How to Distinguish a Work at Home Job From a Scam

It has happened to all of us. You enter "work at home" in the search engine and you get page after page of work at home sites. How do you know whether it's a work at home job or a scam? In this article, I will share with you what I have learned over the past three years.

About five years ago I spent many hours unsuccessfully searching for a telecommuting position. I wasted money paying work at home sites to gain access to their database. What was supposed to be listings of contracts with employers was nothing more than expired ads - lists that had not been updated in weeks or even months in some cases. I gave up for about a year and then decided to renew my search. This time I happened to come across a well-known work at home forum from which I have learned and benefited greatly. I have received quite a few job offers during these past three years and have not had to spend a single cent.

There are three things that I look for to determine whether it is a legitimate offer or not.

First, if I receive an e-mail without applying for a position, I know that it is either a scam or a business opportunity. (I do not mean that business opportunities are scams but the results are often exaggerated or are introduced as work at home) Legitimate companies that offer telecommuting opportunities receive so many applications and resumes that they do not need to send unsolicited e-mails to people. They rarely advertise.

The formatting is another thing that helps me to determine whether it is a genuine position or not. Have you noticed that scams are usually written in big font and bright colors? They do this to catch your attention.

Thirdly, I think it's funny when they do a break down of the income potential. For example, they will state what you can earn hourly or per piece, and then they will show you what you could make if you worked 20 hours or processed 50 applications. If this was a legitimate offer, do they think that you are so ignorant that you can not do your own math? In that case, why would they bother to offer you a job?

One last thing that I have noticed is that when data-entry is advertised, they show the hourly pay. First of all, data-entry is usually piece rate. No one can tell you what you will earn hourly because that would depend on your speed. Second, it is such a sought after position that no one needs to send you unsolicited e-mails. If a company offers legitimate data-entry, they usually have a waiting list. There are applicants willing to wait even up to a year or longer to get on with a company because it is a much-desired position.

There is one more thing I did not mention and that is of course if they ask for money but we have all heard that before.

These five factors have kept me from wasting money and to find legitimate work at home opportunities. If you are new in this area, I hope they help you too. Telecommuting is very real and there are many good, legitimate companies out there. However, do your research. There are very good work at home forums from which you can gain insight and knowledge about these companies. With that being said, I wish you the very best of success in your work at home venture.