Offered easy online work with unusually high pay?

Common warning signs of a fake job offer

• You were contacted unexpectedly. Be cautious when a recruiter suddenly contacts you by text, WhatsApp, Telegram or another messaging service about a job you never applied for.
• High pay for very little work. Scam offers often promise unusually good income, flexible hours and no experience or qualifications.
• There is little or no proper interview. A legitimate employer normally wants to know about your experience, qualifications and suitability for the role.
• You are asked to complete repetitive online tasks. These may be described as product optimisation, boosting, ratings, reviews, orders or commissions.
• You must pay money to continue working. A major warning sign is being told to deposit or top up your own money before you can complete more tasks or withdraw earnings.
• Cryptocurrency is involved. Task scammers commonly tell victims to fund an account using cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or USDT.
• You receive a small payment first. Scammers may initially pay a small amount to make the job appear genuine before asking you to deposit increasingly larger amounts.

Never pay money to get paid

A genuine job should not require you to repeatedly deposit your own money so that you can earn wages or release supposed commissions.

If an online platform shows growing earnings but says you must add more money before you can withdraw them, stop. The displayed balance may not represent real money at all.

How to check the employer safely

Search for the organisation independently instead of using links or contact details supplied by the person who messaged you.

Visit the company's real website and check whether the position actually exists. If necessary, contact the organisation using a phone number or email address you found independently.

If you already sent money or identity documents

Stop sending money. If you transferred funds or provided banking information, contact your bank or payment provider immediately using official contact details.

If you supplied identity documents such as a driver's licence or passport, take steps to protect your identity and report the scam through the appropriate official service in your country.

What ScamAssessor looks for

ScamAssessor checks combinations of warning signs including unexpected recruitment, unrealistic earnings, easy-work claims, task-based commissions, requests to deposit money, cryptocurrency payments, impersonation and suspicious links.

ScamAssessor provides a risk assessment, not proof. A low-risk result does not guarantee that a job, recruiter, company or website is genuine. Verify job offers independently.