How to Verify Legitimate Remote Data Entry Jobs

Scammers want you scrambling. Let’s disappoint them. Scammers exist. And they waste your time ⏳, your energy ⚡, and your hope 💭. Job hunting is already hard enough. We don’t need scammers preying on people who are doing their best to move forward 💼. This isn’t about panic 😱. It’s about staying clear, calm, and aware 🧘♂️. Sometimes my clients get approached. And they don’t get tricked — in part because they’re getting coached 🎯. They’ve got backup. Someone helping them spot what’s real… and what’s not. Here are: 10 Signs That Job Might Be a Scam 1) They contact you out of nowhere Didn’t apply — and they’re already offering a job? 2) Too-good-to-be-true salary $125K for remote data entry? 🚩 3) No phone or video call Avoids Zoom. Won’t hop on the phone. Wants to “chat” over text 📱. 4) Email doesn’t match the company domain Like hiringteam@careers-fast.net claiming to be from Microsoft 💻. 5) Vague job description “Work with a dynamic team” = a whole lot of nothing 🫠. 6) The role makes zero sense for your background You struggle to change your screensaver — and they want you managing a data center? 🤔 7) They send you a check It “clears.” You send money. Then it bounces 🧾. Classic scam move. 8) Super fast “interview” No questions. No real process. Just “you’re hired” ✉️. 9) They’re impersonating something real The company is legit. The person is real. The one messaging? Not who they say they are 🎭. 10) It just feels off Your gut doesn’t lie. Trust it 💡. 🛡️ Pro Tip: Scammers rely on distraction 🌀, urgency ⏰, and ambiguity 🌫️. Focus and deliberate clarity change everything. Share this post to help your fellow job seekers steer clear 🚫🎯

Today, we received another email from a jobseeker who thought they'd been offered a job at Zapier in what turned out to be a scam: 🚩 🚩 🚩 Here's a list of things that COULD be red flags 🚩 🚩 🚩 1. Domain mismatch ("zapierinc" or "zapier. biz") 2. You're contacted about a job you don't have any record of applying for. 3. The person contacting you has a new LinkedIn account with very few connections, has an unverified email, no profile picture, not connected to employees of the company they claim to work at, etc. 4. The job you're contacted about isn't posted on the company's website. 5. The interview takes place via text on an app like Teams or Skype. 6. You receive an offer for a non-entry level role after a single interview or after never meeting a real employee. 7. You're asked for private information like your social security number, bank account information, etc. 8. You're asked to pay anything up front, or told you'll be given a check and then should pay the company. 9. The communication is poorly written or creates an unnecessary level of urgency (for example, threatening to pull an offer if you don't submit the paperwork that say). 10. You receive a text or a comment on LinkedIn from a big name company sourcing you for a "too good to be true" type opportunity. Please note that I say "could" because you may experience 1-2 of these in a legitimate process (for example, you're being proactively sourced for a role that's not yet posted, or a company is leveraging recruiters abroad who are communicating in their second language resulting in weak communication). But you won't see multiple items from this list in a legitimate process. If you realize you've been the victim of a scam, steps you can take: 1. Report the account details to the FTC. 2. Report the profile to LinkedIn. 3. If you're shared your bank info, contact your bank to get support with ensuring no payments are taken from your account. 4. If you shared your social security, contact the credit bureaus as it may make sense to freeze your credit. 5. You can inform the company that someone is impersonating their employees; they may be able to help with getting domains or accounts closed. Jobseekers are vulnerable and that makes them easy targets. And in a tough market, unfortunately many want so badly to land a great opportunity that they may miss the red flags. Please try to internalize these, and share them with others in your network. If you see someone falling for one of these scams, warn them of the signs.

Over the past few months, my LinkedIn feed has been full of people open for work; I know how challenging the job market is. At the same time, my TikTok feed has been full of victims who have received job offers, only to find it was a scam after either giving them personal data or worse, having money stolen from them. For those of you in the job market, I want to offer a few tips: -- If someone reaches out to you directly about a job, do everything you can to verify that they are employed by the company or search firm they claim to be. Check their LinkedIn profile to make sure they have verified their workplace (Verifications are located directly under the summary section). Make sure the email address they provided has the correct company domain; check the domain spelling carefully. --If someone reaches out to you about an entry/mid-level role that typically has many qualified applicants, be suspicious. In this job market, those are not roles where recruiters need to actively recruit; they can find great candidates simply by posting the role. -- When applying for jobs directly, try to do so from a trusted source (e.g., the company's career site, LinkedIn.) Be wary of small career sites. If you find a job posted that looks interesting, check on the company's career site to see if the role is posted there. If it's not, walk away. -- NEVER give personal data (e.g., date of birth, driver's license/passport/social security number, etc.) over the phone or through a non-secured email exchange. --NEVER EVER transfer money or use your own funds to purchase anything needed for the role. They often "wire money" or send you a check to deposit in your Zelle account that ultimately bounces after you have transferred funds back to them. A legitimate company will ship required equipment to you directly. If you are asked to go buy it, walk away. -- If the job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you get the sense that something is off, don't be afraid to visit the company website, find a email address for general inquiries & ask them to verify that the role is legitimate and that XX recruiter is working on it. Job scams enrage me because criminals are preying on incredibly vulnerable people who can't afford to lose money. I know the emotional toll job hunting can take on a person. To think you have finally made it to the other side only to realize it was all a con is gut wrenching. I don't usually ask this, but please share this on your feed and add additional tips that I haven't mentioned. Recruiters are a community; we have to look out for job seekers, treat them with respect, and help them find real work.

