Fake Offer Letter and Joining Fee Scam by email

How it looks by email, the red flags and what to do.

An email gives the scammer room to look official: a signature, a fake invoice, an attachment and a button that goes to a lookalike login page. Fake Offer Letter and Joining Fee Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A fake offer letter from a known company asks for a joining, laptop or training deposit. Real employers do not collect fees from selected candidates.

What fake offer letter and joining fee scam looks like by email

• A login page that opens from the email and asks for your password and OTP.
• A sender address that is almost, but not exactly, the real domain.
• A button that says "Verify account" or "View invoice".

The scammer collects phone numbers and emails from job portals or posts a fake vacancy. A 'recruiter' invites you for a short chat interview on a messaging app, which is brief and easy. The offer letter follows within a day, with a company logo, an employee code and a signed paragraph. The speed is a clue, as real hiring involves several rounds and checks.

Red flags to check on the email

• An offer arrives after a short chat interview.
• A deposit is demanded for a laptop or kit.
• The email domain is a free service or a lookalike name.
• The payment account is in a different name from the company.
• The tone is urgent and the grammar is slightly off.
• Hover over the link: the address does not match the company website.

What to do

1. Do not pay any fee for a job.
2. Find the company's careers page yourself and check if the role is listed.
3. Contact the company's official HR contact, not the one in the letter.
4. Go to the company website by typing it yourself and check your account there.
5. Check the full sender address, not just the display name.
6. Report it as phishing in your email app and delete it.

Use Report phishing in your email app. If money or accounts are affected, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 if you paid, giving the account details.
2. Tell your bank through the number on your card so it can try to hold the transfer.
3. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the offer letter, emails and receipts.
4. Watch for misuse of any ID documents you sent.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio Sentinel's scam check reads the email or chat text you paste and shows reasons such as a deposit for a job, a same-day deadline and requests for identity documents. The link check helps you look at a careers page address before opening it. Money Shield prompts you to verify who you are paying. It cannot confirm whether a company made an offer, so check through the company's own official contacts.

Full guide: Fake Offer Letter and Joining Fee Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, phone call.

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