Job Offer Scam — How Fraudsters Exploit Job Seekers in India
Fake job offers are one of the fastest-growing scams in India. Thousands of job seekers lose money every month to fraudulent recruitment schemes on Telegram, WhatsApp, and SMS. Scammers exploit desperation, urgency, and trust in recognizable brand names. Here is everything you need to know to protect yourself.
Types of Job Scams
Scammers use different tactics depending on the platform and target audience.
Task-Based Job Scams
The most common variant in 2026. You are asked to complete simple tasks — like YouTube videos, rate products, or complete surveys — for easy money. The scam starts with small real payments (Rs 50-200) to build trust. After a few payouts, you are told about "premium tasks" that require an upfront "investment" of Rs 1,000-50,000. The promised returns never come. This is a classic Ponzi-style operation where early victims' deposits fund the small payouts to new victims.
Fake Company Recruitment
Scammers impersonate well-known companies like Google India, Amazon, TCS, Infosys, or Wipro. They send fake offer letters with company logos, employee IDs, and official formatting. The catch: they demand a "registration fee," "security deposit," or "background verification fee" before joining. Real companies never charge candidates any fee. These scams often use look-alike domains like google-india-careers.com instead of the official company website.
Data Entry / Typing Scams
These target students and homemakers with promises of Rs 15,000-30,000/month for simple typing or data entry work from home. The scam requires an upfront "kit fee," "software license," or "security deposit" ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000. After payment, victims either receive no work at all, or are given impossible tasks with unreachable quality thresholds that conveniently disqualify them from receiving payment.
Telegram / WhatsApp Group Scams
Victims are added to Telegram or WhatsApp groups with hundreds of members. The group is filled with fake "success stories" and payment screenshots from accomplices. Group admins post daily tasks and encourage deposits. The social proof from seeing other "members" earning money creates pressure to participate. Once enough deposits are collected, the group is deleted and the admins disappear. New groups are created with new names and the cycle repeats.
Real Examples
These are real messages reported by victims. Can you spot the red flags?
"Hi! Amazon is hiring part-time workers. Earn Rs 1,500-8,000/day. Simple task: like videos on YouTube. Join: https://t.me/amazon-jobs"
"Congratulations! You've been selected for Data Entry position at Wipro. Salary Rs 35,000/month. Pay Rs 2,500 registration fee to confirm."
"Task 1: Like this video. Payment Rs 150 sent! Task 2: Rate this product. Payment Rs 200 sent! Premium Task: Invest Rs 5,000 for Rs 15,000 return."
"Dear Candidate, Your resume was shortlisted by TCS. Complete online test at http://tcs-careers-test.in. Fee: Rs 1,000."
Red Flags to Watch For
If you see any of these signs, stop immediately. The offer is almost certainly a scam.
Any upfront payment is demanded
Registration fee, security deposit, training fee, kit fee — legitimate employers never charge candidates.
Unrealistic salary or earnings claims
Rs 1,500-8,000/day for 'simple tasks' or Rs 50,000/month for data entry with no experience is not real.
Contact via Telegram, WhatsApp, or SMS only
Real companies use official email (@company.com) and registered job portals, not anonymous messaging apps.
No interview or skills assessment
If you are 'selected' without any interview, aptitude test, or technical screening, it is not a real job.
Pressure to act immediately
"Offer expires in 24 hours" or "Only 5 positions left" — urgency is a manipulation tactic.
Vague job description or company details
No clear role, no manager name, no office address, no company registration number — these details should be verifiable.
Payment requested to a personal UPI or bank account
Fees going to an individual's account instead of a company account is a clear fraud indicator.
The Truth About Job Recruitment
Legitimate companies NEVER charge fees for recruitment. Not for registration. Not for training. Not for background checks. Not for "kit fees." Not for any reason whatsoever. If you need to pay money to get a job, it is a scam. This is true for every company — from small startups to Google, Amazon, TCS, Infosys, and Wipro. The cost of hiring is always borne by the employer, never the candidate.
What to Do If You Encounter a Job Scam
Do not pay anything
No matter how convincing the offer letter or how urgent the deadline, never transfer money for a job opportunity.
Verify independently
Visit the company's official website and careers page. Contact their HR via the official email listed on the website — not the contact given in the scam message.
Report the scam
Call the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 (24/7). File an online complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots and any transaction details.
Contact your bank immediately
If you already transferred money, call your bank's fraud helpline within minutes. Quick reporting increases the chance of reversal.
Warn others
Share the scam details with family, friends, and on social media. Report the fraudulent Telegram group, WhatsApp number, or fake website to the platform.
Scan with Savdhaan AI
Paste the suspicious job offer message into our AI scanner. We check links, domains, phone numbers, and message patterns against 6+ threat intelligence sources instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about job scams in India.
Can legitimate companies ask for money during hiring?
No. Legitimate companies never charge candidates for recruitment, registration, training, background checks, or any other hiring-related process. If a company asks you to pay money at any stage before or after receiving an offer letter, it is a scam. Real employers bear all hiring costs themselves. This applies to every company in India — from startups to TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Amazon, and Google.
Are Telegram job groups real?
The vast majority of Telegram and WhatsApp job groups that promise easy money for simple tasks are scams. They operate on a well-known fraud model: pay you small amounts initially to build trust, then ask you to 'invest' or 'deposit' money to unlock higher-paying tasks. Once you deposit, the money is gone. Legitimate companies recruit through their official career portals, LinkedIn, and registered job platforms — not anonymous messaging groups.
How do task-based job scams work?
Task-based scams follow a calculated pattern. First, you are added to a group and given simple tasks like liking YouTube videos, rating products, or writing reviews. You receive small real payments (Rs 50-200) for the first few tasks. This builds trust. Then you are told about 'premium tasks' that require an upfront investment of Rs 1,000-50,000 for much larger returns. Once you pay, either the tasks stop or they keep demanding more 'investments' with increasingly larger amounts. The initial small payments are bait funded by money taken from other victims.
How to verify if a job offer is real?
Verify any job offer by following these steps: (1) Check the company's official website and careers page for the listed position. (2) Email the company's HR department using the contact details on their official website — not the contact details given in the offer. (3) Search for the recruiter's profile on LinkedIn and verify they work at the company. (4) Check the email domain — real companies send offers from @company.com, not from Gmail or Yahoo. (5) Look for the job listing on registered portals like Naukri.com, LinkedIn, or the company's careers page. (6) Never pay any fees, and be cautious of offers that seem too good for your qualifications.
Where to report fake job scams in India?
Report fake job scams through these channels: (1) Call the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 — available 24/7. (2) File an online complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots and transaction details. (3) Report to your local police station and file an FIR. (4) If you lost money through UPI or bank transfer, immediately contact your bank's fraud helpline to attempt a reversal. (5) Report the fraudulent account on the platform where you were contacted (Telegram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn). Act fast — the sooner you report, the higher the chance of recovering your money.
Received a suspicious job offer?
Paste it into our AI scanner. We check against 6+ threat intelligence sources in seconds.
Received a suspicious message?
Paste it into our free AI scanner. Get an instant risk assessment backed by 6+ threat intelligence sources.