The idea of working from home appeals to many people, and this is especially true in areas where few jobs are available or where the economy has taken a downturn. Unfortunately in the current job market scammers have found a new pool of potential victims and many who have never worked from home online are easy prey. We will discuss:

1). Various scams used online disguised as “work from home” opportunities.

2). How to find a genuine real online job.

Online job scammers have already stolen millions from unsuspecting job seekers, and that is not including the actual free work some job seekers are simply never paid for.

Here are some common online scams:

Assembly Jobs – Here the scammer will claim by assembling a product you can resell it, or that they will resell it, for a profit. Actually what is happening is you are buying this unassembled product and the scammer has no intention of reselling it or giving you your money back.

Data Entry Jobs – These are usually spamming scams and you will be asked to send out several emails for which you will never be paid, or they will ask you to buy a kit to help you get started. There are other kinds of data entry jobs as well but they pay pennies for huge work even though they claim to make you millionaire in a short amount of time.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) – This is a pyramid scheme, you are asked to recruit more people, who in turn are asked to recruit more people, etc. and no one anywhere makes any money. The actual product is usually secondary – if there ever was a product to begin with.

Posting Ads – Similar to some data entry positions, here you are asked to advertise something and promised payment when someone signs up. These rarely actually ever pay anyone, and if they do it will literally be pennies for up to several hundred hours of work before the victim realizes it is a scam.

Processing Claims – Generally you will be asked to buy equipment or software and you will need to pay for training. Meanwhile, there is no real position for a claims processor and you will never be paid.

Stuffing Envelopes – These scams will claim you can make $3 or $4 per stuffed envelope, but in reality all major companies have postage machines that do all of this.

Online Job Finders – These job finders claim they will find the legitimate work from home opportunities for a fee. They will not, often they will either simply give you a generic list of outdated jobs or jobs which are in fact scams, or they will try to get you involved in their own online scam.

Medical Billing – You are offered software which costs $300 – $900 to start your own medical billing business. Medical clinics do not use freelance medical billing and often the software (if it even exists) will not work or will be outdated.

Email Processing – You are offered $25 per email processed or so. This of course is ridiculous, no legitimate company would pay this much to send out emails. In reality you are being recruited to send out spam, often with viruses attached, for which you will never be paid.

The basic rule for spotting an online scam is that something that sounds too good to be true is too good to be true.

Scammers will put all kinds of time and effort into making their business opportunity seem as realistic as possible with fake testimonials, professional-looking logos, fake Google or Adsense checks, etc. And the scammers you deal with can often be quite convincing. Here are some ways to avoid a scam:

Don’t think you’re going to get your money back on a money back guarantee. It is difficult to get your money back from a legitimate company you’ve heard of, so of course you are not going to get money back from a company you just heard of online. Testimonials are usually made up. Don’t ever base your decision on a testimonial. Check if the Better Business Bureau has any record of the company, and type in the name of the company in a search engine next to “Scam” and often you will find others who have fallen for this scam who have posted their experience online. Never give a credit card number. No legitimate employer will ever ask for a credit card under any circumstance.

So you may be asking yourself if there are any real job opportunities out there. There certainly are jobs you can do from home, but like any other job working from home requires a specific skill set and will pay accordingly. Think of working from home as the same thing as working from an office, if it is not something you would do in an office, chances are it is not a real work from home opportunity.

The fact is people who do successful work from home generally do not work for a specific company, they are called freelancers and they seek out their own employment either through job sites or by contacting legitimate companies on their own and offering their service. Another successful venture on the internet is affiliate marketing  which is more of a business rather than online job.

Real online jobs and income opportunities

1). Google Adwords. Often misrepresented as a data entry job at Google, or a job where you are paid for typing ads at the most popular advertising service on the internet, the Google Adwords.  Don’t get scammed thinking it is an online job at Google. All those money making courses like Google ATM, Google Biz Kit, Google Cash or even the most legitimate sounding ones like Leg*mate Online Jobs may be misrepresenting this fact that this income opportunity is a job at Google. But no it isn’t. Rather it is a good legitimate business opportunity and like all businesses it requires an investment and that is the catch. Having that said Google Adwords combined with affiliate marketing is still a great way to make solid income online. Read more how Google Adwords makes you money or Check out the recommended resources below –

Recommended Resources

1). Wealthy Affiliate and Beating Adwords

2). Holly Mann’s Honest Riches

3). Perry Marshall Adwords Guide

4). The Cash Code

2). Affiliate Marketing. One of the best ways to earn money online. If you join a good comprehensive Affiliate Marketing Training system you can be making money sooner than you think. The reason is it is a simple low risk, high profit system and with a variety of investment options like starting free of cost with a free blog or with investing in a full fledged website and so on. There are certain ins and outs of the system along with some research like niche marketing but once you give some time and thought to it it will be a breeze to work with. Learn how to make money with affiliate marketing and live a good life or Check out the recommended resources below –

Recommended Resources

1). Wealthy Affiliate

2). Holly Mann’s Honest Riches

3). Site Build IT. Find out why people love the SiteBuildIt system.

