Job searching requires you to share information with people you have never met. You send resumes, answer calls, join interviews, and sometimes provide documents for background verification.
Most employers use this information legitimately. Scammers use the same process to steal money, collect personal data, access bank accounts, or involve job seekers in illegal financial activity.
A fake job posting can look convincing. It may use the name of a well-known company, copy a real job description, display an official logo, and even include a professional-looking offer letter. That is why you should verify the employer and the opportunity before trusting them.
This guide explains how recruitment scams work, how to recognize the warning signs, what information you should protect, and what to do if you have already paid or shared sensitive details.
What Is a Recruitment Scam?
A recruitment scam is a fraudulent job opportunity created to obtain money, personal information, financial details, or unpaid work from job seekers.
The advertised position usually does not exist. In other cases, scammers copy a genuine vacancy and pretend to represent the real employer.
A scammer may pose as:
- A company recruiter
- A recruitment agency
- A human resources manager
- A hiring manager
- A job-placement consultant
- An employee offering referrals
- A work-from-home employer
- A government recruitment representative
- A known job portal
Their objective may be to:
- Collect an application or registration fee
- Sell fake training or certification
- Obtain identity documents
- Steal banking information
- Gain access to an email or job-portal account
- Make the victim purchase equipment
- Deposit a fake cheque
- Move stolen money through the victim's account
- Collect cryptocurrency payments
- Obtain free work through fake assignments
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal describes online job fraud as deceiving people seeking employment through false promises of better jobs or higher wages. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
Why Fake Job Postings Can Look Real
Scammers no longer depend only on poorly written emails.
They can copy information from:
- Official company websites
- Real job descriptions
- LinkedIn profiles
- Employee photographs
- Recruitment advertisements
- Public resumes
- Corporate email signatures
They may know your:
- Name
- Profession
- Current employer
- Skills
- Location
- Employment history
That information may come from your public LinkedIn profile, job portals, or a resume you previously uploaded.
A message containing personal details is not automatically genuine. Verify the sender independently.
Practical Tip
A message containing accurate personal details is not proof that the sender is genuine - always verify the recruiter and company independently.
Major Warning Signs of a Fake Job Posting
One warning sign may have an innocent explanation. Several warning signs together should make you stop and investigate.
1. You Are Asked to Pay for the Job
The clearest warning sign is a demand for money.
The recruiter may describe it as:
- Registration fee
- Interview fee
- Application fee
- Security deposit
- Verification charge
- Processing fee
- Training fee
- Software fee
- Uniform charge
- Refundable deposit
- Visa-processing payment
- Laptop or equipment charge
- Offer-letter release fee
A genuine employer may require qualifications or documents, but it should not sell you access to a job.
The FTC advises job seekers not to pay for the promise of employment and warns that honest employers do not demand an upfront payment to provide a position. Federal Trade Commission
If someone says the payment is refundable, that does not make it safe. "Refundable deposit" is common language in job scams.
2. The Salary Is Unrealistic for the Work
Be cautious when a vacancy promises unusually high pay for:
- Very little work
- No experience
- No interview
- Simple data entry
- Liking videos
- Rating products
- Writing reviews
- Clicking advertisements
- Copying and pasting information
Examples include:
Earn ₹8,000 per day by working for one hour.
Guaranteed salary of ₹80,000 per month with no experience.
Complete five product ratings and receive instant commission.
A legitimate entry-level position may pay well, but the employer should still explain the responsibilities, qualifications, working hours, employment terms, and selection process.
A high salary combined with vague duties and immediate selection is a serious warning sign.
3. You Receive an Unexpected Job Offer
A stranger contacts you on WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, or social media and says:
Your resume has been shortlisted.
We found your profile and selected you for a remote position.
You can start earning immediately.
An unexpected approach is not always fraudulent. Genuine recruiters sometimes find candidates through professional platforms.
However, a legitimate recruiter should be willing to provide:
- Their full name
- Company email address
- Exact job title
- Detailed job description
- Company careers link
- Location
- Employment type
- Selection process
Be particularly careful if you never applied, the recruiter will not explain where they found you, and the conversation quickly turns to money or personal information.
The FTC warns that random job-offer messages asking recipients to click links or share personal or financial information are likely scams. Federal Trade Commission
4. The Recruiter Uses a Suspicious Email Address
Check the complete email address, not only the sender's display name.
