Working Online Scams: How To Spot Them

There is always the possibility of scams in almost any kind of job, yet, it seems that online jobs are easier to scam these days. If you are vulnerable, you will easily fall for their promises, rewards, and easy hiring procedure, which all turn out to be empty. The presence of these online job scams, unfortunately, makes finding the real jobs rather hard. This is because scammers have defined more sophisticated schemes to make their phony online jobs appear legitimate. And usually, you only find that out come payment time. So how do you avoid such working online scams? How can you tell an online job is genuine or is a mere scam?


Here are some of the warning signs of online job scams. If you spot any of them in your potential job, trash it. You might be looking at a scam.

1. Asks for money. If a potential employer charges fees for more job and company information, start-up kit, training, software, or hiring you, it is most likely a scam. In the first place, you are not supposed to give money to an employer; it’s the other way around.

2. Describes itself as legitimate. If what is said about a job is more on its legitimacy but less on the company, pay, nature, and other important details, beware. This is probably just one of the marketing strategies.

3. Promises big and quick cash. Forget the job that says, “Get rich quick. Earn $1000 weekly.” Or anything of that sort. The truth is, no job can promise you fast financial success. It takes time. It takes hard labor. Such claims are typical to scams.

4. Requires no experience or skill at all. A real job needs to be done by qualified individuals. If an employer says there is little effort on your part, forget it. A legitimate employer wouldn’t entrust an important job to unreliable people. It would be a waste of their money.

5. Comes from an unsolicited email. A job posting you know you haven’t applied to and which appears in an unsolicited email message is most often a scam. Coming from an unsolicited email message, in itself, is quite suspicious.

6. Has a questionable website. A legitimate company normally provides complete contact details in its website. The absence of which might be an indicative it is a scam. If it also tells less about the company history, nature, and what it stands for, be careful.

What to do

The rule of thumb when looking for legitimate online jobs is to do a thorough research. If you find a company rather dubious, look it up in the web by typing the company name and the word “scam” in the search box. The search results can tell you whether a company is reputable.

You can also contact the employer. Ask for important details about the job such as the salary, mode of payment, and other job details not mentioned in the ad post. If the response is somewhat shady, you may want to skip that job out. An employer can tell all the job details upfront if it is legitimate.

To be more assured of the legitimacy of the job, you can ask for a list of references. It should include the company’s employees and contractors. Inquire from them how it is working for the company. Their responses should help you determine whether a job is a scam. Remember, you need to be very careful and decisive when taking on a potential job, as working online scams are growing in number.

The Benefits Of Working Online

When someone tells you he has been making a decent living through online jobs, would you believe it? At first, the idea may appear a bit fallacious, especially since the Internet is now loaded with scams. But then think again. Though the legitimacy of some online jobs is questionable, there are those that are offered by reputable companies and individuals, which can provide you with new ways to earn money. The benefits of working online are also numerous. The first—and probably the major—benefit would be the opportunity to work at your own home, which inevitably gives birth to a lot more benefits.


1. More time with the family. Because online jobs can be done at home, you can set up your own home office and maximize your non-working hours by spending time with the family. You can, for instance, have lunch with your kids. Or after working hours, you can perhaps go straight to the living room and chat with your spouse rather than spend valuable time commuting. Working online, in essence, gives you more opportunities to be involved in the daily lives and routine of your family. In the end, this may mean improved relationships. Working online doesn’t mean, however, perennial availability; nevertheless, it can mean you are reachable. Of course, balancing time between family and work still depends on making a definite schedule and sticking to it.

2. Flexibility. Online jobs usually have flexible hours, with some even allowing you to work during non-standard working hours. While some might require you to work at a definite schedule, most jobs leave it up to you as long as you deliver outputs on time. This flexibility in turn gives you more control of your time. You can work into your schedule appointments and vacations a lot easier.

3. Cut down on expenses. When you work online, and therefore at home, you can save on transportation, meal, and clothing costs. You don’t need to travel kilometers and gas up. You don’t have to spend for lunch, coffee breaks, and sometimes dinner; and there’s no need for you to buy working clothes after every few weeks. And this translates to more savings.

4. Improved efficiency. Working online gives you that space and time to work alone and finish the task at hand. It is, of course, not ideal to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. But admit it, in a regular office, you sometimes find chatting with someone in the next cubicle tempting, and giving in may rob you of the time you have otherwise spent on working.

