Career Expert Shares 4 Subtle Signs A Remote Job Opportunity Is A Scam
Know what to look for so you don't waste your time on a job that won't pan out.
Cristian Tarzi | Unsplash A minuscule 5% of professionals prefer working entirely in the office. The vast majority want to work fully, or almost completely, remotely, and it's understandable why. Remote positions allow for more freedom, require no commute, and are better for employees' mental health.
One downside to remote work, however, is that it can be more difficult to vet the company you’re applying to. Unless it’s a big name, there’s likely no physical location, and you’re left following a trail of virtual breadcrumbs.
To help job seekers determine if a remote job is genuine or too good to be true, career expert Erin McGoff shared some tips for identifying job opportunity scams in a recent TikTok.
Here are four subtle signs that a remote job opportunity is a scam:
1. The ad looks sketchy.
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It’s important to trust your instincts. “Follow your gut,” McGoff urged. “If the ad looks sketchy, it’s probably sketchy.”
She pointed out specific things to look for in the job ad, like typos, grammatical errors, and an overall strange sense of urgency. These are all red flags that you have a scam on your hands.
Unfortunately, scammers are good at what they do and can make job ads look legitimate when they’re not. Chris Durst, a writer for Rat Race Rebellion, an organization dedicated to helping people join the remote workforce, noted that scammers will sometimes use the names of well-known companies to lure job seekers in, only to “redirect users to unrelated job postings or sketchy websites.”
Ultimately, if something looks off about a job ad or if it lacks professionalism, there’s a good chance that it’s a scam. You should proceed with caution if you proceed at all.
2. The employer asks for money.
“If the employer asks you to pay them or do an investment up front, it’s probably a scam,” McGoff stated. “You should never have to pay someone or a company to work for them.”
You work to make money, not the other way around. Your employer is responsible for paying you in exchange for the work you do for them. If they’re asking for money to employ you, it’s a sure sign that you’re dealing with a scam.
The Federal Trade Commission advised, “To spot these scams, know that honest employers will never ask you to pay upfront fees for a job or for equipment. And they won’t ask you to pay them using cash, Zelle, or PayPal. Anyone who does is a scammer.”
3. The employer isn’t established online.
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It can admittedly be tricky to verify that all employers are legit. Some small businesses or business owners may be difficult to find online. However, if the company “doesn’t have an online footprint — a lack of website, a lack of email, a lack of Google reviews,” it's time to move on.
Writing for FlexJobs, a remote hiring hub, Kirsten Chorpenning said, “A sketchy online presence or lack thereof is reason for suspicion. If you need help finding information about the company online or their website looks unprofessional or incomplete, it’s likely a scam.”
These days, every person and company has a digital presence. If you can’t find a potential employer online, then they probably don’t exist. Stay away from these scammers.
4. The job sounds too good to be true.
“A job is a job,” McGoff reminded viewers. “You put in work and you get paid. If this is something where they’re telling you that you can make a lot of money if you just wait or if you just work hard, it might not always be, but it could be a scam.”
Writing for the University of Oregon’s Career Center, Zack Bear said that it’s critical to keep an eye out for jobs that promise an inordinately high salary, no interviews, or “no experience necessary” because they are, unfortunately, too good to be true. They’re just not legit.
While it can be tempting to take an offer along these lines, it’s not worth being scammed and losing time, money, or even your identity.
Looking for these red flags can save you a lot of trouble in your job search. With so many people looking for remote work, scammers have become commonplace. They scam because they know they can catch people off guard. By looking out for these signs, you’ll be prepared to protect yourself.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.