Q: Dear BBB; I have recently been looking for a part-time job that would bring me extra income and allow me to work from home in my spare time. I see a lot of ads for work-at-home opportunities on the internet. I have heard that some jobs advertised like this are scams even though they appear legitimate. Am I WRONG to be wary of responding? How do I tell the difference?
~ Wary of the Web
A: Wary of the Web
You are RIGHT to be apprehensive of online job opportunities (as well as any job posted in newspapers or bulletin boards). Education is the key here. There are hundreds of different types of work-at-home and online job scams out there, most of them follow the same premise. Look for red-flags when seeking work online.
A common ploy of fraudsters advertising illegitimate work-at-home opportunities is to require that you send money to obtain an information kit or start-up package to begin your business. In many of these instances the money you send may be kept and no product is ever received.
If a job sounds too good to be true it probably is. Even with legitimate job opportunities it is very rare that people make large amounts of money with very little investment of time, money or energy.
Watch for jobs that require you to wire, forward or transfer money through personal banking accounts (called payment transfer scams). In these scams job seekers are asked to wire money through a personal account, PayPal account or Western Union account for one of many convincing sounding reasons. The job seeker often is told they can keep a percentage of the money transfer. However, in most cases the money being moved is stolen and the job seeker is unknowingly committing theft and wire fraud.
Be skeptical of jobs or job applications that require you to provide detailed personal and financial information. It is unwise to provide prospective employers with details such as your birth date, Social Insurance Number, bank account numbers etc. unless you are absolutely confident that you can trust them. Many online job scams request this information as part of the application process, then use it to steal or sell your identity.
Lastly, don’t apply for jobs that require you to download information from unsecure sources. Many job scams being forwarded via social networking sites require you to click on a link or to “download” an application form. In doing so job seekers unknowingly are installing malware and viruses onto their computers, that then result in their personal and financial information and login, being monitored or stolen from their computers.
For more information about protecting yourself or your child from online fraud visit
vi.bbb.org.