As the popularity of remote jobs has increased over the past few years, so has the number of scams that are circulating on the internet. Avoid falling victim to online scams by remembering these seven tips.

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you are offered a job with an extremely high salary that is unusual for the industry, be cautious. The same goes for incredibly "easy" or "unusual" working conditions, like stuffing envelopes or shipping packages from home.

2. Be mindful of how the employer conducts interviews. Any requests for an interview via Telegram, Signal, or WhatsApp is 100% a scam, and you should not proceed. The same thing goes for text messages or Facebook messages. Companies will not use unconventional methods for interviews, regardless of the position.

3. Legitimate employers who supply equipment to their employees will ship the equipment themselves. They will never send a check for equipment. One popular scam targets job seekers by sending them a check to purchase equipment from their "preferred" vendor. The check bounces, the company gets its money back from the equipment purchase, and the job seeker is out their money.

4. Be careful of how you provide sensitive financial information. You should never give out your social security number or bank account information via a text message or sketchy app.

5. Review all correspondence, including emails and offer letters, to review the grammar and spelling. Many popular scams use poor grammar and overuse the word "kindly." Read over all correspondence, including emails and offer letters, to review the grammar and spelling. Many popular scams use poor grammar and overuse the word "kindly".

6. Exercise caution with anyone who won't disclose information publicly. On social media, it is a popular scam to "PM" the individual with more information so that they do not get called out by others. All information should be publicly available if it is a legitimate job opportunity.

7. Scammers will often create a sense of urgency, causing you to act quickly and make decisions on the fly. Legitimate jobs can go quickly, but often times, scammers will want you to immediately set up an interview and complete paperwork so that you do not have time to realize that you are being scammed.

Bonus Tip: Many scammers will impersonate legitimate companies. They may use a company's name that you are familiar with, even though they have no official affiliation with the company. If you are unsure if you are being scammed, you can always call the actual company by looking up their phone number online.

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