Fake job postings and recruiter scams: how to spot them
By Justin KullaLast updated
Warning signs
- A fee for training, equipment, a background check or placement.
- A check sent to you with a request to send some of it on.
- Interviews only by text or a chat app, and no video or phone call.
- An email from a free address, or one that copies a real company’s name with a small change.
- Pay that is far above the market for easy work, and urgency to accept now.
How to check
- Find the job on the company’s own career page by going there directly, not through the link you were sent.
- Search the recruiter’s name and the company together with the word “scam”.
- Call the company’s main number and ask whether the recruiter works there.
- Share a Social Security number or bank details only after a written offer, through a process you started.
If you were caught
Stop contact, tell your bank at once if you sent money or account details, and report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to the site where you saw the posting. Consider a fraud alert or credit freeze if you shared identity details.
Frequently asked questions
Do real employers ever ask for a Social Security number?
Yes, after you accept a written offer, for payroll and the background check. Not at the application or first interview.
Can a posting on a big job board be fake?
Yes. Boards remove many, but some get through. Check the employer’s own site.
What about “ghost” jobs that are real but never filled?
Those are not scams but they waste time. Postings that stay up for months, or that the company’s site does not list, are a sign.
Is it normal for recruiters to contact me on LinkedIn?
Yes. Check their profile, their company and the role on the company’s site before you reply.
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