Online Web Surfing
DENVER -
The Internet can be a silver lining in these trying times of record unemployment. But sometimes the desperate search for work makes people fall victim to online scams, which include everything from phishing schemes and ID theft, to counterfeit checks and outright fraud.
But there are legitimate opportunities out there if you're selective.
We got advice from two local companies, both approved by the Better Business Bureau, to help folks weed their way through the maze.
After months of trying, Marina Sunkel found a legitimate work at home job as a customer service agent for a national company.
"My commute is 30 seconds," she laughed. But she had to avoid a lot of scam offers to get there.
"They looked great," she said of some of the offers she encountered. "And it sounded wonderful and then you got to the bottom and it's like, 'Okay, send us 375 dollars and we'll be happy to let you have this position.'"
She didn't have to pay Alpine Access where she landed the work at home job, after she did some research to find out what was real.
"Put the company's name in with the word scam you'll find all kinds of information," said Jim Ball who runs Alpine Access.
"We all know the economy's tough right now. Companies aren't having a hard time finding people," Ball said. "And working from home is such a high demand job in particular that if it looks like it's really easy to get this work, it probably is a scam."
"There are opportunities in places that you wouldn't previously consider ," said Sara Sutton Fell who runs flexjobs.com, a Boulder based website that offers a variety of tele-commuting jobs at every level, listed by category and related experience.
All pre-screened before being added to the site.
"We essentially do all of the legwork," she said, "And in doing so can protect you from the online scams but also can provide you a lot of time savings and sanity savings because looking for a job is hard."
Tele-commuters like Marina have become the new business model for many employers and workers as the economy forces change. But keep in mind: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
"It's definitely a good idea to be very aware when you're looking for jobs online," said Sutton Fell.
Both companies say they're seeing a growing and wider spectrum of job seekers and job providers. Everything from professional positions, to entry level jobs.
For more information about Alpine Access and flexjobs.com just go to:
http://www.alpineaccess.com/en/
http://www.flexjobs.com/
Some basic things to remember when applying online: don't give out personal or bank information to a prospective employer, don't agree to have anything deposited into your accounts by someone offering up front payments, and don't agree to transfer or wire money, or accept a portion of a check for payment.
Search Available Jobs Online
But there are legitimate opportunities out there if you're selective.
We got advice from two local companies, both approved by the Better Business Bureau, to help folks weed their way through the maze.
After months of trying, Marina Sunkel found a legitimate work at home job as a customer service agent for a national company.
"My commute is 30 seconds," she laughed. But she had to avoid a lot of scam offers to get there.
"They looked great," she said of some of the offers she encountered. "And it sounded wonderful and then you got to the bottom and it's like, 'Okay, send us 375 dollars and we'll be happy to let you have this position.'"
She didn't have to pay Alpine Access where she landed the work at home job, after she did some research to find out what was real.
"Put the company's name in with the word scam you'll find all kinds of information," said Jim Ball who runs Alpine Access.
"We all know the economy's tough right now. Companies aren't having a hard time finding people," Ball said. "And working from home is such a high demand job in particular that if it looks like it's really easy to get this work, it probably is a scam."
"There are opportunities in places that you wouldn't previously consider ," said Sara Sutton Fell who runs flexjobs.com, a Boulder based website that offers a variety of tele-commuting jobs at every level, listed by category and related experience.
All pre-screened before being added to the site.
"We essentially do all of the legwork," she said, "And in doing so can protect you from the online scams but also can provide you a lot of time savings and sanity savings because looking for a job is hard."
Tele-commuters like Marina have become the new business model for many employers and workers as the economy forces change. But keep in mind: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
"It's definitely a good idea to be very aware when you're looking for jobs online," said Sutton Fell.
Both companies say they're seeing a growing and wider spectrum of job seekers and job providers. Everything from professional positions, to entry level jobs.
For more information about Alpine Access and flexjobs.com just go to:
http://www.alpineaccess.com/en/
http://www.flexjobs.com/
Some basic things to remember when applying online: don't give out personal or bank information to a prospective employer, don't agree to have anything deposited into your accounts by someone offering up front payments, and don't agree to transfer or wire money, or accept a portion of a check for payment.
Search Available Jobs Online
