10 Signs That a Job Offer Is Actually a Total Scam

Searching for a job is undeniably exhausting, especially if you’re barely scraping by financially. Finally being offered a job after months of submitting applications is a huge relief, and it’s understandable if you want to accept a job as soon as possible without asking further questions.

But in a world where most job-hunting is done online, it’s easier than ever for bad actors to advertise “jobs” that are actually complete scams. Keep reading for 10 warning signs that a job offer is a scam.

Have you been cold-called out of the blue and offered a job you didn’t apply for?

Maybe a recruiter has been combing your LinkedIn page and thinks you’re the perfect candidate for an open position...but it’s much more likely you’re being scammed.

After all, at the very least, a recruiter will ask to schedule an interview with you rather than leap right into a job offer.

Being offered fair compensation — including a number higher than what you asked for — isn’t always a sign you’re accepting a bogus job.

However, there’s a big difference between accepting a job at the high end of a pay band and being offered an amount that far exceeds your expectations.

If you receive an offer much higher than the one you asked for, take a step back and do a little more research before delivering your final yes or no.

There’s nothing wrong with a company transparently listing its starting pay on its job posting. Disclosing details about pay can be a good way to attract qualified candidates, so don’t be afraid to apply for jobs that list their upfront compensation.

However, if you see a job posting where the compensation seems far too high for the job description, it’s probably not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Any online job postings should include clear information about which tasks you’d be expected to perform daily. If you don’t walk away from a job posting knowing exactly what the job entails, save yourself some trouble and don’t bother applying.

Either the job is a scam, or the company that posted the listing doesn’t know what it’s looking for either — which means there’s a good chance applying will just be a waste of your time.

Application fees are part and parcel for things like college applications, but they’re not the norm for job applications.

If you apply for a job and get a follow-up request stating you must pay an application fee before you can schedule an interview, that’s a clear indication you’re being scammed.

The same is true of jobs that require you to pay a fee before submitting your resume. These types of jobs are rarely legitimate — and even if they are, you can find a workplace that doesn’t make you pay upfront to apply for a job you aren’t guaranteed to get.

Once you’ve been officially hired, you’ll likely set up direct deposit yourself using the company’s HR software, or you’ll provide a voided check so the company can set it up for you.

But there’s no legitimate reason for a company to ask for your bank details before you’ve been hired. The same is true of your Social Security number, birth date, or any other sensitive personal information.

No matter how great a resume is, most companies know it’s no substitute for a face-to-face interview. After all, reading a resume isn’t a good way to assess a candidate’s soft skills or determine whether they’ll be a good culture fit. An interview also allows a candidate to expand on the skills listed in their resume.

So if you send your resume to a company and get a job offer back within a day or two, proceed with extreme caution. At the very least, write back with a request for an interview so you can get a better understanding of what exactly you’re signing up for.

URL hijacking, also known as typosquatting, is a type of fraud where a person or organization registers a URL that’s just a letter or two off from a real brand or website. The fake site might mimic the real site to such a degree that you can’t tell the two apart at first glance.

When you get an email from a company or recruiter, carefully read their email address for any obvious typos. Do the same for any company website you visit. And if the offer seems to be coming from a well-known company but the brand has been slightly misspelled, don’t assume it’s an accidental typo — it could be a sign of a scam rather than a harmless mistake.

A company’s job posting doesn’t have to be written perfectly for you to feel good about applying, but it does need to be written clearly and professionally. That goes double for any written communication you receive directly from the company, including from the recruiter, interviewer, or hiring team.

A few misplaced commas or a handful of typos probably aren’t anything to panic about (as long as they’re in the text of the email and not the URL or email address). But if the email doesn’t sound professional — or if it’s so poorly written that you’re having a hard time understanding the email’s meaning — you should proceed with extreme caution.

Most legitimate companies have an online presence that includes Google reviews, a reference on the Better Business Bureau’s site, social media pages, employee reviews, and more. While having an online presence doesn’t prove a company is legit, not having an online presence often proves the opposite.

If you can’t find any online information about the company that’s contacted you, including its physical address and phone number, that’s a clear red flag.

As tempting as it is to jump at the first offer you get so you can make money again, it’s crucial to do your due diligence before signing on.

If you do come across a scan, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission to protect both yourself and your fellow job hunters.