68 Responses to How to determine if a job offer is a scam

About Susan Kihn

Susan Kihn is a Mining Talent Expert at CareerMine. She has over 20 years experience in the recruitment industry,
having worked for major companies in South Africa where she also ran her own successful recruitment business for
many years.
View all posts by Susan Kihn

1.

Tshephang
Thanks for tips, cause i never thought of such like i did paid several jobs before but
currently im not working.

April 20th, 2014 Reply

2.

Susan Kihn
Hi Tony
Thanks for the feedback. Scamming is a real problem world wide. Recruiters should
never ask for money in order to find you a job, if they do the chances are the job does not
exist and you will be left with no job and less money. Thank you for the warning!
Regards. Susan

June 23rd, 2014 Reply

3.

Toby Minhas
I think other web site proprietors should take this site as an model, very clean and great
user genial style and design, as well as the content. Youre an expert in this topic!

June 24th, 2014 Reply

4.

Damas p. chacha
Thank you for your good advice.i was not aware of those scammers.

September 3rd, 2014 Reply

5.

Kadiam Bharani
i got mail from two different companies for various job oppurtunities in the concerned
organisations. They sent me application forms and interview forms. they also told me that
if you got selected in our organisation company will send you air tickets but you have to
take care of visa fees. please suggest me how to detect whether the offer is real or fake.

October 5th, 2014 Reply

Susan Kihn
Hi Kadiam. Thank you for the response. Firstly the minute a company asks for
money for anything during the interviewing process you need to be careful. It is
highly unlikely that a legitimate company will ask for money for anything
including visas. I would suggest that you do some research on the company,
including doing a google on the company and the contact details and then
contact the company and ensure that they exist and are who they say they are,
and are not scammers posing as a company before you ever consider handing
any money over for anything. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is highly
unlikely that any legitimate company is going to make you a job offer without
ever having interviewed you. So it sounds to me as though this position could be
a scam. So please be very vigilant before handing any money or personal details
over.

October 6th, 2014 Reply

6.

rajkumar
I received a production engineering job from valero energy corporation.first they send me
a application form and interview form.and asked me to fill it. After filling and sending
they say u r selected for the job in our company and they send a visa form and asked me
to fill and asked me to pay a visa registration fee 32400 inr.and other fees will be paid by
company.and they gave a contact to Thomas l vadja as a us consular in mumbai.plz check
me this is real r fake.how to find fake job.

November 24th, 2014 Reply

Susan Kihn
Hi Rajkumar. I would be very careful of handing over any money for a job.
Genuine companies will not ask you to pay for visas etc. You should not be
asked for any money ever. I would suggest that you contact the company and
ensure that it is not a scam. If you are offered a job without even having been
interviewed, you can generally assume that it is a scam. No company will hire
somebody without interviewing them first. The best thing to do is to google the
company details, ensure they are the same, and phone if possible otherwise
email them and check that they are who they say they are. Good luck I hope you
come right.

November 28th, 2014 Reply

7.

De Waal Havemann
Then if this site is all legitwhy am I being asked to pay $65 to have my CV circulated.

November 25th, 2014 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi De Waal, To post your resume on the site is for free and it will be active on
the site and visible to all the recruiters. However if you want to feature your
resume, which is optional it means that your resume will appear at the top of the
lists of all the resumes, along with the other featured resumes. We will also

check it for grammatical errors etc and advise you should we feel changes
should be made. It just means more exposure to the recruiters on the site, but as
I said this is entirely optional. Regards. Susan.

November 28th, 2014 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi De Waal. We at CareerMine are not actively involved in the recruitment
process with any of the recruiters on our site, but rather provide a service for
companies to advertise their positions on CareerMine. If you are actively
looking for a job in the mining industry, you may register on our website and
post your resume. Your resume will then become searchable though our
database. This service is for free. However you may also Feature your resume
which will ensure that your resume stays close to the top of the list and you will
have a better chance of being contacted by a company. It is also highlighted and
edited. The cost for 6 months is Can$65.00 (approx. US$65.43)This is however
optional, and as I said to post your resume is for free, and it is still visible to the
recruiters on the site. Featuring your resume gives you more exposure to the
recruiters on the site. It does NOT guarantee your getting a job, but gives you a
lot more exposure.

