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Here's a heads up to those looking for a job: watch out for scams and and misleading ads.

These include work at home and secret shopper schemes, offers that guarantee government jobs if you pay a fee, and jobs offers that seem to be coming from outside of the country that ask you to deposit checks, accept packages, or wire money to cover employment or travel expenses.

How do you know if these offers are legitimate?

Sometimes its obvious, but sometimes, these offers look so good, that its very easy to get trapped into "too good to be true" scams for the perfect job. When searching for a job, keep in mind:

• Just because the offer is posted in a newspaper or on well known job search sites, it does not mean it is legitimate, especially if the job promises good money for little work.

• If you get an unsolicited e-mail that asks you to accept checks or packages, or to wire money, watch out. Not only are these scams, but they could get you in trouble with the law for participating.

• Most legitimate jobs, including government jobs, will not require you to pay a fee to apply. If you are asked to send money, think twice. If you are looking for a government job, search for sites that end in .gov.

Do you have any suggestions of where people may want to go to get help in searching for employment?

• Start locally with well known companies, employment agencies, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

• If you decide to check into job opportunities located outside of the area, check out these offers with legitimate sources, such as the state's employment office or Better Business Bureau.

• You might also want to network with others in your field. They may be able to give you referrals or additional information about some of the job offers.