How to spot a fake job offer

The basic rule

A real job in Europe comes from a real employer who needs your skills. That employer pays to recruit you. You do not pay for the job.

In some cases you will pay standard government fees yourself: a visa fee, a language exam, document translation, or an apostille. Those are paid to the government or a recognised testing body, with an official receipt. That is very different from paying an "agent" thousands of rupees or euros for a "guaranteed" job or a "confirmed" visa.

Ten warning signs

1. You are asked to pay for the job itself, or for "processing", "registration", "visa guarantee" or "interview booking".
2. The visa is "guaranteed". No one can guarantee a visa. Only the embassy or consulate decides.
3. There was no real interview, or the interview was a short chat on WhatsApp with no technical questions.
4. The salary is far above normal for the role and country, or is quoted only "in hand" with no contract.
5. The contract is missing, vague or arrives after you pay. A real offer names the employer, the address, the role, the salary, the hours and the start date.
6. The email address is a free account (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) for what claims to be a large European company.
7. You are told to travel on a tourist or visit visa and "convert it later". In most EU countries this is not possible and can lead to a ban.
8. They push you to decide today or say "only two places left".
9. They ask for your original passport to "keep safe".
10. The company cannot be found in the national business register of the country where it says it operates.

How to check an offer in 20 minutes

Check the employer. Search the company in the official business register of that country: the Handelsregister in Germany, Infogreffe or the Annuaire des Entreprises in France, KVK in the Netherlands, the Registro Mercantil in Spain. Look at its website and call its main office using a number from the website, not from the email.

Check the recruiter in India. Anyone recruiting Indian workers for jobs abroad should be a registered Recruiting Agent with the Ministry of External Affairs. The Ministry publishes the list of registered agents, and the eMigrate portal is the place to verify them.

Check the visa route. Every EU country publishes its work visa rules. If the offer does not match a real route (for example, the salary is below the national threshold for the permit they mention), something is wrong.

Check the documents. A genuine contract or job offer is specific. Look for the employer's registered address, a named contact, and signatures. Be wary of PDFs with spelling errors in the company name.

If you have already paid

• Stop all further payments, even if you are told one more fee will "release" the visa.
• Keep every message, receipt, bank transfer slip and document.
• Report the agent to your local police and to the Protector of Emigrants office.
• Use the Ministry of External Affairs grievance channels for overseas employment.
• Tell people in your network. Fraudsters reuse the same scripts.

Where we stand

We never charge you for a job and we never sell visas. If someone claims to act for EUICCI and asks you for money, do not pay. Send us the details on WhatsApp or at hello@euicci.com so we can warn others.