I've Tried That - We lose money so you don't have to!

We have been harping about this for almost a year, but here’s the key message again. If you’re looking for quick income, don’t search for online jobs. Look for jobs online.

Junk Ads at Craig’s List

Why repeat ourselves now? Because our favorite source for finding jobs online, Craig’s List, has been found to contain fake job ads. A fake job ad pretends to be from an employer looking to hire someone, but is actually an ad that’s trying to sell you some kind of program.

Craig’s List is still a good job source because the community of readers does a good job of monitoring ads. When an ad is found to be not what it appears, it’s removed pretty quickly. However, some junk ads still slip through, like this one:

Hi there,

This is Lyleah James with the Data Entry position offered on craigslist by www.innerambition.com that had been listed craigslist.com and can be done from home. I was out of my office for a good portion of the morning, taking care of a few things and was unable to respond right away. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause any of you. In the meantime however, I wanted to get back with everyone that had responded.

In the meantime, If you are still interested in the position you can click the following link to fill out the online application form: http://www.[removed].com/apply/?s=471756

Although my account with live.com is having some trouble, you can feel free to contact me at this address if you need help at any point. Make sure to place HELP in caps in the subject line and I will return your email as soon as possible.
I wish you a wonderful day,
~ Ly

http://[removed]/apply/?s=471756

http://[removed].live.com/

What do you get if you follow the links to “apply” for this “job?” Alert reader, Cat (from Ireland! I think I’m in love!), explains:

I applied for a telecommuting job on craigslist that was in fact a scam that entailed the “employee” posting similar ads on craigslist and sending all the responses to a website, that then got them to do the same thing, and so on… From about 35 ads in the job section, 33 were people posting this same type of ad! The company’s name is innerambition.com.

What is Innerambition.com?

We don’t know, and we don’t care. Because any program that advertises itself as a “job” and then requires you to post ads and drive visitors to a website is junk because the people promoting it are dishonest from the start. It may very well be a legitimate affiliate opportunity, but it sure as hell isn’t a job.

Does Careerbuilder.com Sell Your Information?

Their privacy agreement says they don’t, but commenters on the Al Snyder fraud posts say they were contacted only after posting information at Career Builder. We have another bone to pick with careerbuilder.com: Angela Penbrook and Process at Home are paying advertisers. We know from experience that vetting every advertiser that a script throws up is just about impossible. But anyone with a Google knows that Penbrook and rebate processing are scams. I expected careerbuilder.com to put a little more thought into advertisers than John McCain put into his VP choice, but I guess that was too much to ask.

We’re still believers in Craig’s List, but you have to be just as much on your guard there as anywhere else. Be smart and cautious; there are telecommuting jobs to be found online. But as you know, it’s also easy to step in bear traps while you’re looking.