Be Alert! Scams Associated with Online Job Opportunities
In our modern word, working from home is dream come true. We have the ability to earn foreign currency, select our hours and ‘work abroad’ without leaving the comfort of our bedroom. There are great opportunities to make money online in full-time and part-time positions without leaving our primary employment. These are some reasons which make online jobs so appealing. However, when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. As profitable and accommodating as the Internet is, we must be mindful of the potential dangers such as identity theft and money laundering which can be facilitated easily through online job scams. Below are a few things to be aware of when searching for online jobs, some I have experienced personally.
1. Exorbitant and outlandish salaries – When routine jobs such as data entry have a salary of $5000 or $500 are paid for one page of translations, you can bet your bottom dollar that this is a scam.
2. Personal and Bank Information – Because these are online positions, all interviews take place through Skype, Yahoo IM or any other messaging platform. Red flags include inquiries about personal details such as your home address, marital status, social security number or bank account information. Some ‘recruiters’ may lure unsuspecting victims into their trap by offering to send traveller’s cheques or money. These are fake cheque and victims lose their money as well as bank accounts being cleared.
3. Scamming on Social Media – Everyone – or mostly everyone – is on social media so this is the perfect place for all kinds of fraud. I have found numerous groups on Facebook dedicated to providing many types of ‘opportunities’ which all involve selling goods or services and earning cash based on referrals to get other people to join under you. These structures are called pyramid schemes and usually involve a team of people at the top who boast earning substantial amounts of cash and entice others to join under them with flashy figures and calculations which are difficult to understand. Some opportunities may include fees associated with each level of entry.
4. Starter Money – Some opportunities have a requirement that one must pay for training, special software, credit checks and other business services in order to start working. Red flags are flying all across the screen. Any money invested in these bogus opportunities will be lost. Also, you should not download any program given by an unknown party which could easily allow your computer to be hacked, held as ransomware or destroyed.
5. Grammatical Errors – The surest signs of scams or fraudulent internet activity are the grammatical errors: spelling, capitalization, punctuation. The email address field can contain the first red flag, for example john.smith@amzon.com, note that the spelling of Amazon is incorrect. Companies tend to be misrepresented with misspelt words and bogus job descriptions so be alert. The following example was taken from Facebook – take note of the over-capitalization and other grammatical errors:
!!! Incredible Opportunity To Make Money From Your House Without Referring, Here You Can Make $500 To $1000 Dollars In A Short Time. Too Good This System Join Today Same To This Great Opportunity To Generate Revenue From Monday To Friday Without Referring, If You Decide To Make Referrals More Money You Earn. You Can Achieve Your Financial Freedom With This System. I Have Cashed Three Times Of This System And Payments Have Been Quick, Real Quick. This System Complies With The Payments To Each According To What Has Generated. Make The Decision To Be Part Of This Amazing Opportunity Today Do Not Leave For Tomorrow. Start Today.
There are good online job opportunities from reputable companies; the key is to be alert! Do not ever give out personal or confidential information nor download any software from unknown persons. Verify company information by researching and emailing. Read everything meticulously before you trust. There is a lot of appeal to online jobs and an even bigger appeal to scam artists. Be alert! Verify before you trust!