Avoid Job Scams

If you’ve lost your job, you may be tempted to apply for those work-from-home jobs that seem so enticing. “Make $5,000 a month at home,” the ads claim.
 
Resist the urge to answer the ad at all costs, because it’s part of a growing scam of reeling in innocent people to blow their cash on “supplies” or engage in illegal activities. These “offers” rank 13th in fraud complaints to the Federal Trade Commission, and answering these ads could not only drain your bank account but you may even end up in jail. Experts are especially concerned that, in the current job market, these scams will reel in many people who have recently lost their jobs and are desperate to find easy income.
 
There are a few tips you can use to tell if a too-good-to-be-true job opportunity lands in your email box:

1. It’s in your email box. If the position comes to you, it’s likely to be a fraud.
2. Check the Better Business Bureau {ADD LINK} to make sure the company is legit.
3. Don’t trust the job message boards.
4. If the terms “no experience necessary,” “work at home,” “limited openings” or “amazing pay” are anywhere in the ad, stay far, far away.

Mom was right—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. [MSNBC]