You've found a job you're excited about and want to apply right away. Before you send your resume or share any personal information, take a few minutes to make sure the opportunity is real.
Lately, fake job postings seem to be everywhere. They show up on job boards, social media, messaging apps, and even websites built to look like real company career pages. Some are set up to collect your personal information. Others try to get you to send money or deposit fake checks.
The good news is that there are usually warning signs. Here's how to tell if a job posting is legit before you apply
1. Research the Company
Start with the employer.
Search for the company's official website and see whether the organization has a legitimate online presence. Look for information about what the company does, where it operates, and how to contact it.
Then check the company's official careers page to see whether the position you're considering appears there.
Not every legitimate opening will necessarily appear on a company's website, particularly when employers work with recruiting firms or other hiring partners. But if you can't find credible information about the employer at all, that's a reason to investigate further.
Pay attention to websites that closely imitate a legitimate company's site but use a slightly different domain name.
2. Look Closely at the Job Description
A legitimate job description should give you a reasonable idea of what the role involves.
It will typically include information such as:
Job responsibilities
Required or preferred qualifications
Employment type
Location or remote-work expectations
Information about the employer or team
A vague description isn't automatically a scam. Some employers simply don't write very good job postings.
But be more cautious when a posting provides almost no information about the actual work while focusing heavily on how much money you can make or how quickly you can get hired.
3. Be Cautious of Pay That Seems Unrealistic
A salary that looks unusually high for relatively little work deserves a closer look.
Compare the compensation with similar jobs in the same field and location. If the posting promises unusually high earnings for an entry-level role, requires almost no qualifications, and offers very little explanation of the work involved, investigate before applying.
One unusual detail alone doesn't prove that a job is fake.
You're looking for patterns of warning signs, not one imperfect sentence in a job description.
4. Check How the Employer Communicates With You
A legitimate recruiter may contact you by email, phone, text, LinkedIn, or another professional platform.
So an unexpected message by itself doesn't necessarily mean you're dealing with a scam.
Instead, look at the full context.
Does the person's email domain match the company they claim to represent? Can you find the recruiter or organization independently? Does the communication sound consistent with a professional hiring process?
Be particularly cautious if someone pressures you to move immediately to an unfamiliar messaging platform or refuses to provide information that would allow you to verify who they are.
If someone contacts you claiming to represent MyCareers or Leoforce and you're unsure whether the communication is legitimate, you can use the MyCareers Verify Recruiter Communications resource before proceeding.
5. Never Pay to Get a Job
A legitimate employer should not require you to pay for the privilege of getting hired.
Be cautious if someone asks you to send money for things such as:
Job placement
Training required before you're hired
Equipment
Background checks paid directly to the recruiter
Application processing
Software or supplies purchased from a specific person or vendor
The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers may impersonate employers or recruiters and ask job seekers for money or personal information.
A job is supposed to pay you.
6. Be Careful With Checks and Equipment Purchases
One common employment scam involves sending a candidate a check and telling them to use the money to purchase equipment.
The person may ask you to deposit the check, buy a laptop or other supplies, and send money to a particular vendor.
Later, the check turns out to be fraudulent.
By that point, the money you've spent may already be gone.
Be especially cautious when someone you've never met sends you a check and asks you to purchase equipment, transfer money, buy gift cards, or return part of the funds.
7. Don't Share Sensitive Information Too Early
Employers do need certain personal information during the hiring and onboarding process.
The timing matters.
A standard application may ask for your name, contact information, employment history, education, and other job-related information.
But you should be cautious about providing highly sensitive information—such as banking details or certain identity documents, before you've verified the employer and reached the appropriate stage of the hiring process.
Ask yourself:
Why does this person need this information right now?
If there's no clear reason, verify the request before providing it.
8. Watch for Pressure to Act Immediately
Scammers often benefit when people don't have time to think.
You might hear:
“This position will be gone today.”
“We need your information immediately.”
“You've already been selected.”
“Deposit this check as soon as possible.”
Real hiring processes can move quickly, but legitimate employers should still give you an opportunity to understand the position, ask questions, and verify who you're dealing with.
Pressure combined with requests for money or sensitive information is a particularly important warning sign.
9. Verify the Opportunity Independently
Don't rely only on the information provided in the message or job posting.
Do your own checking.
Search for the employer independently rather than clicking only the links someone sends you.
Look at:
The company's official website
Its careers page
Established professional profiles
The email domain used by the recruiter
Whether the position appears through other legitimate sources
Contact information published by the company itself
If you're still unsure, contact the organization using contact information you found independently and ask whether the opening or recruiter is legitimate.
What If a Job Posting Has One Red Flag?
Don't panic.
A typo doesn't make a job fake.
A recruiter sending a text doesn't make a job fake.
A short job description doesn't automatically make a job fake either.
Instead, look at the overall picture.
Several inconsistencies together: an unfamiliar email domain, unrealistic pay, no verifiable company presence, immediate hiring, and a request for money, are much more concerning than one unusual detail.
What Should You Do If You Think a Job Is a Scam?
Stop communicating until you can verify the opportunity.
Don't send money or additional personal information.
If the posting appears on a job platform, use the platform's reporting tools when appropriate.
You can also report suspected employment scams to the Federal Trade Commission through its official fraud reporting resources.
If you've already provided financial information, passwords, or other sensitive information, take appropriate steps to secure the affected accounts as soon as possible.
Before You Apply
A good opportunity should stand up to a little research.
Before sending your application, take a few minutes to ask:
Can I verify the employer?
Does the opportunity make sense?
Do the communication and hiring process feel consistent with a legitimate job?
Is anyone asking me for money or sensitive information that they shouldn't need yet?
Job searching already takes enough time and energy. A few extra minutes of verification can help you focus that effort on opportunities worth pursuing.
Ready to Keep Searching?
Finding legitimate opportunities shouldn't require guessing who's on the other side of the posting.
Explore jobs on MyCareers and continue your search with confidence.
