The fear is reasonable. Fraudsters borrow the names of real companies, build lookalike websites and send offer letters on convincing letterheads. Registration records cannot tell you whether the person messaging you is honest, but they can tell you in minutes whether the company they name exists, whether it is still active and whether the details on their paperwork match the government's records.
The free official checks
| Check | Where to do it | What it confirms | What should worry you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company registration | MCA portal, View Company or LLP Master Data | Legal name, CIN, status, date of incorporation, registered address and directors | Status other than Active, or a very recent incorporation for a firm claiming years of history |
| GST registration | GST portal, Search Taxpayer | Legal and trade name, whether the GSTIN is active, and the principal place of business | A cancelled GSTIN, or a legal name that does not match the company you were told about |
| Small business registration | Udyam portal, Verify Udyam Registration Number | That an MSME registration exists in that name | A number that does not verify. Not having one is not proof of fraud |
| Employer provident fund | EPFO website, establishment search | That the employer runs a provident fund establishment | A large employer with no record. Smaller firms may not be covered |
| Investment advice or broking | SEBI website, list of registered intermediaries | Whether an adviser, research analyst or broker is registered | Paid tips or 'guaranteed returns' from anyone not on the list |
| Loans and loan apps | RBI website, lists of regulated entities | Whether the bank or NBFC behind an app is regulated | An app that will not name the lender behind it |
A CIN has 21 characters and a GSTIN has 15. The first two digits of a GSTIN are a state code and the next ten are the business's PAN, so the PAN inside a GSTIN on an invoice or offer letter should belong to the same legal name. These checks take minutes, cost nothing and do not ask you to log in.
Then check the person, not just the company
Most recruitment fraud uses a real company's name. That is why the second half of the check matters more than the first.
- Match the email domain to the company's official website. Watch for free email addresses and lookalike domains with an extra word, letter or hyphen.
- Find the role on the company's own careers page. Many companies publish a notice there saying they never charge candidates a fee.
- Call the company on the number printed on its official website, not the number in the message, and ask whether the recruiter and the role are real.
- Insist on a proper interview by video or in person. Being 'selected' without one is a warning, not a compliment.
- Check the offer letter against the MCA record: the legal name, CIN and registered address should match exactly.
Red flags that should end the conversation
- Any fee: registration, training, a laptop or kit deposit, document verification or background verification charges.
- Requests for OTPs, your UPI PIN, net banking details or a screen-sharing app.
- Pressure to accept or pay within hours, or to keep the offer secret.
- Contact only through WhatsApp or Telegram, from numbers that change.
- Pay far above the market for simple work, or tasks that start paying and then need your deposit, which is the task scam.
- A government job offered for a fee. Government recruitment is announced through official notices on government websites, and no agent can sell you a post.
For job messages, paste the text into our free job offer scam checker, which flags fees, deposits, OTP requests and fixed daily pay in seconds. Genuine vs fake work from home jobs sets the signals side by side.
If you have already paid or shared details
- Call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 straight away and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Speed improves the chance of the money being frozen.
- Call your bank to block the card or account involved, then change your passwords and uninstall any screen-sharing app you were asked to install.
- Keep screenshots of the chats, the offer letter, the numbers used and every transaction reference.
- Report the fraudulent number or message on the Sanchar Saathi portal through its Chakshu facility.
- Ignore anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee. That is usually a second scam aimed at the same victims.
What to do next
- Run the MCA and GST checks before you reply to any unexpected offer.
- Paste the message into the scam checker to flag the warning signs.
- If you want genuine work, start with Earnwise, which matches real earning options to your skills and hours.
