While a small percentage of professional musicians do become wealthy, most working musicians are of more modest financial means. Many even need to have second careers, or take on side jobs and day jobs, to make ends meet. If you are a local musician looking for some extra work to pay the bills or fund the next project this summer, beware. Work scams, particularly remote work scams, are making the rounds.
Anyone who has ever applied for a job is used to the potential employer screening them. But in today’s scam-heavy climate, it is just as important for job seekers to screen any workplace they hope to join. While you may have heard each of these warning signs before, keep them as a checklist before accepting any offer of remote or virtual work this summer.
The employer or recruiter is not somebody you know well, but you were offered a job after little to no effort on your part.
The only time anyone is going to offer you a legitimate job on the spot is if they know you and your work, or at least know of you through a close friend or family member. Somebody who has never listened to your music, never met you, and didn’t even know you until they encountered you in a group online is not going to offer you legitimate, honest work within days or weeks of meeting you online.
You are being offered a job that sounds too easy to do.
We would all like one of those jobs packing boxes of candy and makeup at home for a thousand dollars per week, but those jobs don’t exist, and neither do any others that offer to pay you for simple tasks that could be assigned to a company’s lowest-level employees. The reason no store or brand is going to hire you to pack products into boxes is because filling pick up orders, sorting discarded items that need to be returned to shelves, or packing up stray items for storage rooms and claims departments are already being done by entry-level employees, along with their other duties. The same holds true for online tasks. There is simply no need for anyone to pay someone else to do nothing but delete emails without reading them, type short, simple paragraphs, or click links.
The salary or wage offered is outside of the normal range for the type of work offered.
It’s no secret that some companies…and some independent business owners..pay more than others. But the money should be within the normal range for the work you’re being offered. Strikingly low pay is a scam in and of itself. Any song writer…or any other type of writer..knows to stay away from those “write for us and if we like it, we’ll give you $5.00” ads. At the same time, being offered an extraordinary wage, salary, or fee considering the work you will be doing is also a red flag. Inflated pay offers are nothing more than enticements. The scammer is counting on you getting so excited to see that dazzling salary, you’ll go along with whatever they say without asking questions.
Recruiters, employers, any potential coworkers you may be able to find, and anyone else connected to the company becomes evasive, hostile, or nervous when asked for basic details about the job or the workday.
Unless the person founded the company, they are not likely to know absolutely everything about it. But anyone should be able to tell you what a typical workday is like for them, discuss the requirements of a job they are asking you to do, and either answer your questions about pay, benefits, and company policies, or direct you to someone who can. Scammers will instead repeat the same recruiting lines, pressure you into signing agreements or sending information, or become angry with you for asking questions before accepting their job.
Kits or other supplies must be purchased before you start work.
Direct sales companies may ask representatives to purchase start up kits before working for them. As long as the value of the usable products in the kit is equal to or greater than the kit price, this is legitimate. You own these products, and are free to resell them, use them yourself, or give them away as gifts or donations should the situation not work out. In no other situation should you ever be asked to purchase kits, uniforms, or other supplies in order to obtain a job. This is a scam in which the “company” sends you useless items and pockets your cash.
You are pressured to quickly accept the work and share personal information
Legitimate workplaces go through a hiring process, send you a formal job offer using company email templates or paper letterheads, and wait for you to accept the offer. Then…and only then…should you ever be asked to submit any personal information. Scammers may ask you to share your social security number, bank account information, and other sensitive materials via chat or email, or to provide them with this information soon after they offer you a job. This is nothing more than an identity-theft scam.
One of your new responsibilities involves cashing checks and sending the money out to others, moving packages from one non commercial location to another, or accepting money or packages from someone else.
These are not tasks or responsibilities in any job. They are activities scammers trick their victims into doing in order to help them move illegally earned money, illegal substances, or stolen goods. The people who do these tasks for the scammers are known as “mules,” and they can face legal repercussions, even if they were not aware that they were engaged in money laundering, drug dealing, or selling stolen merchandise at the time. Never agree to do any of these things for an employer or anyone else you met online.
Keep this checklist by your desk or on your computer desktop as you search for remote work this summer. But remember that it is intended as a tool to keep you safe, not discouraged or disheartened. There are legitimate remote opportunities out there. It just takes more than a few clicks and messages to find them.
