How to check if a job offer is genuine

The one rule: genuine employers never charge you

No genuine employer asks candidates to pay a registration fee, training fee, laptop deposit, background-check fee, or "refundable" security deposit. If money is requested at any stage, stop and report it.

Red flags

• An offer without any real interview, or after a short chat on a messaging app.
• A salary far above what similar roles pay.
• Requests for your OTP, UPI PIN, card number, or bank login, or to install a screen-sharing app.
• Emails from free email addresses or domains that are slightly misspelled versions of real companies.
• Pressure to accept within hours, or instructions to keep the offer secret.
• Offer letters with spelling errors, no company address, or a signature that is just an image.

How to verify a company

1. Find the company's official website yourself, not through a link in the message, and check that the role is listed on its careers page.
2. Check the company's registration on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs website using its name or CIN.
3. Call the company's main number from its website and ask HR to confirm the recruiter and the offer.
4. On hiARed, look for the Verified employer badge. It means we checked the company's CIN or GSTIN and domain.

If you have been targeted

Do not send money or share codes. Save the messages, emails, and payment details. Report it at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline. On hiARed, use Report on the job or message so we can remove it.

Frequently asked questions