Everything You Need to Know About Remote Job Scams

Remote jobs are some of the best jobs available in terms of free time, flexibility, and comfort. Plus, many remote jobs offer great pay or hybrid opportunities for people who want to visit the office from time to time.

Unfortunately, this has opened the door for remote job scams. These are remote jobs that don't pay you or attempt to steal your money or identity.

Thankfully, we’re here to help. This article covers common remote job scams and how to spot them.

What Are Remote Job Scams?

A remote job scam is a unique type of scam that attempts to fool people into thinking that they're working with a company, even though that company doesn't exist. Most remote job scams will prompt you to send money to the company for things like startup costs, while others may be more malicious and try to steal your identity.

Some remote job scams may even have you do tasks, but they won't pay you for them. Unfortunately, with the introduction of remote work, these types of scams have started to rise.

Warning Signs of Remote Job Scams

The good news about remote job scams is that you can usually tell when you're at risk of falling for one. This is because scammers have a limited window to convince you that the job is legitimate before you figure it out. Still, it's best to catch remote job scams early, and we have some warning signs to look for.

The Recruiter Asks for Money

The way most jobs work is that you spend time working, and they pay you for that work. If a job is asking you for money, even if it's for a computer or equipment, there's a good chance that it's a scam. This is because most remote companies will foot the bill if they have to send you anything.

Unusual Communication

When you’re applying for a job, you usually go through a standard interview process. This process usually involves speaking with people over the phone, meeting someone, or even going through a Zoom meeting or something similar, especially for remote jobs.

If you notice that you’re talking to different people all the time or that you haven't met anyone face-to-face, it's possible that the job is a scam. Also, check the email addresses for any grammar issues, and if you have to speak on third-party apps, like Telegram, it may be a scam.

Urgency

During the hiring process, you usually have to wait for the company to make a decision about you. However, if the company is pressuring you into making a decision immediately, you might be dealing with a remote job scam.

This is due to the fact that most scammers don't want to give you time to learn more about the company, read forums, or do your research in other ways.

How to Protect Yourself from Remote Job Scams

The best way to protect yourself from remote job scams is to leverage a tool like Information.com. This online public records search tool helps you learn more about the individual or business you’re speaking with.

What makes this tool efficient is its accuracy and how fast the process is. For example, if you have a phone number from someone who claims to be from Microsoft, you can enter it into the tool and check all public records associated with that phone number.

If you find that it's not associated with the company, then you know that you may be involved in a job scam. This also works for names, emails, and even addresses.

Never Fall for Remote Job Scams

Remote job scams are some of the worst scams you can get sucked into. Not only do you waste time working a job that doesn't pay you, but you could be using that time to work a remote job that isn't a scam.

What's more, some of these jobs will end up costing you money, or worse, your identity. The good news is that there are plenty of tools you can leverage to spot remote job scams before it's too late.

Make sure you follow the tips we covered in this article, and you'll have no problem dealing with scams.