A genuine company email might look like recruiter@company.com.
A suspicious address may look like one of the following:
companyjobs2026@gmail.comhr.company.recruitment@outlook.comcareers@cornpany.com
The third example replaces the letter m with rn, making cornpany look like company.
Other deceptive changes include:
- Additional hyphens
- Missing letters
- Reversed letters
- Extra words
- Different domain endings
- Subdomains designed to imitate the real domain
For example, the domain company.com.recruitment-services.net actually belongs to recruitment-services.net, not company.com.
A small business or independent recruiter may legitimately use a general email provider, so a Gmail address alone does not prove fraud. It does mean that you should perform additional verification before sharing information.
5. The Job Does Not Appear on the Company's Website
Search for the vacancy on the company's official careers page.
Compare:
- Job title
- Job ID
- Location
- Responsibilities
- Required experience
- Application deadline
- Recruiter details
If the job does not appear there, it may have expired, be managed privately, or be fraudulent.
Do not use the link sent by the recruiter to locate the official website. Search for the company independently or type its known domain directly into the browser.
If necessary, contact the company using the phone number or email published on its official website.
Ask:
I received a message about the Java Developer position with Job ID 45821. Could you confirm whether this vacancy and recruiter are associated with your company?
6. The Recruiter Avoids a Proper Interview
Be cautious if you receive an offer after:
- No interview
- Only a few text messages
- A basic questionnaire
- No discussion about your experience
- No opportunity to ask questions
- An interview conducted only through anonymous chat
- An extremely short call unrelated to the work
A legitimate selection process varies by role, but an employer normally wants to assess whether you can perform the job.
For a professional position, the company should usually discuss:
- Your experience
- Relevant skills
- Responsibilities
- Availability
- Salary
- Work arrangement
- Next steps
An immediate offer without meaningful evaluation is suspicious, especially when followed by a demand for payment or documents.
7. The Recruiter Creates Artificial Urgency
Scammers try to prevent victims from checking details.
They may say:
Pay within 30 minutes to reserve your position.
Only two vacancies are left.
Submit your Aadhaar card immediately or the offer will be cancelled.
Do not contact the company directly because this is confidential hiring.
Genuine recruitment may move quickly, but you should still have time to:
- Read the job description
- Verify the company
- Review the offer
- Ask questions
- Understand employment conditions
A recruiter who discourages verification should not be trusted.
8. The Job Description Is Vague or Inconsistent
A suspicious posting may contain:
- No clear responsibilities
- No required skills
- No reporting structure
- No location
- No employment type
- A salary unrelated to the role
- Several unrelated positions in one advertisement
- Conflicting company names
- Different job titles across messages
- Copied text with formatting errors
For example, the posting may advertise a software developer role, while the recruiter later describes product rating, money transfers, or social media tasks.
Ask for a complete written job description. Compare it with similar positions and the official careers page.
9. The Recruiter Requests Sensitive Information Too Early
A normal application may require:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- City
- Resume
- Work experience
- Education
- Portfolio links
Be cautious if an unverified recruiter immediately requests:
- Bank account number
- Debit or credit card information
- UPI PIN
- ATM PIN
- CVV
- OTP
- Net-banking password
- Aadhaar OTP
- Full tax documents
- Passport scan
- Digital signature
- Selfie holding an identity document
- Copies of both sides of payment cards
No legitimate recruiter needs your PIN, password, CVV, or OTP.
Some employers legitimately collect identity, tax, or banking information after a written offer during verified onboarding. The timing, secure collection method, and verified identity of the employer matter.
10. The Employer Sends Money and Asks You to Return or Transfer It
A scammer may send a cheque and ask you to:
- Purchase office equipment
- Pay a supplier
- Return an overpayment
- Buy gift cards
- Transfer the balance
- Send part of the amount to another person
The cheque may initially appear in your account before the bank discovers that it is fraudulent. If you transfer real money, the scammer keeps it, while you may remain responsible for the amount credited from the fake cheque.
The FTC specifically warns against arrangements where an employer sends a cheque and tells the candidate to forward part of the money or purchase gift cards. Federal Trade Commission
A legitimate employer should purchase and ship equipment directly or use a verifiable reimbursement process after formal employment begins.
