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Job Scam Detector
Job scams have surged with remote work and messaging-app recruiting. Here's how to tell a real offer from a fake one — and how to check a suspicious one.
Warning signs of a fake job offer
- No real interview, or a suspiciously short one, before you're "hired."
- You're asked to pay for training, equipment, software licenses, or a background check.
- You're asked to handle money — buy gift cards, forward funds, or receive and re-send payments through your own account (a classic money-mule setup).
- Recruiter avoids verifiable channels — only chat apps, no company email domain, no LinkedIn presence that checks out.
- The pay is unusually high for very little described work or experience required.
- Personal information requested early — ID numbers or bank details before any formal offer or contract.
How to verify an employer
- Search the company name together with "scam" or "reviews."
- Check whether the recruiter's email domain matches the company's real website.
- Look up the company on LinkedIn — does it have real employees, history, and activity?
- Call the company's official, published phone number to confirm the opening actually exists.
- Check any link or posting the offer came from before you click through.
Related checks
🎣 The message itself
🌐 The company's site
📖 Full guide
Quick questions
Do legitimate companies ever pay you before you start working?
Legitimate employers pay you after you work, not before. Any request to pay upfront for training, a starter kit, or a background check is a major red flag.
Is it a scam if the interview is only over chat?
Not automatically, but it's a signal to look closer — combined with no verifiable company details or a request for money, it's a strong pattern for a job scam.