How can you tell if a work-from-home job is a scam?

Dear Consumer Ed:  My regular work hours have been cut back, so I’ve been looking for a work-from-home job to supplement my income. I see work-from-home jobs advertised online, but my friend says most of them are scams. How can I tell if a job posting is legitimate or not? 

Can government employees’ personal emails be subject to open records requests?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I work for County government.  I recently forwarded a work email to my personal email address so I could do some work from home.

My Social Security number was compromised in a security hack

Dear Consumer Ed:  I just heard about a security hack that left my Social Security number out there. How can I protect myself? 

Can employer refuse to hire me if I don't consent to a credit check?

Dear Consumer Ed: 

Arrest for a dismissed case still showing up on background check

Dear Consumer Ed: I was recently turned down for a job because of an arrest last year. The case was dismissed and my record was supposedly expunged.

Background Checks

Dear Consumer Ed: I was turned down for a job because my application responses did not match the background check.  I want to see what information came up on me. Where can I get ahold of the same background information that businesses pull?