11. You Must Deposit Money to Unlock Work or Earnings
In a task scam, the victim is asked to complete simple activities such as:
- Rating product images
- Liking videos
- Placing simulated orders
- Reviewing hotels
- Optimizing products
- Completing "merchant tasks"
A website or app may show increasing earnings. Later, the victim is told to deposit money to:
- Unlock the next task
- Correct a negative balance
- Increase commission
- Upgrade membership
- Withdraw earnings
- Complete a task bundle
The displayed balance is not real. Additional payments do not unlock genuine earnings.
The FBI has warned about work-from-home scams that use fake interfaces and require cryptocurrency payments to unlock tasks or earnings. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
Never pay money to receive wages you have supposedly earned.
12. The Job Requires You to Receive or Transfer Money
A fake employer may ask you to use your bank account to:
- Receive customer payments
- Transfer company funds
- Convert money into cryptocurrency
- Send payments to vendors
- Withdraw cash
- Forward funds to other accounts
The scammer may call the role:
- Payment-processing assistant
- Financial representative
- Account manager
- Transfer coordinator
- Local payment agent
You may unknowingly become a money mule, someone used to move stolen or fraudulent funds.
Stop immediately if a job requires personal accounts to process company transactions. Do not transfer the money elsewhere. Contact your bank and report the incident.
13. The Job Involves Receiving and Reshipping Packages
A scammer may hire you as a:
- Package inspector
- Shipping coordinator
- Quality-control assistant
- Parcel-processing agent
You receive packages, replace labels, and forward them to another address. The products may have been purchased using stolen payment information.
A real logistics employer does not normally operate through an employee's home without clear contracts, facilities, systems, and verifiable business reasons.
Do not accept or forward suspicious packages.
14. Communication Is Moved to Telegram or WhatsApp Immediately
WhatsApp and Telegram are legitimate communication tools, but scammers often prefer them because accounts can be created quickly and identities are harder to verify.
Treat the situation as suspicious when:
- All communication happens through chat.
- The recruiter refuses to email from a company domain.
- The interview is entirely text-based.
- Messages come from different international numbers.
- The account name changes.
- The recruiter asks you to install an unknown app.
- You are added to a group containing payment instructions.
Do not assume a message is genuine because the profile uses a company logo or employee photograph.
15. The Offer Letter Contains Errors or Unusual Conditions
A fake offer letter may contain:
- Incorrect company address
- Poor-quality logo
- Different fonts and formatting
- Spelling or grammar errors
- Incorrect recruiter name
- Personal email address
- Unrealistic salary
- No reporting manager
- No employment terms
- Payment instructions
- A demand to act immediately
- A signature copied from another document
A professional-looking PDF is not proof of authenticity.
Verify the offer through the company's official HR contact. Do not use only the phone number or email printed on the suspicious document.
Warning
No legitimate recruiter will ever ask for your PIN, password, CVV, or OTP at any stage of hiring.
Common Types of Recruitment Scams
Fake Work-from-Home Jobs
These promise easy income for data entry, product reviews, online tasks, or administrative work. The victim is later asked to pay a joining fee, purchase software, deposit money, or move funds.
Fake Recruitment Agency
The agency promises guaranteed placement in exchange for a fee. It may conduct a meaningless interview and issue a fabricated offer letter.
A genuine agency should clearly identify its business, client relationship, services, and fees. Verify independently whether the employer has authorized it.
Fake Government Job
The scammer copies government logos and creates a false recruitment notice, examination form, or appointment letter.
Verify government vacancies only through official government websites and published notifications. Do not trust a notice merely because it contains an emblem or official-looking language.
Fake International Job
The scammer offers overseas employment and requests money for:
- Visa processing
- Medical examinations
- Travel
- Work permits
- Documentation
- Accommodation
Verify the employer, recruitment agency, visa category, contract, and official immigration process. Do not send money to a personal account.
Fake Training-to-Employment Scheme
The candidate is told that purchasing a course or certification guarantees a job.
Training and recruitment are different transactions. A legitimate course may improve your skills, but "guaranteed placement" should be examined carefully. Request written terms, refund conditions, placement records, and the identities of hiring partners.
Fake Equipment-Purchase Scheme
The employer sends a cheque or instructs the candidate to purchase a laptop from a specific vendor. The payment fails, the vendor disappears, or the cheque is later reversed.
Do not buy equipment for an unverified employer.
