DeFi MarketIs this recruiter real?
A real recruiter can prove it with things you check yourself: the job on the company's own careers page, a company email address, and a live video interview with people you can look up. If a recruiter asks you for money, moves you to WhatsApp or Telegram, or wants you to install software or run their code, stop. Any one of those is enough.
Private: nothing you tick leaves this page. We don't see it and we don't store it.1. Has any of this happened?
Tick everything that's true, even once.
2. What can they show you?
Tick only what you checked yourself, not what they told you.
Six questions to send any recruiter
A real recruiter answers all six without fuss. A fake one dodges, changes the subject or pushes you to hurry.
- What's your email address at the company, so I can reply there?
- Can you send me the link to this job on the company's own careers page?
- Can we do the interview as a video call with cameras on, using an app I already have?
- Who will I be speaking with, and what are their roles?
- Will I ever need to pay for anything, buy equipment or deposit money?
- When would I get a written offer and the usual tax forms?
The three fake-recruiter scams we see most
Easy work rating or "boosting" products in an app. A small payout arrives, then you're told to deposit crypto to unlock your earnings. Every deposit leads to a bigger one.
How task scams work →A polished crypto or tech job, several calls, then one small step: install our meeting app, run this coding test, paste this command. That file steals passwords and wallets.
Fake job interview scams →A "recruiter" for a famous company sends an invoice for a laptop you pay for and they'll "reimburse," or asks for your Social Security and bank numbers before answering basic questions.
Where to report it →Questions people ask
How do I check if a recruiter is real?
Find the job yourself on the company's own website, then contact the company using a phone number or email you found there, not one the recruiter gave you. The FTC's advice is the same: "If you can't confirm the job is real, it could be a scam." Ask for a video interview with cameras on and the names of the people you'll meet.
Is it a scam if a recruiter messages me on WhatsApp or Telegram?
Treat it as one. The FTC says to ignore unexpected job messages on text, WhatsApp or Telegram because "real employers will never contact you that way." Being moved off LinkedIn or email into a private chat app is one of the most common turns in these scams.
A recruiter uses Gmail. Is that a red flag?
Not on its own. Some independent recruiters use free email. But if someone says they recruit for a large company and writes from a free or lookalike address, confirm with that company before you share anything.
Do real employers ever ask you to pay?
No. The FTC says honest employers "will never ask you to pay upfront fees for a job or for equipment," and anyone who asks you to pay with cash, Zelle or PayPal is a scammer. A request for crypto is the same signal.
Should I install the app or run the coding test a recruiter sends?
Not on your everyday computer. Joining a normal video call in an app you already use is fine. A custom "meeting app," a GitHub project you run, or a command to "fix" your camera is how fake interviews install malware. Read our guide to the fake crypto job interview scam first.
Why do fake recruiters ask for crypto?
Because once it's sent, no bank can pull it back. The FBI's 2024 warning on work-from-home scams lists being "directed to make cryptocurrency payments to your employer as part of a job" as a red flag.
Where do I report a fake recruiter?
In the US, report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and report the profile or job post to the site where you found it. If you gave out your Social Security number, also go to IdentityTheft.gov.
Free: Scam Texts and Emails, the 60-second check
Six messages scammers send, from the wrong-number text to the fake support call, on one printable page. It downloads as soon as you sign up. Then the Sunday Briefing arrives at 8am Eastern every Sunday: what we published that week and the scams worth knowing about, in plain English. No price calls. Unsubscribe any time.
The warning signs the FBI and FTC name for job scams, and the things a real recruiter can always show you.
It can't prove a recruiter is real. Good fakes copy real names and photos. A clean result means only that nothing you ticked is a known stop sign.
FTC consumer alerts from 2023, 2025 and 2026, the FBI's 2024 warning on work-from-home scams, and our own reporting on fake job interviews.
Sources
- FTC, consumer alert on job offer texts, April 30, 2026.
- FTC, consumer alert on how to spot and avoid task scams, August 14, 2025.
- FTC, consumer alert on scammers impersonating well-known companies to recruit for fake jobs on LinkedIn, August 8, 2023.
- FBI IC3, public service announcement I-060424-PSA on work-from-home job scams, June 4, 2024.
- FTC, "New FTC Data Show a Big Jump in Reported Losses to Fraud to $12.5 Billion in 2024", March 10, 2025: reported losses to job and employment agency scams rose from $90 million in 2020 to $501 million in 2024.
- FTC, data spotlight on social media scams, April 27, 2026: one in three people who lost money to a job or business opportunity scam in 2025 said it started on social media.