Job Scam Checker: How to Spot a Fake Job Offer Before You Reply

Job scammers may impersonate a real employer, copy a vacancy or invent a remote role. Their aim can be to take your money, obtain identity documents or involve you in moving stolen funds. A familiar company name or convincing offer letter does not authenticate the person contacting you.

Before sending money or sensitive information, contact the employer through a route you find independently and ask about the specific recruiter, vacancy and request. The FTC's job-scam guidance and Scamwatch's employment-scam guidance explain common warning signs and protective steps.

What to do before you respond

Six common job-scam patterns

1. The task / swiping scam

You are added to a WhatsApp or Telegram group offering simple tasks ("like products", "rate hotels") for daily "commissions". After a few small payouts to build trust, you are asked to "top up" your account to unlock higher-paying tasks. The top-up disappears.

2. The equipment-purchase scam

Someone claiming to be HR sends a cheque and directs you to buy equipment from a particular supplier. Money appearing in your account does not prove the cheque is genuine: a bank may make funds available before discovering a fake, which can take weeks. The supplier may be part of the scam, and you could have to repay the bank after sending the money. See the FTC's fake-cheque guidance.

3. The fake-cheque overpayment

An "employer" sends a cheque for too much and asks you to forward or return the difference. If the cheque is fake, the bank can reverse the deposit while the money you sent is difficult to recover. Do not forward money from a suspicious cheque; contact your bank.

4. Identity-theft "onboarding"

A fake offer leads to convincing onboarding forms asking for a driver's licence, passport, tax ID, payroll details or an identity-verification photo. These details can be misused for identity fraud. Verify the employer and the particular request independently before submitting sensitive information.

5. Recruitment-fee scams

A supposed recruiter asks you to pay them or a nominated third party to secure a job. Treat promises of guaranteed placement, urgent equipment payments and unexplained fees as warning signs. Check any claimed licence, training or immigration cost directly with the relevant official body; a fee's label does not prove it is legitimate.

6. Crypto / investment job pivot

The job description shifts from "customer support" to "help us trade on this platform". The platform is fake. Your "commissions" are screen numbers. Withdrawals are blocked behind "tax".

Red Flags to Look For

• Unsolicited contact referring to a CV you don't remember uploading.
• Chat-only recruitment with pressure to stay in a messaging app and refusal to let you confirm the role independently.
• Pay-to-play: demands to top up a task account, unlock earnings or pay a recruiter to secure a job.
• A cheque tied to onward payments: instructions to buy from a nominated supplier, return an overpayment or transfer funds for someone else.
• A mismatched or lookalike email domain. A personal email address or new domain warrants checking, but is not conclusive by itself. A company-looking address can also be spoofed or compromised.
• Salary far above market rate for a junior remote role with no experience required.
• Pressure to accept "today" or "before end of day".
• Sensitive information requested before you can verify the recruiter, purpose and submission channel.
• Inconsistent company details or an employer that cannot confirm the recruiter or vacancy through an independently found contact route.

How to verify a job offer is real

1. Find the employer independently. Use a known official website or a business register appropriate to the country and business type. Companies House and ABN Lookup help check registered details; they do not authenticate a job offer. Some legitimate businesses use other structures, and scammers can copy a real business's record.
2. Confirm the recruiter and vacancy. Use a phone number or contact route you found independently, not one supplied only in the message. Ask whether the recruiter works for or is authorised by the employer and whether the specific role exists. A social profile alone is insufficient.
3. Check the offer and request. Ask the verified employer to confirm the duties, pay, work location and onboarding process. An authentic-looking contract or letterhead can be copied.
4. Check who will receive your information. Inspect the full email address and the destination of any onboarding link. If details conflict or someone pressures you to skip verification, stop and contact the employer again through the known route.
5. Keep control of your money. Do not pay to unlock tasks or earnings, or send money on the strength of a recruiter's cheque. Verify any claimed official fee separately before deciding what to do.
6. Share only necessary details through a verified process. Confirm why they are needed, who receives them and how they will be protected. A signature or the existence of the company is not enough.

For more detail, read how to check a company and the specific offer.

When onboarding requests involve sensitive information

Genuine employers may need payroll, tax and right-to-work information. Requirements and timing vary by country and role. A signed contract does not make a request safe, and the absence of one does not decide whether a particular check is legitimate.

• Confirm the request independently: check the employer, recruiter, purpose and secure submission method before sharing ID, tax or payroll information. Ask the verified employer if the request seems excessive.
• Protect banking credentials: payroll may require an account name and account/routing details. It does not require your online-banking password, PIN, one-time security code or card security code.
• Keep sensitive documents out of public posts and scam-checker inputs: use redacted examples when seeking advice. If you already supplied documents to someone suspicious, seek help promptly.

If you already shared information or money

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated 5 September 2026: clarified cheque availability and independent offer verification, removed overconfident onboarding rules and an unsupported loss figure, and refreshed reporting and identity-support routes.