How to Spot Fraudulent Online
 

you avoid being taken advantage of? Following are three ways to do so.

1. Look for Contact Information: Not only should you look for it, but try contacting the company via the methods they provide.

While many companies post anonymously on sites like Craigslist to avoid being bombarded by job seekers, sometimes a legitimate company will get back to you to at least acknowledge receipt of your materials if you apply.

Scam companies, on the other hand, may contact you with "offers," eg, sign up for our membership site for only $2.95/month; subscribe to get job leads delivered directly to your inbox for only $1.95/month. Once they have access to your account, they'll usually debit your account for anywhere from $40 to $97 per month or more - every month.

2. Look for Details: Speaking of presenting materials, scam companies operate at both ends of the spectrum - either they'll ask you for specific things up front, or they'll ask you for very little. It all depends on what their scam is.

Some want free content, so they may request "original" writing samples; others want money, so they'll just ask you to send in specific (sparse) info so they can get your contact info and spam you later with their fraudulent offers.