How to spot a fake job offer.

Job fraud has moved from newspaper classifieds to WhatsApp, Telegram and fake company pages — and it targets exactly the people who are most eager to start work: freshers and anyone between jobs. As a placement consultancy that meets hundreds of candidates a month in Surat, we see the aftermath. This guide is what we tell them.

The seven red flags

• You are asked to pay. Registration fee, “processing charge”, refundable deposit, training kit, uniform, ID card, medical test, laptop. Legitimate recruiters are paid by the employer.
• The offer arrives without a real interview. A job confirmed after a chat on WhatsApp, with no conversation with the actual employer, is not a job.
• The pay is far above the market. A data-entry or “part-time typing” role promising ₹40,000 a month from home is bait. Compare with real advertised bands — our fresher jobs in Surat show what entry roles actually pay.
• “Task” jobs. Get paid to like videos, rate hotels or review products — then “invest” to unlock bigger tasks. This is the most common online scam of the last two years, and the money never comes back.
• Free email addresses and look-alike websites. An offer letter from a well-known bank sent from a Gmail address, or a domain one letter different from the real one.
• Urgency. “Only two seats left — pay today to confirm.” Real employers do not close a hire on the strength of your payment.
• Requests for OTPs, UPI PINs, or bank log-ins. No employer needs these. Payroll needs your account number and IFSC — after you have joined.

How to verify a job consultancy in five minutes

1. Check the company is real. Search the company name on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) master-data service to confirm it is registered.
2. Call the number on the official website — not the number in the message you received — and ask whether the person and the vacancy are genuine.
3. Visit the office. A consultancy with a real address will let you walk in. Ours is 404 Sunday Hub, Katargam, Surat.
4. Read the reviews on its Google Business Profile, looking for candidates describing how they were placed — not just star ratings.
5. Ask who the employer is and when you will meet them. A consultancy may keep a client confidential at first, but you will always meet the employer before an offer.

What a genuine hiring process looks like

Application, a screening call, at least one interview with the employer (in person, by phone or on video), and a written offer letter on the employer’s letterhead, from the employer’s own email domain. Documents such as Aadhaar and PAN copies are collected for payroll and background verification — usually at or after offer, and never together with a request for money.

How SForce works with candidates

SForce Recruitment is paid by the employers it recruits for, so applying through us is free at every stage. Our only candidate line is +91 90549 40075 (calls and WhatsApp), our email is info@sforceservices.com, and every live role we recruit for is listed on our careers page. If someone contacts you in SForce’s name and asks for money, it is not us — please tell us, and report it.

If you have already paid

• Call 1930, the National Cyber Crime Helpline, as quickly as possible — fast reporting improves the chance of freezing the money.
• File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots, phone numbers, UPI IDs and transaction references.
• Tell your bank immediately and block any card or UPI handle you shared.
• Stop all contact with the “recruiter”, and do not pay a further “refund fee” — that is the second half of the same scam.