- Checking the Facts First!
By Jeff Casmer 

You have to be diligent. Yet many people have a lax attitude towards a number of the companies online. This contributes to the increasing number of scams. You have to be willing to question the legitimacy of an operation.

Its almost as if because people are in the comfort of their own home, and have the privilege of easily starting over, they don't seem to check and double check. They tend to throw caution to the wind. And they put up with things they don't have to. After all its the internet, if the opportunity does not work out you can find another with a click of a button. But scams cost us millions of dollars a year.

In extreme cases participators have been prosecuted for unknowingly taking part in a work at home scam. This is a serious issue but you can prevent it from happening to you. Start by thinking of this as a legitimate work at home job hunt instead of a pass time. This means if you would do it when looking for a job offline do it online.

One of the first things you should always look for is contact information. You wouldn't apply for a job that didn't provide contact information offline, so why do it online. But countless people do. You want to make sure you can get in touch with a real person. Thus, look around the site for a phone number, address, fax number anything. Some sites even post their social
networking profiles.

Once you find the information, contact someone. Many people immediately feel reassured once they see a phone number, but because more and more con artists are using fake contact information, its a good idea to call the number or email the web master. This way you can ask any questions you may have.

If you email the business owner, leave 2 days for a reply. Most legitimate work at home jobs usually reply within 24-48 hours. They also tend to leave a quick message on the website if they are away, or are having difficulties with the site. If you haven't heard anything after 4 days move on.

One of the things you should ask when you contact the work at home business is if you can contact others who are with the company in your area. Be suspicious if the company refuses.

When you are looking for a job offline you usually want to make sure that you are qualified, the same applies online. Legitimate work at home jobs will post requirements because they want people who will most likely be successful with the operation.

Be wary of companies that say anyone can do this or are vague in their explanation of the job. Anything that looks too good to be true should be questioned. Real legitimate work at home online jobs do not exaggerate their claims.

But perhaps the number one thing that can both save you time and help you avoid scams is to read the sales page and notice the number adjectives used. Legitimate work at home jobs get straight to the point by using nouns. Scams on the other hand tend to use a lot of adjectives.

For example, a sales page that reads, "You can make money with our work at home jobs" is probably more legit than one that says, "Thousands of people are earning great incomes with our easy to use systems". The more adjectives you see the more likely you're being lied to.

Looking for a legitimate work at home job is not excruciating. If you apply the same mind set you would when looking for an offline job you can bypass many of the scams out there.