Fake Job Assignment
The company requests substantial unpaid work and disappears after receiving it.
A reasonable assessment should be limited and directly related to the role. Be cautious if an assignment resembles an actual client project or requires several days of production-ready work.
Identity-Theft Recruitment
The scammer's main goal is to collect:
- Identity documents
- Tax information
- Banking details
- Photographs
- Signatures
- Login credentials
The job discussion may end as soon as the documents are obtained.
How to Verify a Job Posting Step by Step
Use the following process before paying anything, attending an unusual interview, or sharing sensitive information.
Step 1: Search for the Company Independently
Search the company name and visit its official website.
Check:
- About page
- Contact information
- Office locations
- Careers page
- Legal business name
- Products or services
- Professional online presence
Do not rely exclusively on links sent by the recruiter.
Step 2: Confirm the Vacancy
Search the careers page using:
- Job title
- Job ID
- Location
- Department
If you cannot find the position, contact the company through an independently verified channel.
The absence of a public listing does not always prove fraud, but it requires clarification.
Step 3: Verify the Recruiter
Check the recruiter's:
- Full name
- Company
- Current position
- Profile history
- Professional connections
- Email domain
- Previous activity
A newly created profile with few connections, copied photographs, incomplete experience, and immediate payment requests is suspicious.
Contact the company directly if you remain uncertain.
Step 4: Inspect the Email Domain
Compare the sender's domain with the official company domain character by character. For example:
- Official:
careers@examplecompany.com - Suspicious:
careers@example-companyjobs.com
Do not click links before checking where they lead. On a computer, hover over the link to inspect the destination. On a phone, press and hold it carefully without opening it.
Step 5: Search for Reports About the Message
Search using combinations such as:
Company Name recruitment scamRecruiter Email Address scamPhone Number job fraudExact message text
Finding complaints can confirm a scam. Finding nothing does not prove the opportunity is safe because the contact details may be new.
Step 6: Ask Specific Questions
Ask the recruiter:
- What is the exact job title?
- What is the job ID?
- Where is the position listed?
- Who will conduct the interview?
- What are the responsibilities?
- Where is the office?
- What is the employment type?
- Who is the reporting manager?
- What are the stages of selection?
- Can you email me from the company domain?
A scammer may provide vague answers, change the subject, or create urgency.
Step 7: Verify Through an Independent Contact
Use contact details from the official company website, not the information provided in the suspicious message.
You can write:
I received a recruitment message from someone using the name Priya Sharma regarding the Java Developer position. Could you confirm whether this person and vacancy are associated with your organization?
Do not forward sensitive documents while requesting verification.
Step 8: Stop if Money Is Requested
Do not continue because the amount is small.
Scammers may begin with a minor payment to build trust and later demand larger amounts. Once a person pays, the scammer may invent new fees.
A real salary flows from the employer to the employee. The applicant should not finance the recruitment process.
A Quick Job Scam Test
Pause the conversation if the answer to any of these questions is yes:
- Am I being asked to pay?
- Am I being promised unusually high income for simple work?
- Did I receive an offer without a meaningful interview?
- Is the recruiter avoiding official email?
- Am I being rushed?
- Does the vacancy not exist on the official website?
- Am I being asked for banking credentials, an OTP, PIN, or CVV?
- Must I use my bank account to move money?
- Must I deposit money to unlock tasks or earnings?
- Am I being asked to buy gift cards or cryptocurrency?
- Did I receive a cheque and instructions to return part of it?
- Is the recruiter refusing independent verification?
Do not continue until you have verified the opportunity.
What to Do If You Suspect a Fake Job
If you have not paid or shared sensitive information:
- Stop communicating with the recruiter.
- Do not click additional links.
- Do not download files or apps.
- Save screenshots and message history.
- Record the phone number, email, website, and payment details.
- Report the account to the job platform.
- Report suspicious contact details through the appropriate cybercrime channel.
- Block the scammer after preserving evidence.
India's National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal provides a facility for reporting suspicious phone numbers, WhatsApp or Telegram handles, email addresses, social-media accounts, and website URLs. Report Suspect to I4C
What to Do If You Have Already Paid Money
Act immediately.
1. Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider
Tell them that the transaction was connected to suspected fraud.
