Working remotely gives you a lot of freedom. But since nothing is perfect, remote jobs have an increased risk of scams.

This article will help you avoid that with:

A 5-step-by-step plan on how to accurately analyze if a remote job is legit
Actual tools you can use to check these companies
3 tips to avoid being scammed
The best final advice that encompasses everything

Keep reading below.

5 Ways to Check If a Job Is Legit

Let’s dive straight into it:

1. Analyze the Job Description

Your first contact with the company is the job description.

So, read it carefully to ensure:

It’s not too good to be true regarding compensation, responsibilities, and incentives.
It’s spelled correctly, with good English.
It gives all the necessary details about the company.
It shows you the next steps regarding due diligence, such as the documents you must provide or the interview information.

Remember: Companies willing to hire without asking for resumes or conducting interviews are probably scams.

Here are two job descriptions for fake positions:

Notice the spelling errors, overall poor English, and lack of specific details. The second job post also has a too-good-to-be-true offer doubled by an unprofessional contact method.

2. Check the Company’s Details

Look at their:

Email address: This has to be a legitimate address using a company’s customized domain. Using a free service provider like Yahoo, Gmail, or Outlook isn’t a good sign. Remote job scams typically use email addresses like “mybusiness@gmail.com.”
Physical address: Legit companies feature all their contact information on their website. So, Google the business where you’re applying and check their address. This should be an actual physical location. If it’s just a PO box, you might be in front of a scam.
Phone number: Call the company to see if it’s working. Fake businesses won’t typically have good numbers.
License and certifications: Companies in regulated industries, such as healthcare, finance, and government contracting, are likelier to list their licenses. Businesses with certifications from third-party organizations such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) will also show these badges off. And other less-regulated companies may still choose to list these certifications on their website or in job postings to endorse their reputations.
Mission and vision: Bogus companies don’t bother displaying these details, whereas real companies focused on their customers’ needs do.

Pro tip: You can usually find these details by checking their website’s Privacy Policy. Otherwise, vet them more extensively using the WHOIS domain search.

Here’s an example.

3. Check the Company’s Presence

Focus on its:

History: You don’t necessarily have to get hired at an old company with a longstanding history. However, legitimate companies publish their experience and success stories to build their reputations. Ensure these details tie up and you don’t find any inconsistencies or iffy stories.
Blog: A genuine business, even a new one, will likely invest in a blog or YouTube channel to educate its audience. If the company is new, you will probably see at least 2-4 monthly articles. If there are no resources, you have a red flag.
Social media presence: Look the company up online. Most companies will have a few social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Legit businesses will connect with their partners, employees, and distributors. You will see a wealth of genuine social media posts showcasing the company’s culture and activity.

Website: Use a tool from the Ahrefs or SEMrush arsenal to check if the website is legit. For example, a free domain authority checker will tell you how reputable the website is. And the backlink checker helps you see if other reputable sources cite this website.

Neal Taparia from Hearts.land suggests doing Linkedin research. “When we research companies, we see how many employees they have on Linkedin, as well as the number of former employees. Legitimate companies will have employees.”

4. Find Third-Party Endorsements

Here’s what you need to cross off your list:

Research specific review databases in your niche to check if the company is listed.
Move to actual customer reviews to check what real people say about the company’s products and services.
Check the company’s case studies or portfolio to see how they handle their clients.
Look for their employees online and see what these people post about the company.

The goal isn’t simply to see if the company is stellar – it’s just to see if it’s a remote job scam. And if the business retails real products (even mediocre ones), it’s legit.

To find these details, Google search for:

[Company name] + reviews
[Company name] + case studies
[Company name] + [product] pros and cons
[Company name] + employees

5. Vet the Company’s Operations and Structure

There are two main points to follow here:

The company’s transparency: Try to research the company’s operations. Look at product and service info, policies, and pricing tiers. See if they have specific distributors or networks.
The company’s leadership: Find who is in charge of that company, then research their backgrounds and qualifications to ensure they’re legit and trustworthy people.

Pro tip: You can find these people’s email addresses using a tool like Hunter.io.

3 Ways to Avoid Getting Scammed

Unfortunately, a few fake companies go through a slew of hoops to trick people. They rent offices, build blogs, and post phony certifications.

Here’s how to protect yourself from these remote job scams.

1. Use a Reputable Job Board

Use a reputable job board, app, or freelance platform because they have solid security measures to protect job seekers. Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, Adzuna, and Upwork are all good starting places.

Pro tip: Ensure the employer asks for at least your resume and they conduct a thorough interview.

Possibly phony interviews are conducted through:

Google Hangouts
Telegram
Texting apps
WhatsApp

2. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

The companies that build elaborate websites and schemes to trick people probably have hackers. However, using a VPN hides your info from those hackers.

3. Don’t Pay Them Anything

Some phony companies may require:

A downpayment or service fee to accelerate the hiring process.
Using your personal bank account for company-related transactions until they hire you full-time.
Paying for job equipment from your own pocket and waiting for the company to reimburse you later.

No legit business will do this, though.

Wrapping Up

And here’s the last and most important piece of advice we promised.

Trust Your Instincts

If something seems too good to be true or the employer doesn’t do due diligence, steer clear of that job.

But if you don’t trust your gut feeling, follow the steps above, and you will definitely be protected from remote job scams.

David Morneau is the co-founder and CEO of inBeat Agency that helps brands scale their marketing efforts. He has helped over 200 DTC brands to date.

Remote Job Scams: 9 Proven Ways to Protect Yourself