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Remote work has been on the rise for years, with more people embracing its benefits. Many folks find that commuting to an office daily and sitting in a cubicle is far less preferable than working from the comforts of their own home.

For some time, people speculated remote work was merely a fad that would lose momentum once COVID-19 passed. Though years after the pandemic, many individuals are still embracing telework.

In fact, some won't even apply to jobs that don't come with remote or hybrid flexibility. This has put the onus on employers to offer these perks, if for nothing else, to attract and retain high-level talent.

Unfortunately, online scammers are beginning to take advantage of the excitement surrounding remote work. This is leading to an influx of fake listings that job seekers should be aware of.

How to tell genuine remote work opportunities from scams

The Federal Trade Commission has some valuable insight that remote job seekers need to keep in mind. Being asked to spend money to complete a task, no matter how small, is one way to differentiate a scam from a legitimate listing.

No serious company will charge job applicants money in order to onboard or hire them. Any business that's pushing for employment seekers to pay a fee, deposit a check, or otherwise transfer funds is not on the up-and-up. Upon discovery, these scammers should be reported to the platform where the listing is posted.

Fraudsters have also been known to impersonate legitimate websites and business emails, sometimes switching out certain letters or numbers that could be easy to miss at first glance. If you're seeking job opportunities, conduct due diligence, look into the company that's advertising, and ensure everything checks out.

Desperation is another factor

With so many Americans struggling in today's economy, there's a sort of desperation among job seekers to secure new employment as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, scammers rely upon this. They're ultimately banking on you being so needy for a job that you fork over money in the hopes this gets you quickly hired.

It will not.

Remember: a legitimate employer will never request you to pay fees, initiate check deposits, or transfer money to work for them. If you're asked of this while seeking a job, cut off contact, report the listing, and continue your search elsewhere.