With the increasingly popular desire to work remotely, con artists have found ways to prey on some of the most vulnerable - unemployed job seekers. While looking for work online, it is important to understand the differences between legitimate employment opportunities and scammers. Here are five ways to help you target remote work scams almost immediately.

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If It Feels Weird, It Probably is Weird

Many times, one's conscious is trying to warn of irregular activities or something that just doesn't feel 'right.' Often, however, those feelings are brushed aside as 'overthinking' or as being paranoid. When you're desperate for a better opportunity, anything that sounds good seems almost worth it to see if you can land the job. After all, what is there to lose? Actually, there's more to lose than you think. Today's tricksters are more advanced than ever before and has learned ways to make their job advertisements seem as real as the actual job posts. While that may be fearsome, the reality is there is always a missing link. If you get the certain urge that something you read or saw felt a little 'off,' take a second to explore that feeling. It may save you from losing some of your valuables, like your money or even your identity.

Do Your Research

It's a great rule of thumb to look up the company that you are applying to. In general, you want to be as informed as possible of where you are potentially going to work and also sound knowledgeable of the company in your interview. This rule especially applies in making sure the job offer is a legitimate one. With the multiple job board sites that are now available, practically anyone can post a job offer. This, unfortunately, opens the doors for scammers to post jobs as if they were real. Be sure to look up the company to validate its legitimacy. If a website or company information doesn't exist, abort the mission. Contrastingly, if a website does exist, go a step further and make sure the job posting is listed there as well. It's not uncommon to use well known company names when creating fake posts.

The Company Has Its Own Internal Shipping Methods

If there ever comes a time where a professional entity needs to handle shipping for products or otherwise, they will likely have internal methods in place. This means, there typically wouldn't be a need for your services in regard to reshipping anything. Common remote work scams fall under the category of having reshipment needs. They will often send you products (that are likely stolen), have you ship them somewhere, and promise to compensate you for your work. The compensation will not materialize and you would have willingly participated in a crime. Keep yourself safe and be wary of remote jobs where you are required to ship things. Additionally, if it is promising big pay for little work, it is probably fake.

It Shouldn't Cost You Money To Make Money

Working remotely in part entails working with little to no excessive amounts of supervision. Because of this, companies may require additional equipment to give you the necessary resources to complete the job at hand. Even if it becomes a necessity to purchase or receive supplemental materials, true employers will never ask for an upfront payment. It the job seems more adamant in receiving a payment from you, count that as a red flag. If a company promises to send you equipment, there shouldn't be a need for them to send you a check with instructions to pay a third party company. They are popularly counterfeit checks.

Your Job Doesn't Start Until it is Secured

Don't agree to complete or start any work until all of the channels of employment are properly aligned. For example, a job requires legal documents, background checks, and/or other introductory materials before legally allowing a new employee to start work. If there isn't an adequate intake process, take it as another red flag. Without doing so, you could potentially start 'working' without receiving pay for your efforts. This would, of course, be a waste of your valuable time and energy.

All in all, there are plenty of trustworthy remote jobs available. When completing your job search, be careful to pay close attention to potential job scams. Follow these five steps to approach your remote job hunt with confidence.