Finding legitimate work from home can sometimes be tough, but certainly something that can be done.
With today’s uncertain economic times, no one feels overly secure at their 9-to-5 jobs. That’s why so many people are looking to add extra income by working from home. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell the legitimate work from home jobs from the “opportunities” advertised by scam artists.
How can you spot the difference? There are several telltale signs that you can look for when trying to determine if a work-from-home offer is legitimate or shady.
Look first for outrageous claims. There are no work-from-home jobs that will let you earn $10,000 a month. If you see an ad claiming this, don’t bother to respond; scammers often try to tempt gullible people by making unbelievable claims. The saying “if it’s too good to be true, it usually is” definitely holds true for work-from-home job offers.
If a work-from-home ad is intentionally vague, pass it up, too. Many scammers don’t want you to know that you’ll have to spend 12 hours a day stuffing envelopes to make minimum wage. So they’ll advertise their job as “a great opportunity” or one that has “unlimited income potential.” What they won’t do is tell you anything about what the job entails. For that, you’ll have to send away for some sort of kit. This is a classic work-from-home con job.
Refrain from answering any work-from-home job ad that requires you to send a small amount of money for a starter’s kit. Usually, these “starter’s kits” are simply lists of work-from-home job opportunities that you can find yourself for free. Often, the kits will merely list possible ways to make money from home. Again, you don’t have to shell out any of your own money to come up with potential jobs you can work from home.
The basic rule is that you should be a bit cynical whenever you spot a work-from-home job ad. It’s best to assume that whoever placed the ad is trying to rip you off somehow. You can then look for reasons to prove this assumption wrong.
This may sound depressing, but it’s the best way to protect yourself from falling for a work-from-home scam.
There are legitimate ways to earn money while working from home. But you won’t often find these legitimate work from home jobs on craigslist.org or on sheets of cardboard nailed to utility poles. The best way to find legitimate work from home jobs is to network with business owners in your area. Do they need freelance work? Often, they’ll need someone to type up reports, balance the books or coordinate meetings. And these are legitimate jobs that you can work from home, if you’re willing to do it on a freelance basis.