January 21st, 2015 Reply

8.

Callistus Vog-Enga
Thanks for the tips.

December 25th, 2014 Reply

9.

Rocky Johnson
This is the most valuable bit of information I have read in a long time, when we are
desperate to get a job, we will consider anything without taking care not to be scammed.
thanks Susan

January 14th, 2015 Reply

10.

kmon
Job. Scammers are many in nigeria due to the level of unemployment in the country, they
have offices well furnished if you not smart they will empty your pocket before you
know. There was a day I went to interview like that they ask me money for training
without telling me what position they training me for, they ask me money I said am not
with money they ask me to use my ATM card to withdraw money I use that opportunity
to run away from them they even calling me on fone.

January 18th, 2015 Reply

11.

SUNIL SHETTY
Hai some week back i got a mail about the job and i applied after i i applied they give a
application form and interview letter and for my reply they send me a agreement letter
now i got appointment letter in zeal warth construction canada they guide me to contact
canada embasy in mumbai and i also got call from us regarding these and i googled about
the company actually these company exist but they didnt respond for my mail as seen in

above case they also inform me that we provide air ticket and other cost you have to take
care visa charges that we will return you back after you come to canada even though i
have dout but sometime i feel confusion because they conducted all thing in so corporate
way so whats your idea

January 20th, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Sunil. Thank you for the message. I would suggest that you contact the
company and ask to speak to their Human Resources department and ensure that
they are who they say they are. I would suggest you do some research into the
company, do a google search on them, check the contact details they have given
you and phone the head office and ensure that all that has been offered is
legitimate. The majority of companies will pay for work visas. Another sign to
look for, is if they have actually interviewed you. Companies are highly unlikely
to offer you a position without having interviewed you first. As soon as a
company asks for any money for anything in the recruitment process, you need
to be careful and start investigating. Good luck, I hope it all works out for the
best.

January 21st, 2015 Reply

12.

hope
hello I applied for a job. I got the add from olx. There repiled me so quickly. sending me
the information. what I dont understand there a saying I must pay R200 for the secretary
first kit. and am working from home I well work 4hours for R1000. and I well be trained.
The company called Ringale trading in gemiston. The emailed me the form to fill and
there information What there do to get money. Please check them for me if its not a
scammer

January 20th, 2015 Reply

Susan Kihn
Hi Hope. Thank you for the response. I would be very careful before handing
over any money. It is highly unlikely that a genuine company will ever ask for
money in exchange for a job. I would do some investigation into the company
before paying anymore and ensure that they do exist. We are based in Canada,
so difficult to know if the company is genuine or not, but I would investigate
carefully first. Good luck.

January 21st, 2015 Reply

13.

mathew
Very good advice im currently being sent three emails all for different jobs. Funny this is
that they offer same wage, same methode of payment, and all three do not have a contact
number. Also they all say warm greetings. So clearly that is a scam, I just had a
question. Say you respond with can I have you work number? And then later realize its
a scam does that meen you set yourself up for disaster even though you did not provide
any personal information? except for your email address which they already knew
because they sent me an email

January 26th, 2015 Reply

o

anuj
Some week ago..i am apply for work visa in UK First UK person send me
mail..he want home care taker like a supervisor job.. I am apply they want

money m say no after this m ready to give half money they give me state bank
of India account no m send money afterthis they send me application fom by
mail ..(vaf1a ) m fill this fom nd send scan copy now they send me more mail nd
want bal money.. They also give embassy payment list . .now she say give
bal.money then m give U appointment latter like visa application fomm
confused m allready give 15000 nd 18500 is bal. If she fake then how she give
m emmbessy payment slip .guiad me .

September 6th, 2015 Reply

Susan Kihn
Hi Anuj. Thank you for the message. I would be very careful of
handing over any money for any job. No legitimate company is likely
to ask for money in exchange for a job. I think you should contact the
UK embassy directly and ensure that this procedure is correct and that
you are not being scammed. Work permits do cost money, but you need
to ensure that the money you are paying is actually for the work permit
and not going into the pocket of a scammer. So please be very careful
before handing money over. Regards. Susan

September 11th, 2015 Reply

14.