4). The Cash Code

3). Search Engine Optimization or SEO. If you own a website or have a job that is at least somewhat related to the Internet, you would most likely have heard of “SEO” or Search Engine Optimization. Seo Knowledge is good to have in this internet economy and the way you make money with seo is either combining it with your affiliate marketing or working as an seo expert in the freelance arena. Learn what is search engine optimization and how this knowledge can make you earn a good living. or Check out the recommended resources below -

Recommended Resources

1). Wealthy Affiliate

2). Holly Mann’s Honest Riches

3). Niche Blitzkrieg

4). Freelance Jobs. An increasing percentage of the population is trying their luck at freelancing. There are just so many freelancing jobs out there and of all kinds – data entry or data encoding, proofreading, e-book writing, article writing, copywriting, transcription, translation, web coding or programming, web designing, graphic designing, photography, accounting, telemarketing, and even customer support! The thing to note is there is competition in this field as well and there are people competing for the same job and you have to have an edge over others. There are certain tips and tricks to boost your freelancer career and have greater chance of success at having a legitimate freelance job. Get to know more about landing a freelance job online. If you are specifically interested in a writing job click here.

Recommended Resources

1). InYourPJs

2). 6 Figure Freelancer

3). Freelance Directory

5). Writing Jobs. It is a freelance job but this field is so big that we had to mention it separately. To be a successful online writer, it is recommended that an individual know a lot about a lot of things. The more topics you can write about, the more work there is for you. Nonetheless, even if you have zero information on a topic, you may easily conduct research online to know more about what is assigned to you. Learn how to get an online writing job. or Check out the recommended resources below -

Recommended Resources

1). 6 Figure Freelancer

2). InYourPJs

3). Freelance Directory of Writing Jobs

4). Holly Mann’s Honest Riches

6). Paid surveys. Perhaps the easiest way to earn money online and also the easiest way people get scammed online. Yes there are fraudulent companies claiming you can make ridiculous amounts of money answering few questions. In the end, if you really want to be a millionaire quickly, what you need is lottery, not surveys. But yes they can be used for some extra cash but hardly as an online data entry job. Learn what Paid surveys are all about and how to get some cash out of them. or Check out the recommended resources below -

Recommended Resources

1). PaidSurveysEtc

7). Programming Jobs. Freelance Coding and Programming is one of the fastest growing work-from-home jobs.  If you have programming skills there are plenty of employers hiring freelancers rather than hiring a temp to come into the office. A good online IT programmer job may pay as much as any regular coding job.  There are jobs that may pay even more if you manage to find good clients.  However, success does not come right away or easily. But there are ways you can make the journey to success less painful. Learn how to succeed as a freelance programmer.

Recommended Resources

1). InYourPJs

2). 6 Figure Freelancer

3). Freelance Directory

8). Transcription Jobs. Work-at home transcription is a fast-growing at home career.  You can start a career either as a free-lancer or by working with a company.Companies offer multiple types of transcription jobs in several different fields.  General transcription may include transcribing voice-mail messages, memos, letters and other documents. Learn all about medical transcription jobs.

Recommended Resources

1). Transcription Crash Course

2). Medical Transcription Practice Dictations

3). InYourPJs

9). Virtual Assistants Jobs. The term, “virtual assistant,” means an office associate or manager who actually telecommutes from home.  This position was almost unheard of until about a decade ago.  Today, virtual assistants are very common in the business world. In order to build your client base, you need to promote your business. Learn how to really succeed with your Virtual Assistants Jobs Business.

Recommended Resources

1). VirtualPa Business

2). InYourPJs

10). Google Adsense. By using Google Adsense You can feature the very same text ads that Google displays on your own website or blog. AdSense allows both Google and website or blog owners such as yourself to promote commercial websites. Google would give you a part of its own earnings to compensate your effort. Learn how to make real money with Google Adsense.

Recommended Resources

1). Holly Mann’s Honest Riches

2). Site Build IT.

3). Blog Success by Jack Humphrey

11). Data Entry Jobs. Real data entry jobs can be had as a freelancer. All you need to know is how and where to get those freelancer jobs and how to have an edge over others competing for the same job. Get to know more about landing a freelance data entry job online.

Recommended Resources

1). 6 Figure Freelancer

2). InYourPJs

3). Freelance Directory

12). Mystery Shopping Jobs. Mystery shopping or secret shopping can be an exciting job if you have certain characteristics. Mystery Shopping companies want to hire someone who is detail-oriented, just and inconspicuous, familiar with good customer service, and can relay ideas in a cohesive and understandable manner. Learn how to become a secret shopper.

Recommended Resources

1). Mystery Shopping Directory

13). Blogging.

14). Paid Blogging Jobs.

15). Social Media Marketing Consultant Jobs. The current demand for online media managers is high given the increased reliance of people on the Internet. Social media are now the preferred communication channel of people in the busy metropolis and Companies and organizations are searching for competent people to help them increase their business’ online presence. Luckily for you, this is a very new field and workers aren’t so familiar with it yet. Learn how to become a social media marketing consultant for big companies.

Recommended Resources

Let’s Get Social

Further Tips

If you take an online job from a company you believe is legitimate, ask that a percent of the expected payment be sent prior to beginning work via Paypal or some other means that does not involve you offering any of your bank information. Employers should expect to pay a certain amount upfront at least the first few times they work with a freelancer.

Finally, get specifics. A legitimate employer knows exactly what they need done. If the instructions are vague, if they ask you to recruit others, or if they seem more interested in your information than in getting the task complete, they are likely not legitimate.