Provide:
- Transaction ID
- Amount
- Date and time
- Recipient account or UPI ID
- Screenshots
- Communication history
Ask whether the transaction can be held, flagged, or recalled. Recovery is not guaranteed, but delay reduces the chance of stopping the transfer.
2. Report the Financial Fraud
In India, call the national cyber financial-fraud helpline at 1930 and submit a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The 1930 helpline operates across Indian states and Union Territories for reporting cyber financial fraud. Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre
Provide accurate information and preserve the acknowledgement or complaint number.
3. Preserve Evidence
Save:
- Job advertisement
- Recruiter profile
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Offer letter
- Chat history
- Call records
- Payment receipts
- Bank statements
- UPI IDs
- Website addresses
- Downloaded files
- Courier information
Do not delete messages because you feel embarrassed. They may help the bank, platform, or investigating authority.
4. Report the Posting
Report it to the platform where you found it, such as the relevant:
- Job portal
- Social network
- Messaging service
- Email provider
- Website host
This may help prevent other job seekers from being targeted.
Warning
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately - delay reduces the chance of stopping or reversing a fraudulent transaction.
How to Respond to a Suspicious Recruiter
You do not owe a suspected scammer a discussion.
If you want to verify the request before ending communication, use:
Before proceeding, I need to verify the position through the company's official careers team. Please provide the job ID, careers-page link, your company email address, and the official contact responsible for this vacancy. I will not make any payment or provide financial credentials during recruitment.
If the person becomes aggressive, refuses verification, or continues demanding money, stop responding.
Do not threaten, insult, or attempt to investigate the scammer personally.
Safe Job Search Checklist
Before Applying
- I found the vacancy through a credible source.
- The employer has a verifiable website and business presence.
- The job description contains clear responsibilities.
- The salary is reasonable for the role.
- I understand where and how to apply.
Before Responding to a Recruiter
- I checked the complete email address.
- I verified the company domain.
- I checked the recruiter's professional profile.
- I confirmed the vacancy independently.
- I understand how the recruiter obtained my profile.
- I have not been asked to pay.
Before Sharing Documents
- I know why each document is required.
- I have verified the employer independently.
- I have completed a credible selection process.
- I have received a genuine written offer when appropriate.
- I am using a secure company system.
- I have removed unnecessary personal information.
- I have added a purpose-specific watermark where appropriate.
Before Accepting an Offer
- I verified the offer through an official company contact.
- I understand the role, salary, location, and reporting structure.
- I spoke with identifiable company representatives.
- I was not asked to transfer money.
- I was not asked to use my bank account for company transactions.
- I read all employment terms carefully.
Practical Tip
Run through this checklist before responding to any new recruiter, not only before your first job search.
Conclusion
A fake job posting succeeds when excitement or urgency prevents verification.
A professional-looking message, company logo, recruiter photograph, interview invitation, or offer-letter PDF does not prove that an opportunity is genuine. Verify the vacancy through the company's official website, inspect the recruiter's email domain, ask specific questions, and contact the employer independently when necessary.
The most important rule is simple:
Never pay money to receive a job, never share passwords or OTPs, and never use your personal bank account to process an employer's transactions.
If you suspect fraud, stop communicating, preserve the evidence, and report it. If money has already been transferred in India, contact your bank, call 1930, and file a complaint through cybercrime.gov.in immediately.
Taking a few minutes to verify an opportunity is always safer than allowing pressure to make the decision for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a recruitment scam?
A recruitment scam is a fake employment opportunity created to steal money, personal information, financial details, or unpaid work from job seekers. Scammers may impersonate recruiters, employers, placement agencies, or government representatives and use genuine company names to appear credible.
What is the clearest sign of a fake job offer?
A request for money is one of the clearest warning signs. Scammers may describe it as an application fee, registration charge, refundable deposit, training fee, equipment cost, verification charge, or offer-letter processing fee. Do not pay money to obtain a job.
Can a fake job appear on a well-known job portal?
Yes. Scammers can publish fraudulent vacancies or create fake recruiter profiles on legitimate job platforms. Finding a posting on a recognized portal does not automatically prove it is genuine. Verify the vacancy through the employer's official careers page and contact information.
How can I verify whether a job posting is genuine?
Visit the company's official website independently and search its careers page for the position or job ID. Compare the title, location, requirements, and responsibilities. Verify the recruiter's email domain and professional profile. If anything remains unclear, contact the company using details published on its official website.
