How these scams work
Fake job scams target people who need work most: students, freshers and people between jobs. They copy the names, logos and even the websites of real companies. The goal is always the same: to make you pay something “small” first, and then more.
The two most common kinds are:
- Fake selection or exam offers. You are “shortlisted” for a famous company or a government post, and asked to pay an exam fee, a training fee, a “refundable security deposit”, or for a laptop and ID card before joining.
- Task jobs. You are paid ₹50 or ₹100 to like videos, rate hotels or write reviews, usually on Telegram or WhatsApp. After a few small payments that build trust, you are moved to “prepaid tasks” where you must deposit money to earn more. The deposits never come back.
Example: “Congratulations! You are shortlisted for the online exam at a top IT company. Pay ₹1,500 exam fee to confirm your slot.”
Example: “Part-time job! Earn ₹3,000 daily rating hotels on Google. Small registration fee only. Join our Telegram group.”
Warning signs
- Any payment to apply, sit an exam, get an interview, “release” an offer letter, or for training, a laptop, uniform or ID card.
- An offer without a real interview, or an interview only by chat.
- A recruiter writing from Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook, or from an address that only looks like the company’s (for example
careers-tcs-india.com). - Pay that is too good for the work: thousands a day for liking videos or typing.
- Telegram or WhatsApp groups where “members” post screenshots of their earnings.
- An agent who can get you a government job or “direct joining without exam” for money.
How to check an offer
- Find the job yourself. Type the company’s website into your browser (don’t click the link you were sent) and look for the job on its Careers page.
- Check the sender. Real recruiters write from the company’s own email domain. Compare it carefully, letter by letter.
- For government jobs, use only the official website of the recruiting body (most end in
.gov.inor.nic.in). Results and admit cards are published there, not sent by agents. - Never pay. If a fee is the only thing standing between you and the job, it’s a scam.
Already paid?
Stop paying, even if they say one more payment will unlock your money. Call 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in straight away, and tell your bank. Our guide on what to do in the first hour walks you through it.
Check a job offer with Verth
Paste the offer into Verth’s Job or exam offer check. It compares the sender with the official recruitment addresses of 26 large employers and flags any fee, Telegram task or pay that’s too good to be true.
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