How to Tell a Work from Home Job Is Legitimate

Many people are now looking for ways to make money online. The problem is that many opportunities to work from home are scams. It is important to take the time to research any opportunity to ensure that each one is a legitimate work from home option so you can make money with the internet and not lose it.

Don’t Pay Upfront

You should never pay for a work from home opportunity upfront. No legitimate company will ask for this, apart from those that have already made a name for themselves as being reputable – and they will be for initial training or for supplies. You never have to pay to start taking paid surveys or for online writing opportunities.

The companies that I know of that ask you to pay a small amount upfront are:

• Weight Watchers to become a leader – the money is for renting the equipment and for the goods that you intend to sell at your meetings.
• Ann Summers to become a party host – the upfront costs are for the items that you will show off to the guests so they can see before they buy.
• Avon to become a seller – the costs are for the items that you have to use as sellers when it comes to Avon parties.
• As you see, the upfront costs are not for the actual job when it comes to legitimate companies, it is for equipment and for products.

Research the Company

The internet is a wonderful place. Not only will you be able to find ways to make money online, you will also be able to find out if work from home jobs are legitimate. If companies are running a scam, it is likely that someone knows about it and will have declared that through a review or forum. Simply type the name of the company and then “review” or “scam” and you will find out whether it is the real deal or not.

If there is nothing about the company then it is likely new. There are some worries about being the first to be scammed so it is important to take a few of the other steps to make sure this is a legitimate work from home opportunity.

If It’s Too Good to be True…

…It probably is. This is the common rule to use when looking around for work from home jobs and online money making opportunities. Scam artists make their jobs sound like your dream role, usually offering absurd amounts of money for very little work. They usually ask for a payment upfront too, which is where they make their money.

If they do not ask for a payment, look into how they make their money. It could be doing something illegal, such as money laundering without realising, or by taking a high amount of commission at the end. Be wary and always use your common sense.

Know the Jobs to Avoid

There are some types of jobs that always scream “scam”. It is worth knowing what these are so you know the ones to avoid when you do a search for ways to make money online. There are also some that are legitimate but it takes a long time to find well-paying ones that are not scams. This list includes:

• Transferring or wiring money
• New start-up kits
• Call centre roles – can be legitimate so do some research first
• Virtual assistants – again can be legitimate so do your research
• Mystery shopping – if you want to do this, there are some legitimate websites that mystery shoppers sign up to. Never pay to become a mystery shopper and you should never be forced to do a task unless you agree first.
• Envelope stuffing – again it can be legitimate but that is not always the case

You can make money online but there are scam artists out there. Be wary when looking for legitimate work from home jobs online and take the time to research them. This will help you make money and not lose it!