Checking a job offer for scams before sharing money or identity data

Verify the company, vacancy and person separately

A real company can be impersonated. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center describes scammers who create similar-looking domains, post openings and conduct false interviews before requesting personal information or money. Finding a company with that name is therefore only the first check.

Navigate to the employer through an independently found official website, not the link supplied in the message. Compare the vacancy or job ID and confirm the recruiter through a published company contact. If a staffing agency is involved, verify the agency and its relationship to the vacancy. A role absent from a careers page calls for clarification, not an automatic verdict that it is fraudulent.

• Compare the full email domain character by character with the verified organization.
• Use a published switchboard or careers contact, not a phone number supplied only by the sender.
• Treat copied logos, signed contracts and plausible employee names as claims to verify.
• Do not rely on an HTTPS padlock; the FBI notes criminals can use HTTPS too.

Stop at money-routing and equipment-check requests

The FBI New Haven warning describes a scheme in which a student receives a counterfeit check, deposits it and sends some of the money to a supposed equipment vendor. The bank later identifies the check as fraudulent, leaving the student responsible for reimbursing the funds.

Do not deposit a recruiter’s check and send money onward, even when the story is that you are buying a laptop or returning an overpayment. Stop and verify through the employer’s real contact. Do not use your personal account to move someone else’s funds as a condition of getting hired.

• Do not send a wire transfer or payment to unlock a job or promised paycheck.
• Do not provide credit card details to a supposed employer.
• A promise of reimbursement does not verify a requested equipment purchase.

Treat onboarding requests as a separate verification step

Employers can legitimately need identity and payroll information during hiring and onboarding, but the existence of a form does not prove the request is legitimate. The IC3 advisory warns that scammers request driver’s licenses, Social Security numbers and bank details using convincing employment paperwork.

Before sharing sensitive information, confirm who is requesting it, why it is needed at this stage and which verified secure system should receive it. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and hiring process; if something seems premature, ask the independently verified HR contact rather than supplying it under pressure.

• Never send account passwords or one-time sign-in codes to a recruiter.
• Do not send identity documents through an unverified email or chat channel.
• A remote or text-based process alone is not proof of fraud, but it does not replace identity checks.
• Slow down when urgency is used to prevent independent verification.

If you already sent money or information, act promptly

Stop further payments and communication with the suspected scammer. Contact your financial institution immediately using its official number, explain what happened and ask whether transfers can be stopped or reversed. The FBI recommends contacting the financial institution promptly; recovery is not guaranteed.

Save the messages, full sender addresses, posting URL, transaction references and a timeline. Report the listing to the platform and the impersonation to the real company. In the United States, report internet-enabled hiring fraud to IC3; elsewhere use the relevant national fraud or police reporting service.

• If login details were exposed, secure the affected account through its official site and review reused credentials.
• If identity documents were exposed, ask the relevant issuing authority or local identity-theft support service about protective steps.
• For a campus impersonation, notify campus IT or security through official channels.
• Do not pay someone promising guaranteed recovery of the lost money.

Use a repeatable check rather than a single red flag

Poor spelling is not a reliable fraud detector, and polished language is not a safety certificate. Focus on independent identity verification, what is being requested and whether the process makes sense. Even a video interview can be part of a false hiring process.

If verification fails or the request remains unexplained, pause the application. You do not need to prove a crime before deciding not to send money or sensitive data. Keep a brief record of the reason so a later message does not restart the same unsafe process.