Check the company and recruiter
- Find the company’s official website yourself and compare the role with its careers page.
- Contact the company through a published phone number or email address to confirm the recruiter works there.
- Look closely at email domains and web addresses. Small spelling differences can be easy to miss.
- Search the exact job title and wording. Copied listings can appear on legitimate platforms too, so verify with the employer.
Notice how the process works
Be wary if the process skips normal interviews, promises unusually high pay for very little work, pressures you to decide immediately, or asks you to receive and forward money or packages. A professional-looking website or profile is not proof on its own.
Protect your information
Share identity, tax, and banking information only after you have independently confirmed the employer and understand why the information is required. Never share a one-time login code. Don’t deposit a check and send money back or buy gift cards or cryptocurrency on someone else’s instructions.
If you already paid or shared details
Contact your bank or payment provider promptly if money was sent. If you shared a password, change it through the official service and update any reused password. If identity documents were exposed, check your local government’s identity-theft guidance.
More help from official sources
- FTC: Job scams (United States consumer guidance)
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (United States reporting channel)
Scambaba is an independent educational project. Reporting and recovery options depend on where you live.