The five-minute verification routine
- 1Visit the company's official website directly (type the URL yourself, don't click a link from the recruiter)
- 2Check the recruiter's email domain matches that exact website domain
- 3Search the company name on LinkedIn — confirm employee count, real employee profiles, and recent activity
- 4Search "[company name] reviews" and "[company name] scam" and skim the results
- 5For registered businesses, check official company registries where available (e.g. MCA in India, Companies House in the UK, SEC/state registries in the US)
Reading employee reviews the right way
A handful of negative reviews about management style or pay is normal for almost any real company. What's worth taking seriously is a pattern of reviews specifically describing unpaid stipends, ghosting after interviews, or requests for money — that's a different category of complaint than "the culture wasn't for me."
Checking the recruiter, not just the company
Checking the recruiter, not just the company
- Does their LinkedIn profile show a consistent history, or was it created recently with few connections?
- Are they connected to other verifiable employees at the same company?
- Does their email match the company domain exactly (not a lookalike, e.g. "@company-hr.com" instead of "@company.com")?
- Are they willing to do a video call, or do they avoid it and insist on chat-only communication?
Watch for domain lookalikes
| Real domain (example) | Common lookalike tricks |
|---|---|
| @company.com | @company-careers.com, @company-hr.net, @company.co (wrong TLD) |
| @company.com | Extra or swapped letters: @cornpany.com, @compnay.com |
| @company.com | Free email providers used for "official" HR communication |
Paste the job posting or message details in and get an instant company and posting risk check.
Scan a Job for Scam RiskWhen verification alone isn't enough
Even a genuinely real, registered company can have a rogue individual recruiter running a side scam using the company's name without authorization. If anything about the payment or process feels off despite the company checking out, call the company's official number directly and ask them to confirm the individual and the role.
