How to Verify a Job Offer Before You Accept
A step-by-step check to confirm a job offer is real before you accept, share your details or pay anything: the company, the recruiter, the interview, the offer letter and the contract.
A job offer is exciting, and after a long search it is tempting to say yes immediately. Taking an hour to verify it first protects you from fees, identity theft and becoming an unwitting money mule. This step-by-step check covers the company, the recruiter, the process and the paperwork.
Step 1: Check the company exists
- Search the company's official company register entry. See how to check that a company is real.
- Find its official website yourself, rather than following a link in the offer.
- Look for the vacancy on the company's own careers page.
- Search the company name with "scam", "fake job" or "complaint".
Step 2: Check the recruiter
- Email domain: does the recruiter write from the company's official domain, or from a free email service or lookalike domain?
- Profile: does their professional profile exist, match the company, and have a history? Remember that profiles can be copied.
- Direct confirmation: call or email the company through its official contact details and ask whether the recruiter works there and whether the role is open.
- Agencies: if a recruitment agency is involved, check it is registered or licensed where required, and confirm with the employer that the agency represents them.
Step 3: Check the process
Genuine hiring usually involves:
- an application or a clear reason why they contacted you
- at least one real interview by video, phone or in person with named people
- questions about your skills, not just your availability and bank details
- a reasonable timeline
An offer after a text-only chat is a strong warning sign. See fake job interviews on Telegram and WhatsApp.
Step 4: Check the offer letter
- Is it on the company's letterhead, from an official email, with a named signatory you can verify?
- Are the job title, salary, start date and location specific and realistic?
- Are there spelling errors in the company's own name, or odd formatting?
- Is the salary far above what similar roles pay?
Step 5: Check what they are asking for
| Request | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Fees for training, uniforms, equipment, visa or registration | Scam. See training fee scams. |
| Deposit a cheque and send money on | Scam. See fake cheque scams. |
| Receive and forward payments through your account | Money mule scheme. See money mule recruitment. |
| Bank login details, PINs or codes | Scam. No employer needs these. |
| ID and bank account number for payroll, after a verified contract | Normal, through the employer's official HR process. |
Step 6: Get a written contract
Before you share sensitive details, resign from another job, or travel, ask for a written contract that sets out the employer's legal name, your role, pay, hours, location, and who pays for what. Read it carefully, and ask someone you trust to read it too.
Pressure to accept immediately is a red flag. Genuine employers expect you to take a little time to consider an offer.
If the offer turns out to be fake
- Stop contact and do not send money or documents.
- If you shared bank details or ID, alert your bank and watch for identity fraud.
- Report the posting to the job site and the scam to your national service; see how to report a scam.
- Let the real company know its name is being misused.
Got an offer you are unsure about? Paste it into CyberWatch AI Scan for a free check.
For more job scam warning signs, see fake job offer scams, and for the full picture, read how to spot online scams.
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest way to check a job offer?
Contact the company through its official website or switchboard, not through the details in the offer, and ask HR to confirm the role, the recruiter and the offer.
When is it safe to share my bank details and ID?
After you have verified the employer independently and received a written contract, and ideally through the employer's official HR or payroll system rather than by chat or email.
The offer came through a well-known job site. Is it safe?
Job sites work to remove fake postings, but some get through. Verify the employer directly, whatever site you found the job on.
Sources
- Job Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- Employer Background Checks and Your Rights, US Federal Trade Commission
- Find and update company information, Companies House (UK)
