Work at Home Jobs - Watch out for Scammers and Frauds

For as many legitimate work at home jobs there are for people, there are quite a few that aren't.  So how can you tell the difference between a real work at home job or business and a complete scam?

Even the world-famous Coca-Cola company had to post a notice on their website.  It seems that there was a company that was advertising work at home jobs for Coca-Cola when in fact there weren't any. 

It's scammers like these who use the name of a very well-known company in order to get your personal information.  They know that if you are already looking for a work at home job, then there are many opportunities that will look good to you and putting a well known company behind that opportunity is icing on the cake.

Here's how this usually works:  Usually the person who was looking for a work at home job signs up on a website to receive information about work at home jobs in their area or online.  A little while later they'll receive an email stating that this world-famous company has some work at home opportunities for you and so they'll request that you click on the link contained within the email.  While you may believe this link is innocent, it actually is most likely a fraudulent link which will take you to a web page the "looks" official to you but is really a copy of the official page put up by the scammers in the hopes of getting your personal information.

The page will ask you for information such as your social security number, address, driver's license numbers, credit card numbers, etc.  All unbeknownst to you that this is a fake website.  This is also a practice commonly referred to as phishing.  Many large companies such as PayPal and eBay send out reminders of how to spot a phishing website.

PayPal gives some great tips as to how to spot a phishing email and these tips hold true regardless of the sender of the email.

The terms spoofing and phishing describe the act of collecting personal information using a fake email in order to commit identity theft and internet fraud. If you click a link included in an email that you're not sure is from PayPal, make certain the address at the top of the browser window that appears reads exactly www.paypal.com/us. PayPal email always addresses you by your first and last names, or business name, and NOT by Dear PayPal User or Dear PayPal Member.

If you are ever uncertain about the authenticity of the email or the email links, open a new browser window and type in www.paypal.com/us.

If you think you've received a fraudulent email, forward it to spoof@paypal.com and then delete it from your email account.

For the latest tools and information to help protect your identity and avoid fraudulent emails, log in to your PayPal account and click the Security Center link at the bottom of any PayPal webpage.

Some other tips are:

• If you receive an email from a well-known company and don't want to click the link contained within their email, simply go to their web address separately.  For example if you received a potential job offer from Company A and they say that they've got a work at home opportunity for you; all you need to do is click on the link in the email.  Instead, simply enter their website address separately in your browser and search for the information on your own.
• Most large companies provide you with specific details about your account when sending you emails.  For example, it won't say something generic such as "Member" or "Client".  It will specifically have your name or ID number if you received one somewhere within the email.

It's difficult when you're looking for a work at home job online to try and pick out the difference between real work at home jobs and those who are just trying to get your personal information.  If in doubt, check the Better Business Bureau and remember that a legitimate work at home job will not ask you for money of any kind.