How can I check whether a job advertisement or recruiter message is legitimate?

Start by keeping the message separate from your verification. The FTC advises not to click a link or reply to an unexpected job text. If the opportunity might be real, find the company’s official website independently and use its careers section or contact details you already know are genuine—not a phone number or link supplied in the message. [S1] [S3]

Then compare the role’s title, location, and description with what the company lists. A familiar employer name alone does not establish that the opening or sender is genuine; scammers may use well-known employers’ names for nonexistent jobs. [S3]

No single clue settles it. A personal rather than company email account is a warning sign identified by the FTC, as is a request for sensitive details—such as a driver’s-license number, Social Security number, or bank-account number—before an interview. Treat those signs as a reason to pause and verify, not as conclusive proof on their own. [S2]

Check the recruiter and company names independently. You can search those names alongside words such as “scam” or “complaint,” as the FTC suggests. If you find no reports, that does not prove the contact is legitimate; the FTC specifically says a lack of information is a reason for caution. [S1] [S2]

Don’t treat the job-board listing as confirmation. Visit the company’s official website yourself and look for its jobs or career-opportunities section. If the opening is not listed, contact the company through an independently verified channel and ask whether that exact role and recruiter are genuine. [S3]

Here is a neutral message you can adapt:

“Hello, I’m checking whether a recruitment message about [job title] is genuine. It came from [sender name or account] and refers to [brief description]. Could you confirm whether this opening and recruiter are associated with [company]? I have not included sensitive personal information. Thank you.”

Use a contact route you found independently. This is a verification request, not a guarantee that a response or confirmation will be available.

That is a serious warning sign. The FTC describes a fake-check scheme in which a purported employer sends a check and asks the applicant to return part of the money for equipment; the check may later prove fake, leaving the applicant responsible for the money returned. Do not send money back based on that arrangement. Verify the opportunity through the company’s independently located official channel. [S3]

Also pause if anyone requests an upfront payment to get the job. The FTC warns that phony job postings may seek upfront payments, as well as personal information. [S3] If you have already shared information or sent money, this guide cannot establish what happened or determine your next steps; consider contacting the relevant organization through independently verified channels.

Use this sequence and record what you checked:

1. Pause: don’t click links or reply to an unexpected job text while you verify it. [S1]
2. Find the company website independently and check its careers page for the role. [S3]
3. Contact the company using a channel you independently know is genuine, not details in the message. [S1]
4. Search the company and recruiter names with “scam” or “complaint”; treat both warnings and a lack of information cautiously. [S1] [S2]
5. Pause if the sender uses a personal email account, asks for sensitive details before an interview, requests upfront payment, or asks you to return part of a check. These are warning signs, not a complete test of legitimacy. [S2] [S3]
6. Keep a brief note: “[Date] | [role] | [sender] | [official page checked] | [company contact route] | [what I confirmed] | [next step].”

The source guidance identifies warning signs and verification steps; it does not establish that any one check can conclusively authenticate every recruiter or job advertisement.