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Checking employers and job offers

Asked to pay for a job? What the rules say and what to do

What UK rules say about employment agencies charging work-seekers, what the US FTC advises about paying for a job, and how to respond to a fee request.

By LuceriaPublished Updated

What the rules say

In Great Britain, GOV.UK's guidance for employment agencies and businesses lists things they cannot do, starting with charging a fee to a work-seeker for work-finding services; entertainment and modelling agencies follow different rules, and complaints go through the pay and work rights complaints service to the Fair Work Agency. In Northern Ireland, nidirect sets out the same ban on work-finding fees, except in the entertainment sector, and complaints go to the Employment Agency Inspectorate.

In the US, the FTC's job scams guidance says honest placement firms do not typically charge job candidates, because the hiring company pays them, and that anyone who asks you to pay for the promise of a job is a scammer.

Fee requests and how to read them

Common payment requests in job processes
RequestHow to treat it
A registration or placement fee to join an agency's booksIn the UK, agencies cannot charge for finding you work. Do not pay
Paying for a 'starter kit', training course or certification before you can startA common scam pattern described by the FTC. Do not pay
Buying equipment yourself to be reimbursed laterA common route into fake cheque scams. Do not pay
Paying a third party for a background or right-to-work checkVerify with the employer directly first; genuine employers run their own checks
A visa or sponsorship fee paid to a recruiterSee the guide on overseas job and visa scams before doing anything

How to respond

  1. Do not pay, even a small amount; scams often start small and escalate.
  2. Keep the advert, messages, names and any payment details requested.
  3. Contact the company through details you found yourself and ask whether the request is genuine.
  4. In the UK, report a suspected scam to Report Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland, as GOV.UK explains, and complain about an agency's fee through the pay and work rights service in Great Britain or the Employment Agency Inspectorate in Northern Ireland.
  5. In the US, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
A reply that asks for verification without paying
Thank you for the offer. Before I make any payment, please confirm the request in writing from a company email address and give me a landline number I can check against your website. I will also confirm the role with your company directly.

Checking the business

Luceria's free public check looks up official company registries and highlights payment pressure and other warning signs in pasted text, without an account and without generative AI. A registry match does not prove the person contacting you is genuine, and no check can certify an employer as safe.

Before you respond to any fee request

  • I know exactly who is asking and for what.
  • I have checked the company through its own official channels.
  • I have not sent money, card details or one-time codes.
  • I have kept copies of everything.

Common questions

Can a UK agency charge me for a CV / resume writing service?

GOV.UK says agencies cannot charge for work-finding services, and that providing other services has its own rules. You should never be required to buy an extra service as a condition of being found work.

What if I have already paid?

Contact your bank or payment provider straight away and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed, then report the scam. The guide on what to do if you shared details with a job scammer has the steps.

Sources

Put it into practice

See how Luceria helps with this
Signs a job offer is fakeFake cheque and equipment scamsHow to report a job scam in the UKRun a free company checkMore on checking employers and job offers

Drafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.