How to spot a fake job offer or recruitment scam in India

Scammers know that a job search makes people hopeful and busy. They use both. A good offer from nowhere is the oldest trick.

This post gives you the signs, a ten-minute check, and where to report.

The signs

1. They ask for money. A "registration fee", "training fee", "laptop deposit", "security deposit" or "visa processing fee". A real employer pays you. It does not charge you.
2. The offer came with no interview. Or the interview was a chat on a messaging app with no video and no named interviewer.
3. The pay is far above the market for the role. Easy work, large salary, instant start.
4. The email is a free mail address. An address ending in gmail.com is not a company address. Look for the company's own domain.
5. The company site is thin or new. No address, no named team, no real careers page.
6. They rush you. "Pay today to hold the slot." Real hiring does not run on a countdown.
7. They ask for sensitive papers early. Aadhaar, PAN, bank details and a cancelled cheque before you hold a signed offer.
8. The offer letter has mistakes. Wrong company name, odd grammar, a personal bank account for payment.
9. They move you to a private chat. And then ask you to install an app or "like" or review items for pay.

One sign is a flag. Two or more is a stop.

The ten-minute check

1. Search the company name with "fraud" or "scam". Read what comes up.
2. Open the company's own website. Find the careers page. Is the role listed there?
3. Check the sender's domain. It should match the company's website.
4. Call the company's published number. Not the number in the offer. Ask HR to confirm the role and the recruiter's name.
5. Check that the company exists. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs keeps a public register of companies. Search the name there.
6. Ask for a video call with the hiring manager. A real team can do it.
7. Look up the recruiter. Does the profile look real, with a history? Does it match the company?

If any step fails, stop.

What to do before you share documents

• Share only what is needed, and only after a signed offer from a company you have verified.
• Never share your OTP, bank PIN or UPI PIN. No employer needs them.
• Never send money. Not once, not a small amount.
• Never let anyone remote into your phone or laptop.

Jobs abroad need extra care

Offers for work abroad are a common source of fraud. The Ministry of External Affairs advisory dated 14 December 2023 says a licence from the Ministry is mandatory for any recruitment for work abroad. It tells you to cross-check an agent on the government site emigrate.gov.in. It also says no recruiting agent may collect service charges above Rs. 30,000 plus 18% GST. The limit may change, so check the current advisory.

Before you pay anyone for a job abroad, check the agent there.

If you have been scammed

1. Call your bank at once and ask them to block the transaction or the card.
2. Report on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, cybercrime.gov.in. It has an option for financial fraud.
3. Keep proof. Screenshots, chats, the payment receipt, phone numbers, the email.
4. Tell the platform where you met them, so they can remove the post.
5. Change passwords if you shared any.

Do not feel foolish. Scams are built to work on careful people.

How to apply safely

Apply through the company's careers page or a source you trust. Keep the job description and the date. Use a separate email address for job hunting.

A tailored CV for a verified job beats ten blind applications. See how to tailor your CV and why 50 applications went nowhere.

If a person offers to refer you, check them too. See how to ask for a referral for how a real one looks.

Scam scripts to recognise

These are patterns, not a full list.

• The deposit job. You are "selected" and asked to pay for a kit, a laptop or training. The money never returns.
• The task job. You are paid a little at first to like pages, rate items or complete small tasks. Then you are asked to "deposit" money to get bigger earnings.
• The data entry offer. Easy work, instant pay, and a "registration fee".
• The fake interview on a messaging app. Questions arrive as text, and an offer follows in minutes.
• The fake recruiter for a real company. The name is real. The email and the phone are not.

If a stranger offers pay for almost no work, stop.

Questions to ask any recruiter

• Which company is the role with, and where is the office?
• What is your full name and your role? Where can I verify it?
• What are the interview rounds, and who takes them?
• Will I get a written offer before I share my documents?

A real recruiter answers all four. A scammer dodges.

Where Jobsift fits

Jobsift reads listings and shows the ten that fit your CV. Looking is free. It never asks you for money to see a job. You pay only if you want your CV rewritten for one job you pick, and you see the price before you pay.

We cannot vouch for every employer in a listing. Do the ten-minute check before you apply.

Sources

• Ministry of External Affairs advisory on fake overseas job offers, dated 14 December 2023: Indian Embassy, Bern, advisory page.
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, Ministry of Home Affairs: cybercrime.gov.in.
• Public company master data, Ministry of Corporate Affairs: View Company/LLP Master Data.