Mandy
Hey I received a job offer to be a personal assistant. The guy hired me and said he would
send me a check and to deduct $300 and take $50 out for postage stamps and he would
mail me a recipient list of all the people I would be mailing to he said the left over money
would be used to buy stuff for his workplace. I asked him to call me because I have had
sketchy job offers lately and he said he would call me for clarification. Is this a scam?

January 29th, 2015 Reply

admin
es, it sounds like a scam.

February 11th, 2015 Reply

15.

Tienie Erasmus
It is a huge problem. Thanks for the tips. I have been seeking alternatve ex-pat
employment for almost a year and all the replies I got was fake. And I register with well
known sites! These days 8/10 times it will be a scam. That is my experience anyway.

January 30th, 2015 Reply

16.

Sandra McCallum
Thank you so much for advise i was excited about a position offered to me in the mines
as a machine operator due to
my past experience. They requested i send them money in advance. They were even
prepared to reduce the amount to assist me doing what they explained as a favor.

February 4th, 2015 Reply

admin
The general rule is that any company that asks for money during the job
application process is likely to be a scammer. Tread carefully.

February 11th, 2015 Reply

17.

TakiMass
My wife got a job offer from Indeed [dot] com; The guy name Jonathan Joneson took
her interview online by gtalk. After that he approved her. They doesnt have any physical
office in NY, but he ensure soon they will setup a office in NY.
We surprised that guy offer her high salary, which is not expected! He sent her offer
letter, W4 form, Employment Letter; and told her to sent her valid Driving Licence / State
ID
Now we are really confused, is it real job or fake? How we can find it out?

February 7th, 2015 Reply

o

admin
There are many scammers out there who hoodwink honest job seekers into
applying to their jobs. Te biggest telltale sign is than no bonafide hiring
company or recruiter will ever ask for money during the job application process.
If they do, you can be rest assured they are scammers. I would suggest never
pass over any personal information until the integrity of the company and the
person you are dealing with can be verified first.

February 11th, 2015 Reply

o

Trin
I too just got that same offer from James Joneson and i went through the
online only interview this morning. Seems very scammy..non of the info
matches and i asked weird questions and got responses that were not inline.
Please do not send any forms back nor give him anymore info. I am going to file
a complaint with BBB and you should do the same as well as delete him contact
from your google account. I wish you the best and happy job searching to your
wife.

May 27th, 2015 Reply

18.

Rafique
Hi Susan,
I was offered a job through a recruiting company that asked me for $600 in advance in
order to pay for job training. They would in return the money as soon as I am matched
with a company and start working with them. What do you suggest? Should I go forward
with them or back off. I checked the companys reviews online only 4 were written but I
am unsure if they are real reviews or reviews made by themselves.

February 12th, 2015 Reply

o

admin

Back off, a company should never ask for money during the interview or job
application process.

February 12th, 2015 Reply

19.

admin
Hi Gilbert, it sounds like you are being scammed.

February 25th, 2015 Reply

20.

sivalingam
Dear I received job selection letter on the name of labour solutions Australia through
Mumbai recruitment agency.please advice how to check this letter is true.now the agency
asking money for visa & immigration lawyer charge 30000inr.pls advice tku

May 18th, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Sivalingam. Please do not pay any money for visa and immigration lawyer
charges to the recruitment agency. It is highly unlikely that any legitimate
company is going to make you pay for these costs, so please be very careful and
do not give them your personal details nor any money. There are a lot of
scammers out there and as soon as they start asking for money you need to be

very careful. Also no company is going to employ you without interviewing you
so please keep this in mind. Regards. Susan.

