How to Spot a Remote Job Scam in Ninety Seconds
Remote hiring attracts fraud, and the scripts are predictable once you know them. Seven checks, all free, all fast.
The people running these know exactly who they are targeting: someone who needs the job badly enough to ignore a small wrong note. So here are the wrong notes, written down, so you do not have to trust your gut in a moment when your gut is under pressure.
The seven checks
1. They ask you for money
Training fees, equipment deposits, background-check fees, visa processing. A real employer never asks a candidate for money. Not once, not for any reason, not refundable later. This one rule alone stops most of it.
2. The interview happens entirely on chat
Especially Telegram or WhatsApp text, with no video call at any point. Real companies want to see and hear you before they pay you.
3. The email address is not the company domain
A recruiter from a real company writes from name@company.com. If it is company.recruiter@gmail.com, it is not the company.
4. They send you a cheque or transfer, then ask you to forward part of it
This is money laundering and you will be the one holding it. Always. No exceptions.
5. The pay is far above the market for the work described
$4,000 a month for basic data entry is not a lucky break. Compare against two or three real listings for the same role before you get excited.
6. There is extreme urgency
"We need your bank details today, the position closes tonight." Real hiring is slow and boring. Urgency is a pressure tactic.
7. You cannot find the company anywhere
No website, no LinkedIn page with real employees, no trace older than a few months. Search the company name plus the word scam and read what comes up.
The ninety-second routine
- Search the company name. Does a real website exist?
- Open their LinkedIn page. Do real employees with real histories work there?
- Check the recruiter email domain against the website domain.
- Search the exact job description text in quotes. Copy-pasted scam posts show up on multiple sites word for word.
If all four pass, proceed normally. If any fail, walk away. There will be another listing.
One more thing
Never send a copy of your passport, BVN, or bank details before you have signed a contract and confirmed the company is real. Legitimate onboarding asks for those things after an offer, through a proper system, not over chat.
Our members-only job board exists mostly because of this problem — every role on it is checked before it is posted. It is included free for sixty days with any stage. See what is included.