What should you check before replying?

Separate the opportunity from the request attached to it. A job scam is an offer used to obtain money or personal information under the promise of employment. Scammers advertise through the same kinds of channels as genuine employers, including job sites and social media. The FTC's job scam guide explains this pattern.

The FTC is the US Federal Trade Commission, a consumer protection agency. Use its examples to examine an offer, while keeping its US reporting route separate from your own country's procedures.

These warning signs come from LinkedIn's hiring safety advice. Treat them as reasons to investigate. Avoid declaring someone fraudulent solely because a profile is sparse or an email contains a typo.

For your own records, use three labels: confirmed, unanswered, and stopped. Do not mark an unanswered question as confirmed just because the salary sounds attractive.

How do you verify a recruiter on LinkedIn?

Verify the person's relationship with the business through a contact you find independently. A recruiter is someone who helps an employer find candidates. LinkedIn warns about impersonation, incomplete profiles, mismatched contact details, and difficulty verifying the poster's identity. Read its identity checks alongside the message.

1. Ask for the role. Request the job description, reporting line, location requirements, and hiring stages.
2. Find the business separately. Search for its own website and contact information.
3. Confirm the connection. Ask whether the person represents the business and whether the vacancy exists.
4. Compare the details. Check the company name and email address against the reply.
5. Record what remains unclear. Hold back documents while those questions remain open.

An email domain is the part after the @ symbol. Compare it carefully with the business's website address. LinkedIn identifies generic email addresses and mismatched domains as warning signs; use them to trigger verification rather than as your only verdict. Its domain guidance supports that check.

A message you can adapt

Thanks for contacting me. Please share the job description and the company contact through which I can confirm your role in the hiring process. I will review the opportunity before sending additional documents.

Keep this separate from your pitch about your experience. For the initial introduction, use these recruiter message templates. Once the contact is verified, follow the LinkedIn application guide to prepare your application.

What if an employer asks you to pay?

Do not pay for a promise of employment. That is the central payment rule in the FTC's guidance. Apply it to the purpose of the request, even when the message calls the payment registration, onboarding, or a refundable reservation.

Hypothetical example: a marketing assistant vacancy

Imagine a small agency offers you a marketing assistant position after a short exchange. Before sharing the contract, it asks you to pay a fee to reserve your place. This is an illustrative scenario, not a reported case.

Your response should be brief: “I do not pay to secure employment. Please send the hiring details in writing.” Save the request and stop the payment process.

For your own decision, separate an optional course you choose to buy from a payment tied to getting a particular job. Evaluate the course on its own merits. Do not let a job promise substitute for that assessment.

When the employer's identity and process are clear, use a separate job offer checklist to consider pay, responsibilities, and working conditions. Keep the authenticity check as an earlier step.

Which remote job requests deserve a closer look?

Ask what you would produce and who would review it. The FTC describes work from home scams involving easy-money promises, starter kits, and supposed training. Compare the actual request with its remote work examples, especially before buying anything.

Hypothetical example: an online shop assistant

Suppose an online shop advertises customer support work. During the conversation, the task changes to receiving parcels at home, discarding receipts, and forwarding the goods. This is an invented example for checking an offer.

That sequence matches the reshipping scheme described by the FTC. Decline the parcel-handling request and retain the instructions. The FTC's reshipping explanation sets out the warning.

What about mystery shopping?

A mystery shopper evaluates service while acting as an ordinary customer. Some assignments are legitimate, but the FTC warns against paying for job guarantees or depositing a check and sending money onward. Its mystery shopping section explains the distinction.

Before accepting any assignment, write down the task, deliverable, payment terms, and contact person. If the explanation keeps changing, leave the assignment unaccepted. For a more structured search, use the remote job search plan.

What information should you withhold during an application?

Keep the first application focused on your experience and a way to contact you. LinkedIn flags requests for banking details and ID photos before formal hiring, along with requests for account credentials. Its personal information guidance is a useful starting boundary.

• Review your CV before attaching it.
• Leave identity document scans out of the initial application.
• Do not share account passwords or sign-in codes.
• Ask why an additional form needs each sensitive detail.
• Record which version of your CV you sent and to whom.

Phishing means using a deceptive message or page to obtain sensitive information. A phishing job email may ask you to follow a link and complete further questions. LinkedIn specifically advises caution with application follow-ups that request personal information. Check its follow-up warning before submitting.

My practical rule is to ask three questions before sharing a document: who will receive it, why do they need it now, and how have I verified them? Leave the upload unfinished if you cannot answer.

Where can you report a suspicious job posting?

Report a scam message received on LinkedIn to LinkedIn. If you have been a victim, contact local law enforcement as well. Those are the routes named in LinkedIn's reporting guidance.

If you sent money, contact the bank or payment provider immediately, explain the suspected fraud, and ask whether reversal is possible. The FTC recommends this first response. Treat recovery as uncertain.

Prepare a clear incident note

• Save the posting address and screenshots.
• Keep the profile, messages, email addresses, and phone numbers.
• Attach payment records if money changed hands.
• List what information you shared.
• Describe the sequence without guessing the sender's identity.

For US reporting, follow the reporting route provided within the FTC guide. Elsewhere, use the appropriate local authorities. A platform report and a report about financial loss should be tracked separately.

When ready to resume searching, use a written shortlist of employers and verification notes. The guide to finding job opportunities can help you organize that next step.