Fake Job Offer Scams on LinkedIn and WhatsApp

Job scams have moved on. Where once they relied on dodgy newspaper adverts or shady high street agencies, the modern version arrives by LinkedIn message or a WhatsApp ping from a number you do not recognise. The offer appears genuine: flexible hours, remote work, a respectable hourly rate, and a quick chat rather than a formal interview. By the time the role turns out to be something quite different, you may have handed over personal details, paid for equipment that never arrives, or moved money through your own bank account on behalf of criminals.

These approaches have become more common precisely because real recruiters do use LinkedIn and messaging apps to find candidates, which makes the fake ones harder to spot. Below is what to watch for, and what to do if you have already engaged.

How the approach usually starts

The first contact is almost always unsolicited. On LinkedIn, it tends to come from an account claiming to be a recruiter at a well known company, or from a "talent partner" at a firm you have never heard of. The profile may look thin: few connections, a stock photo, and a work history that does not quite add up. On WhatsApp, the message often opens with something like "Hi, I got your number from a recruitment database" and offers part time online work paying a daily amount that sounds generous but not absurd.

You may then be asked to continue the conversation on WhatsApp or Telegram rather than on a company email address. That move off the original platform is one of the clearest warning signs. Legitimate company recruiters tend to use their corporate email, arrange proper interviews, and are happy to be checked against the company's official careers page.

The variants you are likely to meet

One of the most common versions involves "tasks". You are told the work involves rating products, boosting app listings, optimising hotel bookings, or reviewing videos. You are given a simple platform to log into, and at first the work pays. Small amounts appear in your account or in an in-app wallet. You are encouraged to invite friends and to complete more tasks for higher tiers of pay.

Then comes the twist. To unlock the next set of tasks, or to withdraw your earnings, you are asked to top up the platform with your own money, often in cryptocurrency. Each time you pay, there is another fee, another "combination task", another reason the withdrawal has not gone through. The funds are irretrievable. These task platforms are not employers. They are designed to extract a series of payments from you while creating the illusion of earnings.

A second version asks you to pay upfront for equipment, training, software licences, or a Disclosure and Barring Service check arranged through a specific provider. Fraudulent offer letters often mimic genuine ones using logos and branding from established companies, which can deceive even cautious applicants. You are told the cost will be refunded in your first month's pay. The equipment never arrives, or arrives as a cheap item worth a fraction of what you paid. No legitimate UK employer asks you to pay for your own equipment before you start.

The most serious version turns you into a money mule. The "job" involves receiving payments into your personal bank account and forwarding them on, minus a small commission, to other accounts or as cryptocurrency. You may be told it is payment processing, invoice reconciliation, or a logistics role. The money passing through your account is the proceeds of fraud committed against other people.

Acting as a money mule is a criminal offence in the UK under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, even if you did not realise what was happening. Banks share information through the Cifas National Fraud Database, and an account flagged for mule activity can leave you unable to open a current account for years. Prosecution is possible in more serious cases.

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What the scam is really after

Even when no money changes hands, the "application" process often harvests enough personal information to commit identity theft. You may be asked for a copy of your passport, your National Insurance number, your address history, a selfie, and your bank details, all framed as standard onboarding. That package of data is enough to open accounts in your name, apply for credit, or take over existing accounts.

How to check whether a recruiter is real

• Find the company's official careers page directly, not through a link the recruiter sent. Check whether the role actually exists.
• Call the company's main switchboard and ask to be put through to the recruiter by name.
• Look at the recruiter's LinkedIn profile age, connections, and post history. Brand new profiles with stock images are a red flag.
• Be wary of any role that does not involve a video interview where you can see the person's face.
• Check whether the email domain matches the company exactly. Scammers often use small misspellings or free email providers.
• The Financial Conduct Authority's ScamSmart tool is useful for checking investment-style offers that come dressed up as job opportunities.
• Treat any request to pay for equipment, training, checks or "activation" as a scam, full stop.
• Never agree to receive money into your personal account on behalf of an employer.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

If you have already engaged

Stop communicating with the sender straight away. Do not send any more money, and do not try to "complete" the tasks to recover what you have paid. That path almost always leads to further losses.

If you have sent money, contact your bank immediately. Reimbursement rules for authorised push payment fraud have been tightening in the UK, and many victims can recover some or all of their losses depending on the circumstances and the bank involved. It is worth checking the latest position with your bank or the Payment Systems Regulator. Report the scam to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at actionfraud.police.uk. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101, though they will typically refer fraud cases on to Action Fraud, which is the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.

If you shared identity documents, register with Cifas for protective registration, which prompts extra checks when accounts are opened in your name. Check your credit file with one of the main agencies for any applications you do not recognise. If you believe your personal data has been misused, you can also report the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office. Where substantial sums have been lost or identity theft has caused lasting damage, it is worth taking advice from a solicitor with experience in fraud or cybercrime.

Report fake recruiter profiles to LinkedIn through the "Report" option on the profile or message itself, which feeds into LinkedIn's own scam and impersonation team. Forward scam WhatsApp messages to 7726, the free spam reporting shortcode. Suspicious texts can also go to 7726, and suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Citizens Advice offers free help if you are unsure what to do next, on 0808 223 1133.

Most genuine job offers do not arrive cold on WhatsApp, do not ask you to pay to start, and do not involve moving other people's money through your account. If any of those things appear, treat the offer as suspect until you have verified it through the company's own confirmed channels.

Related warnings

• Vinted and Marketplace Scams
• QR Code Quishing Scams
• The Hi Mum WhatsApp Scam
• Pig Butchering Crypto Romance Scams

See more recent scams on the Latest Scam Warnings page.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Scam Detector lets you got a text, call, email or offer that feels off? Paste it in below and we will tell you how scammy it looks, the warning signs to spot, and exactly what to do next. Try it now →