July 6th, 2015 Reply

21.

syed
Respected sir,
I received this job offer email Kindly check it is it real or fake i want apply for this job
please help and guide me.
Thanks reegards
syed hassan my cell no 923452794469
skype id shassanrizvi
Date: Fri, 22 May 2015 21:48:37 +0530
Subject: Application Form and Contract Agreement
From: 622gabrielvictor@gmail.com
To: shassanrizvi@hotmail.com
Dr. Gabriel Victor and Family
Regina Beach, 352 Mc Murchy,
Avenue, Brown,
LA Canada S0G 4C0
+13438825838
Dear Syed Misdaq Ul Hasan,
Application Form and Contract Agreement
In receipt of your mail, we have gone through your CV and we are sanctified with it, here
is an attached application form you have to fill and send back to us immediately so that it
will enable us fasten the approval processing with the appropriate authorities here in
Canada
The employment agreement letter is also attached, which you have to read very carefully
and understand if you agree with the terms and conditions sign and also return the copy to
me along with your degrees Certificate CV Resume and copy of your international
passport.
We also have decided to offer employment that will be base on all your degrees and
choice of position on application form.

Your job responsibilities will be may know to you once we received all details require
from you.
Note: A proper self introduction interview will be conducted in our office here in Canada
before work duty sign on.
The Employer will take care of Employees visa fee and also Employer will be
responsible for air ticket of Employees that will enable employee to come over to
Canada for resumption of work duty after proof of visa page.
Finally, the Employer shall open an international account for you on the account that you
migrated from there to here on WORK VISA and your salary is payable at regular payroll
period by cheque.
Note: Employee will take care of his/her work permit fee / Insurance License and all
other related documents required by the embassy in visa processing office to enable
him/her have visa urgently without any refusal.
Please do understand that we are doing this due to our past experience whereby we paid
for visa fee/work permit fees and our employee turn us down, that cause us to lust money
with no refund. Do not accept this contract if you cannot afford to pay for your work
permit to the Canadian embassy in visa processing office when needed for your visa
processing.
Best regards,
Dr. Gabriel Victor
Director

May 23rd, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Dear Syed. There are a number of factors that I see in the letter you have sent
me that point to this being a scam. Firstly the English and grammar are not very
good. Secondly at the end of the letter they talk about your not accepting the
offer if you are not able to pay for the work permit. Thirdly the email comes
from a gmail account not a company account, this also means that it is probably
a scam. They are also saying that they are going to be asking for money for
visas, which no legitimate company will do. For this reason I am sure it is scam
and would advise you not to send any personal details through nor any money.
Regards. Susan.

July 6th, 2015 Reply

22.

Gq
Beware of polymed scam

May 27th, 2015 Reply

23.

venu
hi, please anybody guide me , i am in full of confusion..
i am an BE graduate working in bangalore, India. My known person is running a
consultancy he is offering me a foreman job in Export Packers Group of Companies,
Ontorio, Canada by profile selection itself!!!! he is telling that i got selected through
profile selection and asking to take biometric & medical test in kolkata where he is
having connection with consultancy (those are in contact with canada company , as per
him) at the time of test they are asking to pay 25000INR & for company refundable Amt
125000INR ,here they are going to sign agreement and asking to hand over passport with
photo for visa process & we have to collect it in delhi, after these process they are asking
to pay 500000INR (5 Lakh) as a processing fee for them including air ticket, this is for
two years contract . plz clearify my confusion , can i believe them.

June 17th, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn

Hi Venu. Thank you for your enquiry. I would be very careful if I was you about
this offer. It is highly unlikely that a legitimate company is going to ask for
money when offering a job. Please do your homework very carefully here, and
investigate the company thoroughly. I am pretty sure it is a scam. Please be
careful before handing over personal details or money. Regards. Susan.

July 6th, 2015 Reply

Biju
Me. Venu Please note that before paying the money you should do
your homework. I spoke to the consultant in Bangalore and I
understand that he has advised not to pay and stopped paying money
till he gets clarification. I also understand that you have paid on your
own in spite of his advice . It looks he is a good consultant who work
for candidates Good Luck

August 4th, 2015 Reply

24.

