With so many scams appearing in work-at-home job ads, caution is key. Here are five tips for spotting the rotten apples in the job basket.

1. A job offer arrives as spam in your inbox. Scammers carefully craft come-ons that look like legitimate job offers, to “process accounts receivable,” or test money-wiring arrangements through Western Union. In many such scams, victims unwittingly send their own funds abroad, never to be seen again. But the key giveaway is this: How would these “employers” know that you are looking for a job, if you haven’t applied to work for them?    

2. You must pay to obtain more information about the job or “opportunity.” By now, many consumers know they shouldn’t have to pay to learn more about a given job. Therefore, scammers – who adapt quickly, like cockroaches, to their environments – have begun to offer more information “for free — just pay shipping and handling.” However, once they have your credit card information, your account is hit with mysterious charges, often repeatedly. When you protest, you’re advised that the “cancellation period” has expired.

3. The website features “urgency gimmicks” such as ticking stop watches, digital time counters, flashing headlines, etc., to prompt immediate action. Typically, the website visitor is told that the jobs are so popular they are disappearing rapidly, and that in x minutes, all will be filled. (One giveaway: Refresh the page and the counters reset.)

4. Beware mansions, Maseratis, palm trees, “Benjamins” and bikinis. Scammers love to parade the trappings of wealth before our hungry eyes, especially in times of high unemployment. However, although working from home can be rewarding, it’s unlikely a legitimate job will pay enough to finance the lifestyle often on display in bogus ads. However, victims help the scammers themselves lead such lives when they fall for ads like these.

5. The contact for the job lead uses a Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or similar e-mail address. Legitimate hiring managers, administrative personnel, etc., use company email addresses, and refer to websites whose authenticity can be quickly verified. But scammers prefer the free e-mail accounts, to disguise their identity and change roles at whim. 

There are many legitimate home-based jobs and projects advertised online (we post them every day at RatRaceRebellion.com), but the ratio of scams to real jobs continues to rise. Nevertheless, “forewarned is forearmed,” and learning to spot the con artists’ work will help make them unemployed, and you employed.

To find or start discussions about work-at-home scams, visit Military.com’s forums.