How to Avoid Scams when using the Internet for Job Searches
If you use the Internet to search for jobs, whether online jobs or more traditional out-of-home jobs, then you are probably aware of the dozens of scam out there. There are ways to avoid scams when using the Internet for job searches, it is just a matter of being diligent and using some common sense. This applies not only to job searching, but to applying for jobs that you find as well.
One of the most popular scams is the get-rich-quick scheme, now made even more devious with the addition of working from home to get rich quick. There are thousands of people worldwide who have fallen for these types of scams, mostly because they are idealistic and falsely believe thatworking onlinecan mean huge amounts of money right away with absolutely no experience. This may happen once in a blue moon, but not to the average Joe/Jane.
Another popular scam involves sending out flyers and/or assembling products from home to earn a paycheck. What makes these scams so unbelievable is that thousands of enthusiastic men and women pay money each year to join this scam. They believe that investing in the project will yield them massive returns, simply by assembling or mailing out flyers. Again, some of these could be legit, but the vast majority are not.
If you have to pay an upfront fee for the job, even if it is a small one, it is likely a scam. Common sense would tell you that you should not have to pay for a job unless it is your own business, and then the fees will be mostly marketing and product-related. Do not fall for the hype that says you can make millions by working part-time this year, just by purchasing and watching one short video. The creator of the video is probably making millions selling the video, and sitting on the beach in Tahiti somewhere.
Most scam jobs are attempts to gather personally identifiable information, for identity theft purposes. If the application starts asking for a lot of personal information, do not go any further until you have verified that the company is reputable. There is a major difference between filling out a secure online application for a respected company like Radio Shack and answering a cheesy e-mail from Jobs-R-We that asks for your full name, social security number, driver’s license number, and so on. Report these e-mails and jobs to the proper authorities whenever possible, even if it means creating an article on a popular submission site (or on a website such aswww.snopes.com) so that other people do not get scammed.
If you have been the victim of a scam, rest assured that you are not alone. Nearly everyone who has applied for a job online has fallen prey to one of these scams at some point or another. Keep looking for the legitimate jobs, and debunk the ones that are scams so that others do not suffer the same fate that you did. If enough people can do this, then before too long these types of scams will be a thing of the past.
