Job scams in India: fee demands, fake offer letters, task scams

If you have already paid or shared bank details, act immediately: call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Speed matters because banks can sometimes hold funds that have not yet moved on.

Scam 1: the fee for a job

How it runs:

1. 1A call or message says your resume was "shortlisted" from a job portal, often for a role at a well-known company.
2. 2A short phone "interview" follows, sometimes only a few easy questions.
3. 3You are told you are selected, and asked to pay for registration, a background check, training material, a laptop or a "refundable security deposit".
4. 4After payment, a second fee appears. Then contact stops.

The tell: step 3. Selection with almost no assessment, followed immediately by a payment request.

Scam 2: the fake offer letter

How it runs:

1. 1You receive a professional-looking PDF offer letter with a company logo, a generous CTC and an urgent joining date.
2. 2To "confirm" the offer, you must send Aadhaar, PAN, bank details and sometimes a cancelled cheque, or pay a document verification charge.
3. 3The documents can be misused for loans, SIM cards or bank accounts in your name.

How to check an offer letter:

Verify by finding the company's official HR or careers contact yourself, from its website, and asking whether the offer is genuine. Do not use the phone number or email in the letter.

Scam 3: the WhatsApp or Telegram task scam

This one often does not look like a job at first.

How it runs:

1. 1A message offers part-time work from home: like videos, rate hotels, write reviews, "earn ₹2,000-5,000 a day".
2. 2The first few tasks are paid small amounts, sometimes by UPI, so it feels real.
3. 3You are moved to a Telegram group and a "prepaid task" or "merchant task" that requires you to deposit money, with a promise of higher returns.
4. 4Your dashboard shows growing earnings, but withdrawal needs another deposit, a "tax", or a "penalty" for a mistake.
5. 5The amount grows until you stop; the money is gone.

The tell: any work that requires you to pay first to earn more. Real employers pay you; they do not take deposits.

A two-minute check for any unexpected offer

Before replying to any unsolicited job message, answer these:

[ ] Did I apply for this role, at this company?
[ ] Did I have a proper interview, with technical or role questions?
[ ] Is the sender's email on the company's own domain?
[ ] Can I find this job on the company's official careers page?
[ ] Has anyone asked me for money, a deposit, or OTP/UPI PIN/card details?
[ ] Is the pay wildly higher than similar roles for my experience?
[ ] Am I being pressured to act within hours?

If you answer "no" to any of the first four, or "yes" to any of the last three, stop and verify through official channels.

What to do if you have already been caught

1. 1Call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in immediately, with transaction IDs, UPI references, dates and amounts.
2. 2Call your bank using the number on your card or the bank's official site, and ask to block the card or UPI and raise a dispute.
3. 3Save evidence: screenshots of chats, phone numbers, Telegram usernames, payment receipts, the offer letter PDF.
4. 4If you shared Aadhaar or PAN, watch for loan or SIM activity in your name. The "Know mobile connections in your name" service on the Sanchar Saathi portal lists numbers registered to you and lets you flag any you do not recognise.
5. 5Report the number or message through Chakshu on the Sanchar Saathi portal, which accepts reports of suspected fraud calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages. Chakshu itself directs people who have lost money to 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
6. 6Do not pay anyone who offers to "recover" your money for a fee. This is a common second scam aimed at victims.

Protect yourself while job hunting

• Keep your phone number visible on job portals if you want recruiter calls, but never share OTPs, PINs or card numbers on any call.
• Send identity documents only after a genuine offer, through the employer's official onboarding system or HR email, and only what they list.
• Treat a resume "shortlisted" call you did not apply for with extra care.

The same verification steps for in-person events are in checking whether an off-campus drive is genuine. Genuine employers select through real assessments, so your best protection is being prepared for them, which is what the Data Analyst programme focuses on.