When you've been out work for any length of time, sometimes you can get a little desperate. Scammers prey on that desperation. Do you think it's easy to tell a real job posting from a fake one? Not always! Scam artists are always coming up with new and deceptive methods. Sometimes, however, it's not even about taking your money, it's about finding cheap or naïve labor.

Does the ad list a really high salary/hourly rate with very little information about the actual job? Chances are it’s a fake. Remember the old adage, “If it looks too good to be true…?” Think realistically. No one is going to pay a lot of money for very little work.

Does the ad promise to start you off as a manager or supervisor with paid training? Unfortunately, managerial or supervisory positions don’t come along that easily. If a managerial ad states “no experience needed,” don't fall for it. The bottom line is that there are too many managers with experience to pay someone with no experience a lot of money. These "manager" positions usually tend to be cold-call sales jobs. You will "manage" your own accounts that you struggled to bring on board.

What about all of those insurance jobs? Many of these are technically not fake, but the job may not be what you think. There are tons of jobs out there for insurance agencies. They are legitimate jobs, but you need to be one heck of a salesperson. Most of these jobs require cold-calling. There is one very famous insurance company that admittedly over-hires for certain metropolitan areas to make sure their name saturates the market. They lure you in with promises of fully paid vacations in lavish vacation spots, just by becoming a top seller. They actually make you believe you can do it, even if you’ve never sold as much as a stick of gum. Unless you're one heck of cold-call closer, you will put in long hours and spend a lot of your own money trying to find clients.

Do they ask for a small fee in order to bring you on board? Real companies don’t ask you to pay to work for them.

In-home care or personal assistant? Writers, entrepreneurs and small business owners are often looking for personal assistants. Yes, these jobs actually do exist, but if you find it on Craig’s List, be careful! Here again, don’t be lured into a dangerous situation you have not checked out first.

Many times, fake job ads are often very difficult to spot. Sometimes the ads aren't fake, they just don't "tell all." Don’t fall victim. Take care when applying for any job that requests personal information, yet doesn’t offer any real job details.