MANY Hired

How to spot a fake job posting

The warning signs of job scams (fake checks, equipment fees, chat-app interviews, task scams and impersonated recruiters), how to verify that a job is real, and where to report a scam in the US.

By the MANY Hired team · Updated · 7 min read

Short answer: real employers don't charge you to apply or train, don't hire you without an interview, don't send you a check to buy equipment, and don't run interviews entirely by text on Telegram, WhatsApp or Signal. Before you share personal or bank details, find the job on the company's own careers site and contact the company through its official website, never through details in the message you received.

Job scams are among the fastest-growing kinds of fraud reported to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and they keep getting more convincing: scammers copy real job ads, use real company names and logos, and impersonate real recruiters on LinkedIn. The good news is that almost all of them share a few tells.

12 red flags of a fake job posting

  1. You're asked to pay anything: for training, a starter kit, a background check, certification, software or "processing". Legitimate employers pay for their own hiring.
  2. An offer without a real interview, or after a short text chat.
  3. The interview happens only by text or chat app (Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, Google Chat) and never by phone or video with a person you can identify.
  4. The email comes from a personal or look-alike address, like a free email account or a domain one letter off from the real company's.
  5. Pay that's far above the going rate for little experience or few hours, especially for "data entry", "reshipping" or "product rating" work.
  6. A vague job description with no clear duties, team or location, and lots of words about how easy and flexible it is.
  7. Pressure to act right now: "positions are filling today", "reply within the hour".
  8. Requests for your Social Security number, bank account or ID before you've received and verified a written offer.
  9. A check arrives so you can buy equipment from their "approved vendor". The check bounces after you've sent the money. This is the classic fake-check scam.
  10. You're asked to receive and forward packages, or move money or crypto. These are reshipping and money-mule schemes, and they can expose you to legal trouble.
  11. "Task" jobs that pay you for clicks or ratings, then require you to deposit money (often crypto) to unlock your earnings. You never get it back.
  12. The job isn't on the company's own careers site, and the "recruiter" can't be reached through the company's official channels.

How to check that a job is real

  1. Find the job on the company's own site. Go to the company's website yourself (search for it; don't click links in the message) and open its careers page. Real openings are listed there or on its applicant tracking system.
  2. Check the web address of the application page. Legitimate applications usually run on the company's domain or a known hiring system such as Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, SmartRecruiters or Workday.
  3. Verify the recruiter. Contact the company through the phone number or email on its official website and ask whether the person and the opening are real.
  4. Search the company name plus "scam" or the exact wording of the offer. Scam scripts get reused.
  5. Talk to a person. Insist on a phone or video interview with someone whose identity and role you can confirm.
  6. Never deposit a check from an employer you haven't verified, and never send money, gift cards or crypto to get a job.

How MANY Hired keeps listings safe

  • Most listings are imported directly from employers' own job boards on Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby and SmartRecruiters, and the "Apply" button takes you to the employer's own posting. When the employer closes a job, it disappears from our board too.
  • Jobs that employers post directly with us get an automated quality check before they go live, and posts that charge applicants, recruit for multi-level marketing or discriminate aren't allowed.
  • We never charge job seekers to apply. Every listing has a "Report this listing" link, and we act on reports quickly.

If you've been targeted or scammed

  1. Stop responding and don't send any more money or information.
  2. Call your bank or card issuer right away if you sent money or shared account details. Ask about reversing payments and protecting your accounts.
  3. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
  4. If you shared your Social Security number or ID, follow the recovery steps at IdentityTheft.gov and consider freezing your credit with the three credit bureaus.
  5. Report the posting to the site where you found it, and to the company being impersonated.

Common questions

Is it a scam if a recruiter contacts me first?

Not necessarily: recruiters reach out to candidates all the time. It's a red flag when they quickly move you to a chat app, skip a real interview, or ask for money or personal financial details. Verify them through the company's official website.

Can a real employer ask for my Social Security number?

Yes, but normally only after you've accepted a verified offer, for payroll and tax forms, through the company's official HR or onboarding system. Not in a chat, and not before an offer.

Are remote jobs more likely to be scams?

Scammers favor remote "work from home" roles because there's no office to visit. Plenty of remote jobs are real; check them the same way, on the company's own careers page.

What should I do with a check from a new employer?

Don't deposit it if you haven't verified the employer, and never send part of it back or on to a vendor. A check can appear to clear and then bounce days later, leaving you responsible for the money.