How to spot a fake job advert
To check a suspicious job advert, verify the employer through an independent official source, compare the sender's domain with the real company website, avoid upfront payments or early bank-detail requests and contact the company through details you found yourself.
Published 25 July 2026 · Reviewed 25 July 2026
Which warning signs deserve an immediate pause?
Payment for training, equipment, registration or access is a serious warning sign when tied to a supposed job. Requests for bank details, identity documents or one-time codes before a verified process also deserve caution.
Pressure is part of the pattern. A scammer may claim the role will disappear within hours, move the conversation to an encrypted messenger or discourage independent contact with the employer.
- Unexpected contact from a free or look-alike email domain
- Pay far outside the likely market without a clear explanation
- Upfront fees, cheque overpayments or cryptocurrency requests
- Requests for sensitive details before a verified contract
- Pressure to act before you can check the organisation
How do you verify the company independently?
Find the official website without using the link in the message. Compare the email domain, published telephone number and legal details. In the UK, Companies House can confirm that a company record exists, but a record alone does not prove the person contacting you is authorised.
Use the contact details on the official site to ask whether the vacancy and recruiter are genuine. Search the company's own careers page and established job channels. Keep in mind that scammers can copy real names, logos and company numbers.
What can an automated check tell you?
A registry and pattern check can surface useful evidence: whether a company record matches, whether a sender uses a free domain, whether the text contains payment pressure and which claims need independent confirmation.
It cannot certify safety. A real company can be impersonated, public information can be incomplete and a new scam may avoid familiar wording. The final decision should combine the evidence with independent contact.
What should you do if you already shared information?
Stop further contact and preserve messages, payment records and account details. Contact the relevant bank or service provider promptly if money or financial credentials are involved.
In the UK, Action Fraud provides the national reporting route for fraud and cybercrime. Use emergency services where there is immediate danger. Luceria provides checking support, not legal advice or an emergency response.
Common questions
Does a Companies House record prove a job is real?
No. It confirms a company record, not that the sender or vacancy is authorised.
Are Gmail recruiter emails always fake?
No, but a free email domain for a claimed established employer is a reason to verify through the official company channel.
Can Luceria guarantee a listing is safe?
No. Verify highlights evidence and warning signs; the user must make the final judgement.
Where can UK fraud be reported?
Action Fraud is the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.