when they offer you the job without the qualifications. That is a red flag.
The Emails Look Suspicious
Sometimes, you can tell if a job is a work-from-home scam by looking at the email you receive when they contact you. For example, if they ask to send you a check, have grammatical errors, or have no professional email, those are signs of a scam.
Every email that a company sends should be a professional email @theircompany.com. You should never send your bank account information or deposit a check into your account from an employer. No reputable company will have you cash a check or ask for personal information in an email.
There is Not Enough Information on the Company
When researching a company, they should have some type of social media presence and a website. If you can’t find anything online about the job, it is time to look elsewhere.
If the company has a website and they have vague information you should not apply for that position. Many scammers use vague descriptions to attract a wide variety of candidates.
Job Boards Have Scams Too
Many job boards post-work from home jobs. One of the most popular job boards is Indeed. I have found work-from-home jobs on Indeed in the past, but I have also come across some scams.
If you want to use Indeed to find remote work, you should only apply to jobs that have reviews and a company website.
I would apply to the job posts that link to their website rather than uploading a resume and cover letter on Indeed.
They Have a Bad Reputation
As a freelance writer, I like to work with content marketing agencies. One of the first things I do when I want to apply for a job is research the company. Use a search engine to look up the name of the company and employee reviews. You will find reviews on job boards and other websites.
When you search for a job, look for warning signs such as not paying their employees on time or repetitive complaints.
Working from home is a great way to make money without leaving your house. These tips will help you avoid work-from-home job scams so you can enjoy the laptop lifestyle.