Jakir
Hello mame
thank you for your valuable advice
I am a B.TECH graduate working with a private company, i registered in a job portal side
jobsindubai and i submitted all my info with resume and i got some mail from them
regarding jobs in dubai but they are asking money $ 99 cad for registeretion charge for be
a active member than only they will forward my profile to various companies.so , i
want known how much this info is truth or froud .i will be glad on your advice

September 3rd, 2015 Reply

Susan Kihn
Hi Jakir. Thank you for your enquiry. Please be very careful about handing
money over in exchange for a promise of a job. No legitimate real company is
going to ask for money in exhange for a job, so the chances are most likely that
you are being scammed. Regards. Susan.

September 11th, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Jakir. Thank you for the enquiry. Please be very careful about paying any
money for a job. No legitiate company is going to ask for money in exchange
for a job. Regards Susan.

September 11th, 2015 Reply

25.

joseph Mukundi
thank sou very much for so much helpful advice

September 4th, 2015 Reply

26.

bit paying hyip

Very nice blog post. I definitely love this site.
Keep writing!

September 9th, 2015 Reply

27.

Adil
Hi I got a mail for a job in Singapore and they r asking 1.20k for the job is it
genuine.thanks

September 15th, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Adil. I would say you are being scammed, the golden rule is that no
legitimate company is going to ask a job seeker for money in exchange for a job.
It would be highly unethical, and for this reason I am sure you are being
scammed. Please do not pay that money across, before doing a thorough
investigation into the company. Regards. Susan.

September 15th, 2015 Reply

28.

JL
Hi SusanI have been approached by a big corporation in China who has asked me to be
the Canadian Rep. He wants me to open a bank account at the Bank of China and tells me
that he cannot remit my salary any other way. He forwarded me to a representative with
the Bank. The bank has asked me for personal info which I gave my drivers license #
and Security # but no copiesNow the bank is asking me to deposit $1200 or they will
not be able to open the account for me to receive my salary. I am really skeptical about
thisIs it a scam?

September 15th, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Jacques. Thank you for the feedback. I think you are about to be scammed, it
is highly unlikely that a bank is going to ask somebody to deposit $1200 in order
to open a bank account. Please be very careful here before paying any money
across. One needs to also be very careful about handing out personal
information such as your social security number, because of identity theft. Did
you have a formal interview with this company? I would suggest that you do
some research into the company and check that they do exist. I would also do
some research with the bank and see what the procedures are in order to open a
bank account, but I think it is highly unlikely that any bank is going to ask for as
much money as $1200 in order to open an account. Good luck and I hope you
get to the bottom of it, but I would suggest that you do not pay the money
across. Regards. Susan.

September 15th, 2015 Reply

29.

Satyam
A company is offering me a job but they are asking for registration fee 4500/- and
promises to return it in 6 month and promises to sign an agreement for proof.. what
should I do?

September 18th, 2015 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Satyam. Thank you for the response. Sadly I suspect you are about to be
scammed, it is highly unlikely that a legitimate company is going to ask for
money in exchange for a job offer. I would not pay the money across without
doing some very careful investigation into the company. Please also be careful
of handing over your personal information such as social security numbers etc.
Regards. Susan

September 18th, 2015 Reply

Choco
Hi Susan, what if the person writes to me a personal mail through
LinkedIn, has over 500+ contacts, is a very influential CEO in a foreign
country but still requests me to ask for more info on the job via a gmail
address? Am I overly cautious or does it sound scammy to you as
well?

October 14th, 2015 Reply

Susan Kihn
Hi Choco. I would be careful, please do your homework well.
Investigate the company ensure the person is who they say
they are before proceeding. If at any stage they ask for money
in return for a job offer or anything that goes along with a job
offer eg work permits, checks, air flights etc then you are in
most likelihood being scammed. So please proceed cautiously.
Regards Susan

December 3rd, 2015 Reply

30.

Anton Ranil
Hi Susan. I think youre doing a great job. Thank you

October 3rd, 2015 Reply

31.

welid omer

hi susan, i got job offering throuth third party , they told me to provide free ticket and
visa just what i have to do is to pay them 199 $ for visa processing , and i contact the
company which provide me the job and they confirm it , they ask me to pay the fee
through western union bank

March 1st, 2016 Reply

32.

