Maybe you've heard about services that offer help finding a job in the U.S. Should you shell out $1,000 or more for assistance in landing a position? Or would you be wasting your money?

Probably the latter, say experts in the field, who advise people looking for jobs in the U.S. to be wary of any service that guarantees placement. With the Web's job-search and research resources, along with the current health of the U.S. economy, you should not have to pay a fee to find a job, they say. A service promising a job may well be a scam.

"There are a lot of scammers out there," says attorney Jose E. Latour, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "Before you pay anybody," he says, "do your homework on the Internet."

Latour, who runs the Usvisanews.com Web site (which has helpful resources on visas and related issues), advises people to avoid "anything that involves having to pay any sort of fee for a placement." Legitimate recruiters receive a fee from the employer rather than from the potential employee. Latour adds, "if they're asking for money up front, that's a red flag."

Part of the problem with paying someone to find you a job derives from the way the immigration process works for many professionals, who are often covered under the H-1B visa. With the H-1B, the employer applies for the visa on behalf of the employee. Without a job lined up, there's no chance of getting an H-1B visa. And even with a job, the employer -- not you (or anyone you pay) -- handles the visa application.

Gregory Siskind, of the law firm of Siskind, Susser, Haas and Devine, says people should be careful about paying "substantial money" -- anything more than "a couple hundred dollars" -- for job-search assistance.

Watch out for these potential pitfalls and problems when considering job-search help:

• If you're asked to send original documents, such as your passport, don't do it. "There's absolutely no reason to send an original document," says Latour. Copies can be certified as genuine. A scammer or shady recruiter can hold your original documents "hostage," in effect, delaying your job search.
• Do not trust a person simply because he or she is your nationality, says Latour. Scammers sometimes prey on those from their own country, drawing on the cultural similarities. Be as careful in checking the references of someone from your country as from anywhere else.
• Beware of restrictive contract provisions when working with a recruiter. "People need to be careful before they make a commitment," says Siskind. Avoid restrictive "non-compete" clauses that seek to prevent you from taking another job in the U.S.