How can I check whether a recruiter is genuine?
Check the recruiter's full name, company, role, profile history, professional connections, and email domain. Ask for the exact job title, job ID, careers-page link, and selection process. A genuine recruiter should be willing to provide clear information and allow independent verification.
Is a job offer sent through WhatsApp or Telegram always fake?
No, but it requires careful verification. Genuine recruiters may use messaging services for scheduling or brief communication. Be cautious if the entire interview happens through anonymous chat, the recruiter refuses to use an official email address, or the conversation quickly turns to payments, cryptocurrency, tasks, or sensitive documents.
Can a recruiter legitimately use Gmail or another personal email address?
An independent recruiter or small business may use a general email provider, so a Gmail address alone does not prove fraud. However, recruiters claiming to represent a large company should normally be able to communicate through a verifiable company channel. Perform additional checks before sharing documents.
What information is normally safe to share when applying?
You can normally share your name, professional email, phone number, city, resume, work history, education, skills, and portfolio links. Avoid placing identity numbers, banking details, card information, passwords, PINs, CVVs, or OTPs on your resume or initial application.
When is it normal for an employer to request identity documents?
A verified employer may request identity, tax, banking, or work-authorization documents after a genuine written offer during formal onboarding or background verification. Confirm the employer independently, understand why each document is needed, and use its secure onboarding system instead of sending sensitive files to an unverified personal email address.
Should I pay a refundable registration or security deposit?
No. Calling a payment refundable does not make it safe. Recruitment scammers often begin with a small registration or security charge and then invent additional fees. Stop the process if payment is required to reserve, confirm, release, or begin a job.
What is a job task scam?
A task scam promises commissions for simple activities such as liking videos, rating products, reviewing hotels, or completing simulated orders. A fake platform displays supposed earnings and later requires deposits to unlock more tasks or withdraw money. The displayed balance is not genuine, and further payments usually increase the loss.
What is an equipment-purchase job scam?
In this scam, a fake employer asks the candidate to buy a laptop, software, or other equipment from a specified vendor. The employer may send a fraudulent cheque or promise reimbursement. Do not purchase equipment or transfer money until the employer and employment relationship have been independently verified.
Why would a fake employer send me a cheque?
The scammer may ask you to deposit the cheque, keep part of the amount, and send the remainder to a supplier or purchase gift cards. The deposit may appear temporarily, but the bank can later identify the cheque as fraudulent and reverse it. You may then be responsible for the real money you transferred.
Is a job legitimate if I receive a professional offer letter?
Not necessarily. Scammers can copy company logos, employee names, addresses, and signatures. Verify the offer by contacting the company through its official website. Do not depend only on the phone number or email printed on the offer letter because those details may belong to the scammer.
Is receiving a job offer without an interview suspicious?
Yes, especially for a professional role. A legitimate employer usually evaluates your experience, skills, availability, and suitability before making an offer. Immediate selection after a few messages becomes particularly suspicious when followed by requests for money, equipment purchases, or sensitive information.
What should I do if a job requires me to receive or transfer money?
Stop immediately. Do not use your personal account to receive customer payments, transfer company funds, buy cryptocurrency, or send money to vendors. The arrangement may involve stolen funds and could make you an unknowing money mule. Contact your bank and report the incident if a transaction has already occurred.
What should I do if I find a suspicious job posting?
Do not pay, click additional links, install applications, or share more information. Save the posting, messages, email addresses, phone numbers, website links, and recruiter profile. Report the posting to the job platform and block the sender after preserving the evidence.
What should I do if I have already paid the scammer?
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately and report the transaction as suspected fraud. In India, call the national cyber financial-fraud helpline at 1930 and file a complaint through cybercrime.gov.in. Preserve payment receipts, messages, account details, phone numbers, and other evidence.
What should I do if I shared a password or OTP?
Contact the affected bank or service immediately. Change the password using a trusted device, sign out of unknown sessions, enable multi-factor authentication, and check for unauthorized activity. If financial information was exposed, block affected cards or accounts and submit a cybercrime complaint.
How can I protect my identity documents during recruitment?
Share identity documents only after verifying the employer and understanding why they are required. Use a secure onboarding system and add a purpose-specific watermark when appropriate, such as "Submitted to ABC Technologies for employment verification only - July 2026." Never send identity documents merely because an unknown recruiter creates urgency.