Fake Offer Letter and Joining Fee Scam on WhatsApp

How it looks on WhatsApp, the red flags and what to do.

WhatsApp scams arrive from numbers you do not know, from a friend whose account was taken over, or from a group you were added to without asking. 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 on WhatsApp

• A message from an unknown number, often with a stock photo of a smiling person.
• A friend or relative asking for urgent money from a new number or a hacked account.
• A group invite promising returns, jobs or prizes.

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 WhatsApp message

• 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.
• A new number says it is someone you know and asks for money; call the real person on the old number first.
• You are added to a group full of people praising profits.

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. Warn the group or family, and report the number on Sanchar Saathi if it is a scam call or message.
5. Do not click links or open files. Do not send money or codes.
6. Open the chat, tap the contact name and choose Block and report.

Inside WhatsApp use Block and report; for numbers that call or text you, the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) also takes complaints.

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: email, phone call.

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