5. More job choices. There a lot of online jobs available today, from writing to data entry. This therefore means you have the freedom to choose which type of job you want to do and that which suits your skills, working style, and personality. This type of freedom is normally not available in regular jobs. In the corporate world, you often stick to one job and are not given the opportunity to explore your other capabilities.

Planning For Online Success

There are too many people attracted to the idea of making it big online. Many of them probably got enticed with the multi-million dollar testimonials and the “get rich quick” scheme. It is true that there are those who found online success, given they are connected to legitimate sources, but they never made it that fast. The thing is, working online success doesn’t happen in an instant. You don’t get rich overnight. Achieving success in an online job is the same with any other career path; it takes a lot of time, a lot of work, and a whole lot of planning.


Step one: The planning stage
There’s no better way to plot your success than planning. The problem, however, is that some people are overtaken by their ideas that they tend to jump headlong without careful planning. Just a word: Don’t skip step one. Take a time out to consider your motivations and the involved risks. If you take a look at the most successful online ventures—whether a job or a business—you will see that meticulous planning was part of the whole process.

So how do you begin? You must first identify why you want to work online. Is it because you want to have additional income? Is it to replace a 9-to-5 job? Is it to gain employment freedom? Whatever your reason is, make sure it is justifiable and is not just a whim of the moment. Nailing down early on the reason for working online will also help you get motivated when the work seems overwhelming. It will help you stay focused and driven.

Set your goals. What do you want to achieve? Where do you want to go? How do you intend to get there? Write down both your short- and long-term goals. There are times, however, that you tend to draw more big goals than small ones, which can sometimes be quite unrealistic. It’s okay to have big goals, but make sure they are achievable.

Then find out ways to reach those goals. The online community, which of course has become almost like a global community, offers a lot of varied opportunities. You can choose to put up your own online business and start selling, or you can maintain a blog and earn from advertisers. Numerous companies are also hiring online workers as web content writer, proofreader, tutor, among many other things. Of course, what you should consider are the opportunities that allow you to do what you enjoy doing. Don’t just fall for those that promise quick and big cash because most likely you will feel like leaving them as soon as you feel exhausted. And doing that brings you nowhere near your goal.

Do a thorough research. Once you have identified the right opportunity, find out what is expected of you, how you can actually generate money, the necessary adjustments, the risks, and the potential income. Many failed to do this and in the end were deceived by online job scams that promised the world but delivered not even a pebble.

Step two and onwards
As you know, having the grandest plans alone won’t bring you working online success. It can only set the stage for you, and all the rest depends on your hard work. When you work, remember to double all the time and effort you put in planning when you are already in your actual working stage. If you do, success is inevitable.

Guide to Working Online From Home

To be successful in working online from home, there is more you should do than just have a computer and strong Internet connection. Remember that this setup is unlike the traditional office environment. You need to make certain adjustments in your working style, schedule, and even attitude to ensure productivity. There are certain working online guides that can help you perform well. Here are six of them.


1. Have a definite work place. This can be a spare room anywhere in the house or a space in your bedroom. One thing you have to keep in mind is that your work place or home office, as what others like to call it, should allow you to function with little or no distractions. It should be well-lit and -ventilated and spacious enough to accommodate your other office gadgets. Once you have identified your work place, orient your household members about it and request them not to trudge in whenever you are working.

2. Determine your working hours. Though there are online jobs that require you to work during specified hours, some jobs allow you to work anytime of the day. Choose the time when you are most productive and be very disciplined. Just like in a corporate office, you are not supposed to leave your work when you feel like it. Keep in mind that you should maintain a professional attitude even without a prying boss or officemates.

3. Set daily goals. Doing so can help you identify your priorities and allow you to manage your time. Write your goals in a journal and see if they are met at the end of your working day. Without outlining your daily goals, you seem to be shooting aimlessly and might achieve nothing in the end.
4. Get away from online distractions. There are many of them really—social networking sites, video streaming sites, downloading sites, among many other things. Not only can they slow down your computer, they can also take much of your time. Consider this, the full 30 minutes you spend watching a video is possibly the same amount of time you need to type one thousand-plus words. And you don’t want that significant loss, would you? It’s not that you are not allowed to visit any of these sites; it’s just that you have to make good use of your working time and be as productive as you can be. Remember, there’s a proper time for play.

5. Take some breaks. The other extreme tendency in having a work-from-home online job is overworking. This is because work is just within reach and it is easier for you to spend more time doing it than relaxing. Working too much is not the way to do it, as this can potentially burn you out. Rest when you need to. Take your meal on time. Have coffee breaks. Take a day off.

