How to Check a Job Offer Is Real Before You Accept

Most fake job offers fall apart after a few simple checks. The key is to run them before you share documents or send money.

This guide gives you six checks for any offer, explains what a proper offer letter contains, and shows how to protect your ID, bank details and online accounts while you look for work.

Where fake job offers usually come from

• Unexpected messages on WhatsApp, Telegram or social media from a “recruiter” you never contacted.
• Too-easy online tasks such as liking videos or rating products, where small payments arrive first and a “deposit” is requested later.
• Copycat websites that use a well-known company’s name or logo with a slightly different web address.
• Agents who charge fees for registration, training, uniforms or a “guaranteed” position.
• Instant offers made without any interview, test or meeting.

Six checks before you accept

1. The company exists. Find its official website, office address and public phone number yourself, not from the message.
2. The recruiter can be verified. Call the company’s public number and ask whether the person and the vacancy are real.
3. Emails come from the company domain. Free email addresses and chat-only contact are warning signs for a large employer.
4. There is a real selection process. Genuine employers interview, test or at least speak to you before making an offer.
5. No money is requested. Fees for registration, training, equipment or a medical test booked through the recruiter are red flags.
6. The offer is in writing. A real offer names the employer, the role, the pay and the start date.

What a proper offer letter includes

If anything important is missing, ask for it in writing before you sign. A genuine employer will not mind the question.

Checking a recruitment agency

Agencies can be a real route into work, especially with larger employers. Before you register with one:

• Ask for its licence or registration number and check it with the labour department or official register where you live.
• Visit or video-call its office, and confirm that the address and phone number match its website.
• Ask which employer the vacancy is with, and check that employer separately.
• Read any agreement before you sign; in many places the employer, not the worker, pays the agency.

Questions to ask at the interview

• Who exactly will employ me, and where will I work?
• What are the hours, shifts and days off?
• When and how is salary paid, and what is deducted?
• Is training paid, and how long is the probation period?

Protect your documents and accounts

• Share copies of your ID and certificates only after you have checked the employer, and mark them “for job application only”.
• Never share a one-time password (OTP), your bank PIN or your online banking login. No employer needs them.
• Use a strong password and two-step verification on your email and job portal accounts.
• Be careful with links and files from unknown senders; some install apps that can read your messages.

If something feels wrong

1. Stop replying and do not send more money or documents.
2. Call your bank at once if you shared card or account details, and ask them to block the card or watch the account.
3. Change your passwords and turn on two-step verification.
4. Report the profile or number to the platform, and to the police or cybercrime helpline in your country.
5. Warn friends and family who may receive the same message.

Common questions

Final takeaway

A real job offer can be checked: the company exists, the recruiter can be verified, there is a proper selection process and nobody asks you for money. Take ten minutes to check before you share documents, and walk away from any offer that fails these basics.