In hindsight, there’s nothing wrong with doing online jobs. In fact, it’s highly recommended. You can save a lot of costs with it. You don’t have to deal with seeing an angry boss all the time, and you have a more effective control of your schedule. You can work at night, daytime, or dawn – it doesn’t really matter.

However, several online jobs are used as baits by many scammers these days. Just like fishing, a lot of people are hooked. Sadly, victims only realize they’re cheated when it’s already too late.

How do you actually avoid becoming a victim of one? Watch out for the following telltale signs:

• You’re asked to pay.
The ad sounds so promising until you reach this line: “To get a list of jobs, pay $$$.” You may not instantly know you’re being conned because the line is surrounded by highfalutin words, such as they have the biggest job database in the Internet or they have clients that pay a lot of money.

Always remember that you should not pay for the job lists. One of the reasons why you’re looking for work is because you need more money. The list may be exclusive, but the only thing you have to do is sign up for membership – that’s all.

• It doesn’t require a lot of effort.
The idea of almost not working for money is definitely enticing, but the truth is, it’s usually a scam. Real clients would always expect you to give your 100 percent for every project. He or she also wants to make sure he or she is not being scammed by you, so you can expect your client to keep track of your work. If necessary, your client will ask for revisions until you can get the job perfect.

If the ad already says “earn $700 a day for very minimal work,” be scared.

• It pays you a lot.
Who doesn’t want to get paid a lot of money for an online job? With thousands of ads in the Internet, it’s definitely possible to find “work” that charges a hundred dollars for a short article. However, being paid a lot of money can also be a sign of a scam, especially if it’s not a well-known organization or magazine that is asking for your service – more so, if you are just a new writer. Normally, clients will charge you according to the industry’s standard rate, your portfolio, deadline, and / or scope of the work.

• You’re looking for ads at the wrong places.
There are some websites that are more prone to carrying fake ads. A very good example is Craigslist. Because it offers free posting, Craigslist is convenient for scammers to create fake job posts to lure you.

Though some Craigslist jobs are decent, you are better off searching for online jobs in more reputable job-seek and HR-related websites.

As they say, when it’s too good to be true, then it probably is. Before you take advantage of a good offer, assess it first.

Hourly updated employment opportunities in our Hot Jobs section!
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