How to spot a job scam in India: ten signs

Your situation

You’ve found a job that looks good, or someone messaged you with one. You’re not sure. Here is a list to check it against.

Ten signs

• They ask for money: registration, training, a “security deposit”, a laptop, a visa, or anything else. Real employers don’t.
• They pay you to like videos, rate products or do “tasks”.
• The offer arrives on WhatsApp or Telegram and nowhere else.
• There is no company name, or the name doesn’t match the email address.
• The salary is far above what the role normally pays.
• You get the job without an interview, or after a chat that was only text.
• They rush you: “only today”, “seats are limited”.
• They want your ID, bank details or a one-time code before you’ve signed anything.
• The email comes from a free address that imitates a company.
• The recruiter refuses a video call or a visit to the office.

If you’ve already paid

1. Stop sending money, even if they say it’s the last payment.
2. Keep every message, receipt and number.
3. If you lost money, tell your bank straight away and call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline for financial fraud. You can also report at cybercrime.gov.in.
4. Tell the platform where you found the job.

Where Knock fits

Knock drops postings that ask for registration, training or joining fees and warns you about postings that ask for money. It doesn’t catch everything. If something feels wrong, trust that feeling and check the company yourself.