It is such a tough market right now, and the last thing job seekers need is scammers trying to take advantage of that stress. 💯 When you’re already juggling applications, interviews, and bills, getting those fake “job offers” or shady recruiter messages can feel like an extra punch in the gut. It’s frustrating because they prey on hope and urgency. 🚨 Job Scam Spotting Checklist ✅ Research the Company • Look for a legitimate website (with a careers page). • Check LinkedIn for employees who actually work there. • Google the company name + “scam” to see if warnings pop up. ✅ Verify the Recruiter • Real recruiters will use a company email (not Gmail/Yahoo/Outlook). • Look up their name on LinkedIn to confirm they’re legit. ✅ Check the Job Posting • Be cautious if the posting has poor grammar, vague details, or unrealistic pay. • Cross-check on the company’s official careers site. ✅ Watch for Red Flags • Asking for money upfront (training, equipment, “processing fees”). • Offering the job immediately without an interview. • Pushing you to act urgently or keep things “confidential.” • Only communicating by text/WhatsApp/Telegram with no video call. ✅ Protect Your Information • Never share banking info, SSN, or full personal details until you’ve verified the employer. • Only fill out official applications through secure company portals. 🌟 Rule of Thumb: If it feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut—real opportunities can handle your questions and verification.

🚨Remote Job Seekers: Beware of Rising Scams🚨 Remote job scams are on the rise, and scammers are becoming more sophisticated. Be cautious when navigating job postings to avoid falling into this unfortunate trap. Look out for these red flags: 🚩 No company name listed 🚩 Unprofessional email address 🚩 Unrealistic salary levels or hourly rates 🚩 No interview process 🚩 Pressuring you to divulge personal information 🚩 Requiring payment before onboarding 🚩 Perks that seem too good to be true (e.g., flexible hours, work from anywhere, high pay/benefits for few required skills/experience) How to ensure a job offer is legitimate: ✔️Verify the company: Research the company's legitimacy using search engines. If nothing comes up, it's a bad sign. Check the Better Business Bureau (bbb. org) for legitimacy. ✔️Check multiple sources: Ensure the job is listed on the company's official website and/or reputable job boards. ✔️Contact information: Look for a named contact at the organization and legitimate email addresses. Scammers often fake legitimacy with similar-looking email addresses (e.g., @companynameHR.com). Contact the company directly through official channels to verify. ✅ ✔️Interview process: A legitimate job will involve a structured interview and outline the process. If the interview is conducted over text/telegram, it's very likely a scam! ✔️Equipment will be issued on hire: Legitimate companies provide the equipment directly to their employees; they do not send you a check to purchase your own equipment. Use your discernment, and don’t give away personal information to protect yourself from these scams. Have you ever encountered a remote job scam? Share your experience, and let's crowdsource more warning signs for support in the comments below. ⬇️ #JobScams #RemoteWork #RemoteJobSearchTips #RemoteCareerAdvice

ALERT: Scammers are hijacking job ads. "Scammers are taking ads from real employers, changing them, and posting them on employment websites and career-oriented platforms like Indeed or LinkedIn. The modified ads seem to be real job offers with legitimate companies. They’re not." Some tricks to watch out for: - They reach out to you via social media or teams - They use a public email address such as gmail.com or outlook.com - The website or email address is slightly off from the real companies address - They send you a form asking for personal information - They set up a quick interview and something seems off (call only, too short, too basic, poor audio, no video, not professional) - The offer comes very quickly - THEY SEND YOU A CHECK! yes, seems odd right? It is. An honset employer will never send you a check. A common trick is they send you a check to buy a computer so you can start your remote job. You deposit the check and everything seems fine. Then they ask for a portion of the money to be sent back (insert made up reason here), you send them back part of the money. A few days or weeks later the check they sent you bounces. It can take up to 21 days for a check to clear, they take advantage of that. Be a cybersecurity savvy job seeker!  If you experience any doubt about the validity of an interview or job offer, reach out directly to the company’s HR team via their corporate website and/or through employees on LinkedIn.  Ask questions.  You may end up uncovering fraudulent activity and protecting people from these bad actors. I am seeing this happen a lot recently and it is hard to see hopeful job seekers be preyed upon. PLEASE SHARE and HELP SPREAD THE WORD.