Recruitment fees and job offer red flags
Recognise payment pressure, fake selection claims, and unsafe requests before sharing money or personal information.
Pause when money is tied to selection
A request to pay a recruiter, intermediary, or personal account to guarantee an interview, offer, joining date, or placement is a strong warning sign. Do not send a “refundable” deposit or buy required equipment from a link sent by an unverified contact. If an official examination has a fee, verify the amount and payee in the public authority’s own notification.
Check the sender and the vacancy separately
Look at the full sender address, website spelling, job identifier, and independently published contact details. Ask the company through its official careers or support channel whether the recruiter and vacancy are real. Do not call only the number in a suspicious message, and do not rely on a forwarded PDF as proof.
Protect credentials and identity
No recruiter needs your email password, bank PIN, card security code, or one-time password. Be cautious with requests for a selfie holding an identity document or full financial details before a verified hiring stage. Use a separate strong password for job portals and restrict public access to resume contact details where possible.
If you have already responded
Stop sending money and information. Contact your bank or payment provider quickly if a transfer or card detail was exposed, change reused passwords, and secure your email account. Preserve messages, numbers, links, receipts, and timestamps. Report the incident to the relevant platform or authorities in your jurisdiction.