Although we at Career Key do not sell or share user data (see our Privacy Policy here), many other websites do. Unfortunately there are many job search, business startup, and other Internet scams designed to get your personal information.

I include fake online career tests in the scam category because I believe they are harmful and in the private sector, almost exclusively used to get people’s email addresses and personal information for marketing purposes – not to genuinely help people to make a good career decision.

So it pays to be careful in your career planning online. The tips found via the links below apply equally to career planning and career advice websites as to job search websites. Although Career Key doesn’t require people to register to use our sites, many other websites do.

So make sure you read these tips before registering on any site:

• About.com Job Search editor Alison Doyle’s article on Online Job Search Privacy
• Online Job-Search Websites: Tips to Safeguard Your Privacy from privacyrights.org
• World Privacy Forum on Job Search Sites and their Workplace Privacy Project that includes resources like “Critical Tips for Job Seekers to Avoid Job Scams”
• Want to be a model? Buy a franchise? Be a mystery shopper? Work at home? There are tons of scams related to these and many other fields so watch out! The Federal Trade Commission offers a lot of helpful advice about a variety of job search, business opportunity, education and scholarship scams.

I know this is tired advice but it never seems to go out of style. If it is too good to be true, it isn’t.

This blog post was graciously submitted to BizzyWomen by The Career Key Blog, run by Juliet Wehr Jones, J.D.  The Career Key™ gives you expert help with your career search and career choices  career change, career planning, job skills, and choosing a college major. Our career assessment helps you find a career by matching your personality with careers and providing you complete and accurate information about each career you choose to explore.