Contrary to popular belief, your retirement is a treasure trove of exciting opportunities. Do you have the discipline required to organize your time and start that home business you’ve been dreaming of? When it comes down to it, the first question you need to answer is whether you have the motivation necessary to kickstart something new.
The basis of your motivation may vary. Maybe you need additional income, for yourself or your family members, or maybe you just enjoy the thrill of entrepreneurial conquest. No matter what makes you tick, there’s a good chance that you’ll find additional income through the internet, and we all know how the online world works – it’s a minefield of false flags and swindles.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a few points to help you differ real jobs from scams.
Be extra careful in these uncertain times
There’s no way of ignoring the shifting circumstances of the pandemic that has swept the world. The presence of people online has skyrocketed, as well as their business activities. Naturally, the frauds will follow and devise new methods of swindling people out of their money. Cybercrimes and email frauds feel like a particularly menacing threat at this time.
It may be somewhat more difficult to apply for a new workplace online or ace a remote interview if you feel that scammers lurk around every corner. It can impair your judgment. Still, keep in mind that most legitimate businesses have a trail of satisfied customers and provable work behind them, which should not be all that hard to discover.
Where can you lookf for secure work?
If you’re looking for additional sources of cash online, certain fields offer more reassuring methods than others.
If you want to keep the schedule flexible, you can try trading stocks, but make sure that you are well aware of the challenges of this occupation. Day trading is often excessively glamorized, which does more harm than good if you expect a quick profit and a racy life.
The same goes for something like affiliate marketing and hosting a YouTube channel. On the other hand, you can look into streamlined job positions that come with a pre-existing online infrastructure. For example, you can apply for a teaching position in an online school and become a mentor, or write and publish articles.
The point is that you’ll hardly encounter scammers by pursuing these venues, or rather, you’ll hardly encounter scammers that are difficult to unveil.
Beware of red flags
One of the most obvious red flags is when something appears too good to be true. If somebody serves you the ‘get rich with little to no work’ spiel, no matter how wrapped up in reasonable demagoguery it is, you should run in the opposite direction.
Of course, many legitimate businesses ‘scam’ their freelancers by offering unreasonably minimal pay for very hard work. However, since you are an experienced person, you should know your worth and avoid compromising in terms of price. Keep in mind that your experience is golden.
Of course, ‘pay to play’ arrangements are also a dud. Any company that requests an entrance fee is 100% a scam. The same goes for gigs that demand a lot of personal information. If they start going deep into your personal life and ask for data that is not required for an effective employee-employer transaction, there is a possibility that you are looking at a case of identity theft.
Company details are a blueprint
Consistent company details are gospel when it comes to weeding out scammers. First of all, the company that doesn’t have a snail-trace of data that goes back at least a year (if it’s very young) should be crossed off your list. You are looking for an online presence across multiple platforms, including various social media channels.
Check their location – where are they registered? Once you know this, it becomes quite easy to confirm if the address is real or fake. The phone number would also be useful. These are not mere details – they are the blueprint of a legitimate company.
Ask as many questions as possible; they will help you determine the legitimacy of the offer and the workplace. Trust your instinct.
Conclusion
You don’t have to dig deep to uncover scammers for what they are. All it requires is your diligence. Never put your guard down, no matter how flashy or convincing the deal seems. Check the reputation, the word of mouth, the trail of customers/output, and you should have a fairly good idea of the company’s legitimacy. Also, double-check whether their financial transactions come with caveats and complications.
Simple research such as this will make it far easier to spot swindlers. Uncompromising critical thinking and objectivity will always keep you on top of the situation.
This guest post was graciously provided by Caitlin Evans. Caitlin is a bookworm, photographer and dancer. She is also a graphic designer, but that one is on hold at the moment. When she is not trying to find the meaning of life and Universe, Cate is researching and writing about various lifestyle related topics. She is happily addicted to art in all its forms, grilled tofu and caffeine.
