How to find a Legitimate Work at Home Job and Avoid Scams!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  You may ask, "why are you posting on Labor Day? You aren't supposed to work today!".  Well, this isn't work.  I am offering a service to my readers to help them find legitimate work from home jobs.  I am saddened when I hear about someone paying to get a job and it ends up being a scam.


I originally wrote this post when I started this blog.  I thought it would be a great idea to revisit this post for everyone who is a new reader and new to the work at home world.  So, please follow me on Google Friend Connect and/or Facebook through the links on the right of this article if you'd like to read my updates about working from home and lots of Job Leads!


One of the questions I get about working from home is, "but aren't work from home jobs all scams?".  Well, if they were I would not have been employed with one company for over 3 years, gotten a paycheck on time direct-deposit bi-weekly and taxes taken out if they are ALL scams!  I have also worked for several other companies and had great success with finding legitimate jobs.  While there are many scams out there, there are also many companies that hire home workers and are legit.

When I discuss working from home I am referring to work at home JOBS, not MLM (Multi Level Marketing) businesses.  The difference is, a job will pay you a set amount of money for a set amount of work, usually by the hour, piece or talk time minute.  They will take out taxes and pay medicare and social security.  Sometimes you will recieve benefits like vacation time off with pay and 401k.  And there are contract or 1099 jobs that do not take out taxes and you are a contract worker.  You don't have to refer more employees to keep your job.  


MLM businesses require an up front "investment" to get started and usually have a minimum amount of products that have to be bought monthly to stay active.  In order to make any money you have to get other people to sign up for the business under you and also pay the initial "investment" plus there are usually products that must be bought monthly in order to get paid any commission on your downline.  It doesn't matter how many hours are put into the business, you only get paid if you meet the montly requirements.  Most cannot get enough recruits and end up spending more money on products than they make on commission. 

So, how do you know it's a scam?

Here are some common things to look out for when looking for a work at home job:

• Get rich quick schemes.  Run, and run FAST if you read a job listing that promises full time income from part time work.  It just doesn't work that way.  You will NOT get rich quick working from home.  I have not know anyone who has even gotten rich, much less rich quick.  We all work a set amount of time or do a set amount of work for a set amount of money.
• Sending money up front.  This is a huge red flag! If a job listing asks you to pay for a directory of jobs or a "start up kit" they are not looking to hire you.  They are looking to take your money and run. Legitimate employers do not ask you to buy a kit.  Only a few employers ask for you to pay for a background check, but this normally after you fill out employee paperwork.

Job listings to avoid:

• Stuffing envelopes
• Processing payments
• Data entry (there are some legit jobs but they are usually called Transcription and require experience)
• Online Businesses (some are just selling directories)
• Assembly Jobs (some are legit but require a lot of work for very little money)
• MLM businesses (they are not jobs, they involve constant recruiting and up front cost)

Even if you find a great job listing on a job posting website (careerbuilder.com, Monster.com,etc..) it can still be a scam.  Make sure you do some research on the company before you send ANY information.  DO NOT post your resume on these sites for anyone to look at.  You will get many strange job offers if you do.  And your personal information will be out there (name, address, phone number) that can lead to identity theft.

With any job listing you are interested in, do an internet search using the company name.  There should be articles and information on the company.  You should also check the BBB for any complaints about the company.  Find people who worked for the company and listen to their experience.  


Now, if you find a company that you want to work for and they ask for you to pay for the background check, this is not necessarily a scam.  Many call center jobs I have worked for do require applicants to pay for background checks.  Just to name a few: LiveOps, West, ACD Direct and Alpine Access charge for background checks.

This information should be helpful to those who are new to working at home and are concerned about scams.  In my next post I will discuss the requirements for working from home and the types of jobs out there.  Thanks for reading my blog and please post any questions about working from home.