How to Avoid Remote Job Scams — The Remote Nomad®

“Make money online!” used to scream SCAM. But the reality is people are now earning an income remotely. Here’s how to avoid remote job scams so you can find only legitimate online jobs.

Use Trusted Remote Job Sites

Here’s a list of The 10 Best Sites for Finding Remote Jobs. These sites get my stamp of approval for posting legitimate remote work opportunities.

One of my favorite remote job sites is FlexJobs. They have a real person review each job posting for legitimacy. You have to pay about $14.95/month, but if you’re unhappy, you can get a refund within 30 days. What I also like about FlexJobs is that they post a wide variety of remote job roles, whereas other remote job boards post jobs that lean toward developers, designers, marketers, or writers.

Use Proper Search Terms in Google

When it comes to finding a remote job, there are certain keywords you’ll want to avoid when searching Google. That being said, there are also certain words or phrases that you will want to use to discover legitimate opportunities. 

Keywords to Avoid

• Make money online 

• Make money from home

• Quick money

Keywords to Use 

• Distributed team

• Remote work

• Location independent

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Check for Red Flags

Here are some more ‘red flags’ that may indicate whether a remote job opportunity is legitimate or a scam.

1. They want to hire you for a job you never applied to.
   If a company contacts you saying they want to hire you for a job you never applied to, that’s a red flag for a scam. Legitimate companies would never hire someone without first interviewing them. 

2. The job offers a large salary for “easy” work.
   If the job offers a large salary for “easy” work, or “quick money.” Say they’re promising 6-figures for doing admin work, clearly, that seems too good to be true and doesn’t line up with typical salaries.

3. They require you to pay or invest upfront.

   A legitimate remote company would never require you to pay or invest money upfront. Requesting you “pay” for equipment or such is a huge red flag for a scam.

4. Spelling or grammar errors within the job postings and emails.
   This is a pretty straightforward red flag. If a company has a lot of spelling or grammar errors within the job posting or emails they’re sending you, I’d be cautious. It’s not professional and can be an indication that the remote job is a scam.

5. Not using a professional email.
   Always be sure to check the email of the person contacting you and see if it’s professional. For example. if they use joesanders@gmail.com vs j.sander@companyname.com. Obviously, the latter is more professional.

Google the Company (and the person contacting you)

A good way to find out if a company or remote job opportunity is legitimate or a scam is to simply Google the company. Once you do a basic Google search, I’d also suggest using the following phrases in Google as well:

• “[insert company name] reviews”. With company reviews, you’ll see what other people have to say about the company and this can be a good indication if it’s a legitimate remote job opportunity or scam.

• “[insert company name] scam”. This is a great way to easily catch if the company is a part of a bigger scam. With the bigger scams usually, you’ll be able to find more about it just by Googling.