6. Go out regularly. Since your job now only involves you, a computer, and a virtual community, you need to socialize and get connected with people. You can, for instance, have a movie date with your best friend or a slumber party with your former officemates. Never spend a whole week locked in the house; find a way to spend at least a day somewhere.

While these tips can help you function well, much of your success in working online from home still depends on your perseverance, dedication, and patience. This then calls you to be serious with your job.

Golden Rules For Moms Working Online

Whether you have given up your corporate job to spend more time with the kids or want to augment the household income, work-from-home online jobs can be one of your best options to bring in steady profit. Setting up a home office sends the idea that you are committed to the family and your career. But as good as it is to make you both professionally and domestically functional, working online—and at home—can present some problems. What are you supposed to choose between a wailing kid and a project nearing deadline? How are the kids expected to behave when mommy’s working? And who’s going to wash the dishes? Moms working online are sometimes torn between work and household duties. So, how do you draw the line?

Families are as diverse as the individuals that make them; therefore, parenting and running the household greatly vary in style. But though that’s the case, online working moms should follow specific rules to allow productivity. Here are some of them:

1. Discuss the setup with the family. It should be agreed upon by the husband and, in case they are all grown up, the kids. If the kids are still toddlers or need close attention, decide if you are going to hire a caregiver, and if you are, identify if it’s going to be a fulltime or a part-time caregiver. In most cases, part-time sitters are more practical since mommies won’t work the entire day anyway.

2. Orient yourself, the kids, and the caregiver about the possible interruptions that you can and cannot respond. Be as specific as possible and show sturdiness. Don’t go out of your home office at the sound of a whimper; instead let your caregiver do her job. If the kids are grown up, tell them the kind of environment you need and how they can help you achieve it. Children just need to be talked to and constantly reminded.


3. Define your work schedule. It depends on your preference, family, and other duties. But whatever your schedule is, make sure everyone knows it to lessen distractions and interruptions. Setting definite working hours also gives your kids the impression that they have a space in your schedule and that they can wait for their time rather than barge in your home office any time they want. Stick to your schedule at all times, unless of course urgent events merit your attention.

4. Decide whether you will have a closed door or open door policy. A closed door policy works better if you have a hired sitter. This allows you to work with little or no distractions and your sitter to comfortably assume responsibility without your constant inquiry and checking. The open door, on the hand, is advised if you don’t have a hired caregiver. With this policy, you can instantly check how the things are going with your kids and the house. But since this can invite noise and distraction, you can close the door whenever you need extra concentration and are talking over the phone.

5. Lay out your expectations—how the kids are supposed to behave, the amount of household chores you can assume, the level of noise you can tolerate, among other things. Then, set out a plan. If, for instance, your kids are older, you can ask them to tidy their rooms on their own. Or you can work far from the living or TV room. Moms working online and their families, at the start, need to make certain adjustments.

Typing Sense

I've just been busy proofing a transcription from a subcontractor and I amazed, shocked and appaled at the lack of sense that the report makes. Granted I had to listen to it a couple of times, which is a whole other ballgame, but please if you're typing at least read what you're typing to see that it makes some sort of sense in the context of what you are typing.

Some of my all time classics (bearing in mind that I do medical dictation) have been:

1. The person who changed gender about 5 times in the space of a dictation of 1 minute.
2. The person who had a short leg cast of his arm (now surely even with no knowledge whatsoever you can all work out what's wrong with that one).
3. The person who had a Chief Comlaint of a Right wrist fracture who had a Left short arm cast placed.

Like I say those are just a couple and are all medical related but I think you now all get the idea of what I'm talking about.

If you're a Virtual Assistant (VA) starting out in business please remember to factor in time to proof read your reports when quoting to clients.

How to Manage your Outlook Inbox with Rules

If you're finding that your inbox is becoming too cluttered and you're struggling to find your important emails then you really need to set up rules to help you manage them.

Setting up rules in Outlook is very easy, quick and will work on all the existing messages that you have already in your inbox.

There are some very simple easy steps that you need to take to set up rules:

1. Go to Tools, Rules and Alerts,
2. This will then open up another dialogue box where you select the various options to manage your messages. You can select it to work on a certain email address, a certain person or with certain words in the subject or sender email address.
3. Once there you select where you want to move the emails to, you can create a new folder from here as well.
4. Once you've set up all the rules you need/want, if you click Run Rules Now, and this will process all of the existing emails in your inbox.
5. Once complete click OK and all future emails will be sorted out according to the rules you've created.