When you are surfing the Internet for possible work at home opportunities, you should ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, research the company. (Did I mention ALWAYS?) There are a lot of work from home scams out there, so you have to be careful.

Here are some tips to follow:

1. You should NEVER have to pay for a job!

2. If the pay or the job sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

3. Be wary of anything originating from outside your country. If you reside in the US be cautious of anything generating from Nicaragua, the Caribbean, Nigeria, and South Africa.

4. Stay away from anything having to do with sending money via Western Union.

5. When researching a company do a google search. Try searching the company name followed by "review" or "scam". For example if you are researching a job for "Joe Smith Inc" you should type in "Joe Smith Inc Reviews" AND "Joe Smith Inc Scams". You will be amazed what a simple search can reveal.

6. Check the BBB! for a rating

7. Rebate processing jobs are a scam. I have never came across one that was not.

If you see any red flags that come up, or if something tells you that a job sounds suspicious RUN! You work hard for your money, do not let someone scam you out of it.