Puja Medhi
Thanks a lot for these tips. Its been few days since Im getting some fake calls from some
companies and they seem so professional but at last ask money for registration or
interview etc. Now I have started to avoid this type of calls and thanks to all your
information now i am sure enough they are all fake.

June 6th, 2016 Reply

33.

zaeem
hi susan i want to know that i got offer from turkey and now consultant is asking for a
money but he is saying to send money on your own name through western union they just
want to see it as a bank statement security money.they just want a reciept no code of
western union.what do you say kindly guide me.

June 23rd, 2016 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Zaeem. Thank you for your input. Please be very careful about paying any
money. No reputable company is going to ask for money in exchange for a job.
If they do it is highly likely that they are going to try to scam you and that the
job does not exist. Please be very careful. Regards. Susan.

July 5th, 2016 Reply

34.

Ron
thank you so much for this! i think i was likely to be scammed. A job offer letter came to
me after replying and without any interview. They said I have to deposit a refundable (!)
$200 after accepting the offer letter and the letter itself is full of mistakes :/

June 26th, 2016 Reply

35.

Arvind
Hey,
First and foremost thank you for the information you shared. Job scammers are really a
big issue to be dealt with. They suck out a huge amount of money from rich or poor
anyone. I personal got 7 fake emails for jobs in airlines and automobile sector. I noticed
one thing in particular, they ask us to deposit the amount the next you receive the
email/message. They are spread all over the internet with fake recruitment offers. Another
point is the bank details it is in the name of an individual, this is where you can locate
them by contacting the bank with the help of the cop. I want you to add my points to your
blog so that its helpful to others incase youre okay with it.
Thanks again

June 29th, 2016 Reply

36.

Lkshya
Awesome article ! I really like this post.
Thanks for sharing these helpful post for who are looking to build his career in the
competitive world.

July 6th, 2016 Reply

37.

Khaled
Thank you Susan. This is vital information people! Never ever give away personal info, I
learned the hard way. I almost sent money (thousands) to a travel agent who was going
to help me get a work visa and flight ticket. If an employer is asking you to send
money through Western Union or Moneygram, this is the red alert. Id rather be jobless
than have a stolen identity and be more in debt. A question for you Susan. How do I break
off contact with these scammers? I dont want to draw attention by admitting to them I
know they are fakes for safety reasons, should I report them to local authorities or just
ignore and block their messages completely? How to protect myself? Thank you.

July 28th, 2016 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
Hi Khaled, well done for not ignoring those warning signals! So many people
have a feeling that something is wrong and that it is all too good to be true, and
find out the hard way after having parted with their hard earned money. I

suggest you report the company to the authorities and block them so that they
are not able to contact you again in the future. Always remember if a company
offers you a job without even having interviewed you the chances are its a scam,
and if they ask for money at any stage in the process including for visas,
verification checks, air flights etc you are in all likelihood going to be scammed.
So please be very careful!

September 20th, 2016 Reply

38.

Serena
Hi, I just got an email 2 days ago, of a job offer as a personal assistant who can work
from home. it said i dont need an interview, and that they would send me tasks to do right
away.
unfortunately I fell for it and gave my name, address, phone number, and email to them. I
found out yesterday that this was a scam.
Can they use the information that I gave them to harm me in any way? and if yes, what
can I do about it ?

August 1st, 2016 Reply

39.

Graeme Rapley
Work scammers are active in Ghana be aware as they are very good, take notice of the
advice given in this colum. do not be a victim of employment scammers

September 8th, 2016 Reply

40.

David Rivera
There is a special place in hell for these people. Theyre kicking people while their down.
They take money from poor people. They should be ashamed of themselves.

September 8th, 2016 Reply

o

Susan Kihn
I tend to agree with you on this one David. Scammers are taking advantage of
those who can afford to part with their money least, and take advantage of job
seekers who are desperate for work. It is very sad to see just how many job
seekers are falling for these scams. Please everybody be careful. If a company
asks for money in exchange for a job you can bet its a scam.

September 13th, 2016 Reply

41.

RODRICKS CHRISTIAN
Thank you. You just saved me from one scam.

September 13th, 2016 Reply