The job market is tough, and scammers know it. They post convincing listings, run fake interviews, and then ask you to pay for "training," "equipment," or a "background check." Some go further, asking you to open bank accounts or move money as part of your supposed new role. Here's how to recognize them, and what to do if you're already involved.
Red flags in a job offer
- They contacted you first, unsolicited — over WhatsApp, Telegram, or SMS.
- The salary is unusually high for the actual role described.
- They ask you to pay for something — training, equipment, visa processing — before you've started.
- They ask for your ID, passport, or bank details before any contract exists.
- The "interview" was suspiciously easy, or didn't really happen at all.
- The company email is a gmail.com or hotmail.com address, not a corporate domain.
- They want you to receive or transfer money through your own personal bank account "for work."
- They pressure you to start immediately, with no time to think it over or check references.
The most common recruitment scams
Advance fee scam
You're asked to pay for training, equipment, or a work visa before the job "starts." The job never actually starts; the payment is the entire point.
Money mule schemes
You're asked to open a bank account "for the company" and money is routed through it. This is money laundering, and you can be held legally liable for funds that pass through an account in your name — even if you didn't know what it was for.
Identity theft
They ask for your ID and personal documents "for HR onboarding" before any real employment relationship exists, then use that identity information elsewhere.
Crypto or investment task scams
Framed as "work from home reviewing products" or "investing on the company's behalf," these gradually ask for larger and larger amounts of your own money before disappearing.
Not sure if it's already too late?
Tell Nerva IR what you've shared or done so far — it'll walk you through containment steps specific to a job scam, not a generic script.
What to do if you already shared information
- If you paid money: follow the financial recovery steps in What to Do After Being Scammed Online — contact your bank or payment provider immediately.
- If you shared your ID or passport: file a police report and contact your national credit or fraud-monitoring agency to watch for identity misuse.
- If you opened a bank account at their request: contact your bank immediately, explain it was opened under fraudulent pretenses, and ask to close it. Do this before any money moves through it if you possibly can — you may be held legally liable for funds laundered through an account under your name.
- If you shared your bank login details: change your online banking password now, turn on transaction alerts for every movement, and contact your bank's fraud department directly.
Where to report it
Report through the same national channels as any other scam — Policía Nacional or INCIBE in Spain, Action Fraud in the UK, the FTC or IC3 in the US. Also report the listing itself on whichever platform it appeared on — LinkedIn, Indeed, or InfoJobs all have dedicated scam-reporting flows, and taking it down protects the next applicant.
In one case we documented, a user was approached with a fake pre-employment "training" program that required opening an account at a small online bank based in Lithuania. The account was used to launder money before it was caught. There was no direct financial loss to the user, but personal data had already been shared. They filed a police report and contacted INCIBE for guidance on next steps — exactly the sequence above.
LinkedIn's own safety guidance is worth a read before your next job search — recruitment scams have gotten noticeably more convincing on professional networks specifically.