There are many reasons why an online job is very appealing. Some people want to make money online to pay off debt. Others are forced to let go of corporate careers to take care of their kids. There are also retired individuals that needs the extra money for the debts that they carried over in retirement. Or they have health treatments that needs to be financed and a second job is one way to help them meet the required payments.
4 signs that your online work is a scam
While the appeal of these remote work opportunities is great, you need to be very careful because there are scammers posing to offer legitimate online work. These will not only exploit your skills by not paying you, they will also use your output to scam other people.
If you really want to find a legitimate online job, you need to be cautious of the following:
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When they advertise high payments that their “relative” earned, this may be something else. If you find these in comments or community forums, and they are kind enough to give you links to it, do not be too quick to click on that. Most of the time, these links will direct you to a website that has a lot of malwares and viruses that will enable other people to steal your identity. Be cautious before you go to these sites and make sure that your antivirus protection is updated.
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When they ask for payment before they will pay you. There are type of scams that will ask you to invest something before you actually get paid for anything. Here’s the thing: most online jobs that ask you to pay upfront fees will most likely be a scam. They will take your money and run off with it – leaving you with nothing.
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When you need to go through a paid certification that can only be done with them. This is a common scam too. Companies offering to give you an online job that requires you to go through a certification that you have to pay them for is usually not legit. These can also be trials that you have to do online – and pay for too. Sometimes, these pose as data entry jobs that you have to pay off first before getting paid for your work. Do not be fooled because there are data entry jobs that are legit. But they will not pay you well. So if it is being offered with a high rate, they you can expect that it is a scam.
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When you are being sold a list of businesses that offers online jobs. These are not real. You do not have to pay anything to find legitimate online jobs. Do not be fooled into paying for these lists because it is unnecessary. Some of these sellers even offer to pay you in case you do not find work through the list they will provide. But guess what? They will never pay.
These are not the only way you can spot scammers. You need to update yourself because these tricky companies can really be very ingenious. They will come up with different ways to scam people. It is your job to educate yourself so you can stay away from these illegitimate acts. One of the best resources that you can go to is the Consumer.FTC.gov website.
In case you encounter these businesses, you may want to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the FBI (local branch). They should know what to do with these malicious companies.
Tips to get legitimate work from home jobs
The key to earn online and be successful is to know where to find the right type of jobs that you can do. There are various jobs available and you have to know where to get them.
One of the best areas to get them is through outsourcing websites. These include Odesk, Elance, Guru and Freelancer. These are popular outsourcing sites that you can join. Employers and clients actually come to these site looking for specific contractors like you. The outsourcing site can earn by charging a certain percentage of what you earn. You and your future clients can decide if you want to shoulder this fee or have them pay the site more than your agreed terms. That way, your fees will be kept intact.
The way it usually works is you will create your online resume, look through various job posts and apply. The client will select among the applicants on their job post and when you are chosen, you can negotiate your fees with them.
Most of these sites will not require any membership fee – or if they do, you have the option to not pay it. You can still get jobs but you will not have all the perks that members get. These sites are a great way to get clients and build up your portfolio as an online writer.
But even as you look for work here, you have to understand that some scammers can still pass through. Be vigilant at all times and try to give yourself guaranteed payment. You can ask your clients to go through escrow payment so you are guaranteed your fees after submitting your output. You can also ask them to pay you in installments as you submit your project in stages.
