Legitimate work from home jobs are hard to come by, especially in a time where the Internet is in full force and the work economy going down hill. More employees are looking for self-employment status through work from home jobs, but just a basic Google search brings up numerous questionable at home job opportunities. So how do you spot a legitimate work from home job and what is a red flag? Consider some of these common red flags for at home opportunities before giving any personal information out.
Too Good to Be True
Jobs that offer you the chance to make thousands of dollars for only 10 hours a day of work are the biggest red flag, yet these at home job scams capture the attention of hundreds each day. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
Up-Front Payments or Fees
The second largest red flag for at home job scams is the requirement of an upfront payment or fee. An employee should never have to pay to get a job or work for a company. Any company that requires employees to pay a fee to get hired, fee to buy specialized equipment or up-front payment are typically scams.
Wiring Money
If a company requires an employee to wire them a fee or wire funds in order to test a direct deposit, they are certainly a scam. Employees should go through proper channels for direct deposit, but first should have a job, have a contact and be employed with the company before giving out any personal information.
Refusal to Provide Contracts or Written Agreement
Work from home jobs consist of contracts and written agreements. Any legitimate at home job will provide an employee with a written contract or agreement stating their employment status, payment, etc. Companies that refuse to provide this should receive an automatic red flag.
Grammar/Spelling Errors in Job Posts or Company Site
Look at the company’s website. Is it poorly put together? Are there numerous spelling and/or grammatical errors? Do sentences read right? Any company website that is worth looking into will have a well laid out website with no spelling errors or grammatical issues.
Not Listed or Bad Ratings with the BBB
Check the company at the Better Business Bureau. If they are legitimate, they will have a registration with the BBB. Check for any complaints against the so-called company name as well for possible scam alerts.
Free or Poor Website Hosting
A legitimate work from home job will be from a company with a good website. Free hosting sites such as Geocities and Bravenet are common hosts to Internet scam sites. A company that takes the time and funds to pay for web hosting is usually a good start.
Contact Information
Visit the company’s website for contact information. Companies should have local numbers and addresses listed under their contact information. Sites that only list P.O. boxes or free email addresses such as Hotmail, MSN or Gmail are a red flag.
Flashy Testimonials
A company does not need to list testimonials from employees to get new ones. Any company that flashes testimonials from employees praising how great the company is and more so, the large amount of money they made from it, should be flagged. Though some companies are legitimate, most are baiting you with made up praises.
Extensive Application
Legitimate work from home jobs have legitimate job applications. Any company that uses an application that requires extensive personal information should be red flagged. This information includes banking information, social security numbers, spouse information, etc. No employee should have to provide personal information until they have been officially hired for a company -- even if they are conducting background checks.
Find work from home jobs in the writing and outside of the writing field as well as work from home how-to's at our affiliate The @ Home Employee.
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