Safety
Remote job scams: 9 red flags and how to check a listing
By HRjobs · · 6 min read
Short answer
The clearest sign of a remote job scam is any request for money: a fee to apply, paid training, or buying equipment you'll be “reimbursed” for. Other red flags are interviews held only by chat, offers made without an interview, and recruiters using personal email addresses. Real employers pay you; they never ask you to pay them.
9 red flags
Treat a job as a likely scam if you see any of these:
- You're asked to pay for an application, training, a background check or a visa
- You're asked to buy equipment and wait for a refund, or to deposit a cheque
- The offer comes without any real interview
- Interviews happen only over chat apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp
- The recruiter uses a free email address instead of the company's domain
- The salary is far above normal for the role and your experience
- You're asked for bank details, ID documents or passwords before a signed contract
- The company website is new, has no named team, or doesn't mention the role
- You're pushed to decide quickly “before the place is gone”
How to check a company in five minutes
Search the company name with the word “scam”. Check that the job also appears on the company's own careers page. Make sure the recruiter's email uses the same domain as the website, and look up employees on LinkedIn to confirm they exist and work there.
How HRjobs reviews listings
A person reviews every listing before it goes live. We check the company's website and domain, the location rules and the salary range, and we reject any job that asks applicants for money. If something still looks wrong, report it to us and we'll take it down while we check.
If you've already been targeted
Stop replying, don't send any more money or documents, and contact your bank straight away if you've paid anything. Report the profile on the platform where you found it, and report it to your national cybercrime or consumer-protection authority.
Find jobs that are open to you
Every listing shows who can apply, the hours and the pay.