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By Holly Reisem Hanna
When you’re looking for work-at-home opportunities you're bombarded with information, websites, and job leads that all claim to be the next best thing. They sound good but are they legitimate? I know the uncertainty, because when I started my work-at-home search I was in the same boat. It's why I created this website.
Through all of my research, I've found some simple ways you can significantly decrease your chances of falling prey to a scam.
Here's how to find work-at-home jobs that are legit:
Google Search.
Take your time and research the company or business opportunity extensively. A simple way to do this is through a Google search. If someone has been burned in the past by the company they may have written a negative review dig around and see what you find both negative and positive. Searching by the company's name and the keywords scam or reviews will populate the quickest results. Make sure you go beyond the first page of the search results sometimes negative reviews get buried.
Check the BBB and the Ripoff Report. В
Use the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website to research the company and see if they have any positive or negative reviews. Some companies claim to be members of the BBB, and they’ll post a BBB membership emblem on their site. Don’t just assume they are a member, try to click on the symbol; it should link to their review and rating on the BBB site. If it does not, do a manual search on the BBB site you can search by the company's name, URL, phone number, or email address.
The Ripoff Report is a website where consumers from around the globe can file complaints against companies and businesses. The site consists of user-generated reviews and covers a wide variety of topics such as …В checking and credit card theft, unscrupulous business practices, and fraudulent employment and business opportunities. Use the search function to explore potential clients, employers, and business opportunities.
Public Visibility. В
People that are promoting scams do not want to be found! Look for names, photos, company histories and bios, active social media profiles, and contact information. Scammers like to hide behind fake phone numbers, P. O. boxes, and elusive online accounts so try to communicate with them and get additional information on their company or opportunity. If a CEO or Founder's name is given on their website, search on LinkedIn to see if their data correlates to what's on their website. If they're not publicly visible, this should be a red flag warning to you.
Social Proof.
Does the company have any testimonials from previous clients or employees? Try and get in touch with these people and get their honest thoughts on the company and program. Has the company been featured in the media or in a major publication? If their website boasts as seen on try and click on the emblem, it should lead to the article or media event. If not, do a manual Google search listing the company name and media outlet to see if you can find the article. Generally, when a company has been featured on a major media outlet, they're proud of it, and they will link directly to the feature to boost their reputation.
If the company is on Facebook, search for customer reviews on the left-hand side of their profile page. You can do the same on Twitter, simply by searching specific keywords in the search function. Also, useВ Glassdoor. com to search for company reviews. This website is specifically for job seekers and allows employees to write anonymous reviews about companies.
Trust Your Gut. В
Have you gone through all the previous steps and everything seems to check out? But for some reason … it just doesn't feel right? Always trust your gut feeling! Intuition is a naturalВ phenomenonВ that makes it possible to know something's wrong without having any evidence. In fact, Steve Jobs said, Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion. That’s had a big impact on my work. ” Another part to this is … if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
Guaranteed Work-at-Home Jobs. В
If you're still feeling uneasy about your work-at-home job search check out FlexJobs. Every single job listed on their website is hand screened for legitimacy. So when you apply you can rest assured that you're not going to fall prey to a work-at-home scam. Not only does FlexJobs have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, but they also offer a money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.
Current Work-at-Home Scams to Be Aware of.
This page includes affiliate links. PleaseВ be aware we only promote advertising from companies that we feel we can legitimately recommend to our readers. Please see our disclosure policy for further information.
