How do I check if a job offer abroad is real?
- Score the warning signs. Answer 8 questions in the checker: who contacted you, any fees, the interview, the email address, the permit number, the salary and any pressure to hurry.
- Find the employer on the official register. Search the company on the official register of the country where the job is, such as the UK sponsor register, Canada's Job Bank and LMIA list, MOHRE in the UAE or Qiwa in Saudi Arabia.
- Phone the company yourself. Call the number on the company's own website, not the number the recruiter gave you, and ask if the job and the recruiter are real.
- Ask for the official reference. Ask for the CoS, LMIA, MOHRE offer, work permit or agency licence number and check it yourself on the government site.
- Pay nothing to a recruiter. Do not pay for the job, the visa or a deposit. Where you must pay a government fee, pay it on the government's own website.
How does the job offer scam checker work?
Each answer is matched against the warning signs that labour ministries and immigration departments publish: fees for the job, offers by WhatsApp, no interview, free email addresses, missing permit numbers, salaries far above the market and pressure to pay fast. The score adds them up. It rates the signs, not the employer, so a high score means “verify first”, not “this is fake”.
The full method, with the official register for each country, is in our guide how to verify an overseas job offer. If money has already gone, read what to do when an agent took your money. Offered a study place, a degree or a paid “sponsorship” instead? Use the college and degree checker.
Frequently asked questions
Can this checker tell me if my job offer is fake?
No tool can. It scores the warning signs in your answers, the same signs that government scam warnings list. Only the official register of the country where the job is, and the employer itself, can confirm an offer.
Is it normal to pay a fee for an overseas job?
Not for the job or for sponsorship. In Canada, the USA and Australia an employer may not charge you for a job or for sponsoring you. Some home countries allow a small, capped agency fee with a receipt. Where you pay a government visa fee yourself, you pay it on the government's own website.
How do I check a UK job offer?
Find the employer on the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors, check the company on Companies House, and ask for your Certificate of Sponsorship reference. Phone the company on the number from its own website.
I have already paid. What should I do?
Stop paying, call your bank or money transfer service today to ask for a reversal, save every message and receipt, and report it to the police and to the agency that licenses recruiters in your country. The emailed report lists the official places to report for your countries.
General information, not legal advice. This checker cannot confirm or rule out fraud. Verify every offer with the official register and the employer before you pay or travel. Rules checked October 2026.
