How to verify suspicious employer communication
Employers and agencies may contact you on Indeed about job opportunities. It's important to make sure that these messages are from real people about real vacancies. This page covers how to verify suspicious communication. We'll also explain what to do if you suspect someone is impersonating a recruiter.
Best practices
Be mindful of suspicious activity when talking with employers and agencies. Here are some ways to do this.
Verify the sender's email
Most real employers and agencies use a work email. They don't use personal accounts like Gmail or Yahoo.
Make sure:
- The company name is in the email address
- The name is spelt right
- There are no extra letters or strange changes
Make sure the recruiter is genuine
If someone claims to be a recruiter from a specific company:
- Visit the company's official career page or website
- Check for a staff directory or "meet the team" page
- Search for the recruiter on LinkedIn
- Call the company's main phone number to confirm the recruiter works there
Research the company online
- Search for the company's website
- Find a physical address or a phone number
- Check if they have verified social media accounts
- Look up recent news or reviews about the company
Communicate through official channels
Whenever possible, use official communication methods:
- Video calls or face-to-face meetings
- Phone calls to verified company numbers
- Emails from official company domains
Don't share your personal details
Be careful if someone asks for your:
- Driving licence
- Credit checks
- Bank details
- Social Security information
Pay attention to the quality of the message
The message might be a scam if it has:
- Grammar mistakes
- Spelling errors
- Unusual words or phrasing
Also, be careful if:
- The job offer sounds too good to be true
- They make promises that don't feel genuine
- They pressure you to act immediately
Protect yourself
- Do not reply to suspicious messages.
- Do not click on links or download attachments.
- Keep a record of all correspondence in case you need it later.
Red flags for fake recruitment agencies
Be aware of these warning signs:
- Requesting payment for training, DBS checks or equipment
- Interviewing only through text or messaging apps
- Offering a job without an interview
- Using generic greetings like 'Dear applicant' instead of your name
- Sending offers from free email services
- Pressuring you to accept an offer immediately
What to do if you suspect impersonation
If you believe someone is claiming to represent a real company:
Report it to the company
- Visit the company's official career page or website
- Find their contact details or fraud reporting page.
- Notify them that someone may be using their name fraudulently.
Report the situation to Indeed
If the suspicious contact came through Indeed:
- Report the message or job advertisement
- Block the sender if possible
Recruitment agency or Indeed impersonation?
Recruitment agency impersonation
- If someone claims to be a recruiter from a specific company:
- Report it by contacting the impersonated company.
Indeed impersonation
- Someone claims to represent Indeed or uses Indeed's name and branding.
- Find out more about text messages or phone calls claiming to be Indeed.
Next steps
Still unsure if a message is genuine? Or think you may have been scammed? Here are some articles that can help:
For jobseekers
Want to know how we protect you?
Find out about the steps we require employers to take and how we deal with fraudulent activity:
- How To Verify Your Account
- Employers have to verify their identity before they can post on Indeed.
- Fraudulent Job Policy
- This policy explains how we detect and deal with fraudulent job advertisements on our platform.