How to tell if a job is a scam

A job is probably a scam if it asks you for money, asks for your bank details or Social Security number before a written offer, or moves the whole hiring process into a chat app. Any one of those is a reason to stop. The checker above looks for these signs and quotes the exact words that raised each one.

• They want money from you. A fee for training, equipment, a starter kit or a background check. Real employers pay you, not the other way round.
• They send you a check. You are told to deposit it and pass part of the money on. The check bounces days later and you owe the bank the full amount.
• The interview is text or chat only. A “hiring manager” on Telegram, WhatsApp or Signal who offers you the job after a few messages.
• They ask for ID or bank details early. Before there is a written offer, nobody legitimate needs your Social Security number or account number.
• You would be reshipping packages. Receiving goods at home and sending them on is a common way to move items bought with stolen cards, and your address is the one on the paperwork.
• The pressure is on. Start today, decide now, keep it quiet. Real hiring is rarely in that much of a hurry.
• The details do not hold up. A recruiter writing from a personal email account, a company you cannot find, or pay far above the going rate for the work.

How to use the job scam checker

1. Paste the whole posting or message: the title, description, pay and how to apply. Text only; the checker does not open links.
2. If you can, say how the job reached you and tick anything that has already happened, such as a request for payment or a check in the mail. That context matters as much as the wording.
3. Click Check this posting. In about 20 seconds you get a verdict, a trust score and every warning sign marked in the posting itself.
4. Read the reasons, not just the score, then run the checks under “What it cannot do” before you share anything personal.

Scams and ghost jobs are different problems

The checker gives you two separate answers: is this a scam, and is this a real job that is actually open. A ghost job will not steal from you, but applying is usually wasted time.

• Signs of a scam: payment requests, checks to deposit, chat-only interviews, early requests for ID or bank details, pay in crypto or gift cards, reshipping, pressure to start right away.
• Signs the job is not really open: no concrete duties, “always hiring” or talent-pool wording, no team or manager named, requirements that contradict each other.
• Minor issues: vague wording and missing pay are reported separately. A missing salary alone does not make a job fake.

Fake job postings on real job sites

A listing on a well-known job board or on LinkedIn is not proof that it is real. Scammers post there because that is where people look. Treat the site as the place you found the job, not as a check on the employer, and confirm the role on the company’s own careers page before you apply.

What it cannot do

It reads the posting. It cannot confirm that a company or a recruiter is real, so do these yourself before you share anything personal:

• Find the same job on the company’s own careers page.
• Look up the recruiter on LinkedIn, and check that their email address uses the company’s domain.
• Call the company on a number from its official website, not one from the message.
• Never pay to get a job, and never share your Social Security number or bank details before a written offer.

If you think you have been scammed

• Stop replying, and do not send money or deposit anything else.
• Call your bank right away if you shared account details or deposited a check.
• If you gave out your Social Security number, IdentityTheft.gov gives you a step-by-step recovery plan (US).
• Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov (US), and to the job site or app where you found it.

Limits and privacy

• Free: three checks a day with no sign-up. Add an email address and you get 30 more a month, along with the HOW TO // AI newsletter once a week.
• Length: up to 8,000 characters, which covers almost any posting.
• Links: it never visits links in a posting, which keeps it safe from pages built to trick automated tools.
• Privacy: your text goes to an AI model to be read and the answer comes straight back to you. We do not store or log what you paste.

Using AI in your job search

The same tools that write fake postings can help you with real ones. Start with the AI job search prompt vault, practice with AI as your interview coach, and when a recruiter writes back, the free email reply generator drafts your answer.

Looking for real openings? Remote AI jobs lists roles straight from about 50 AI companies’ own job boards, updated hourly, with a filter for jobs that need no coding.

Frequently asked questions

How can you tell if a job posting is fake?

Look for requests for money, a check you are asked to deposit, interviews held only by text or chat, and requests for your bank details or Social Security number before a written offer. Then confirm the job on the company's own careers page.

Is the job scam checker free?

Yes. You get three free checks a day with no sign-up. Adding an email address gives you 30 more a month plus the weekly HOW TO // AI newsletter; the limits exist because every check costs us money to run.

Can it tell me for sure that a job is fake?

No. It reads the posting for the warning signs that scams and ghost jobs share and quotes the words behind each one. It cannot confirm whether a company or recruiter is real, so check the careers page and the recruiter yourself.

What is a ghost job?

A posting for a role that is not really open: a talent pool, a job that is already filled, or an ad left up to make a company look busy. It is not a scam, but applying is usually a waste of your time.

Does it open the links in a posting?

No. Paste the text of the posting itself. The checker never visits links, which keeps it safe from pages built to trick automated tools.

Do you keep what I paste?

No. The text goes to the AI model that reads it, the answer comes straight back to your screen, and we do not store or log what you paste.