How to spot an online job scam

Online job seekers are a target for scams because the work is remote and the employer is often abroad. The scams repeat the same patterns, so they are easy to recognise once you know them.

Five signs

1. A fee. Registration, training, software, verification, "refundable deposit". Real employers pay you; they do not charge you.
2. Guaranteed daily pay for copy-paste or form-filling work. Genuine data-entry work is paid per hour or per task after a test, not guaranteed per day with no screening.
3. Payment through gift cards, crypto or a personal account. Employers pay by bank transfer, mobile money or a payment platform in the company's name.
4. An offer without a test or interview. Every real online role screens you. An instant offer is a sign no job exists.
5. Pressure. "Only 3 slots left", "pay within 24 hours". Legitimate hiring is slow and boring.

The one rule

Never pay anything, to anyone, to get work. That rule alone defeats nearly every scam.

Checking an employer

• Search the company name with the word "scam" and read what comes up.
• Find the company's own website and check that the email domain matches.
• Look up the person who contacted you on a professional network.
• Ask for the job description and pay terms in writing before any task.

Listings on this site come from third-party job APIs and are not verified by us. Apply these checks to every listing, wherever you found it.