Job Scam Checker Paste Any Job Advert or Message and Scan for Red Flags

What this checker does

This tool takes a job advert, a recruitment email, a WhatsApp message, or a social media post and scans the text for patterns that are commonly found in job scams. It looks at the language, the contact details, any payment requests, salary figures, and requests for personal information. It then returns a risk score, a list of red flags found, and a plain-English recommendation.

It is designed for anyone who has received a job offer or recruitment message and wants a quick second opinion before responding. It works for job seekers in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and anywhere else in the world, because job scam patterns are remarkably consistent across borders. The names of the companies and the currencies change, but the tactics stay the same.

Everything runs inside your browser. The text you paste is never uploaded to a server, never stored, and never shared. If you press the AI insight button, only an anonymous summary of the flag count and risk score is sent to a small serverless function that runs once and then stops.

How the scan works

The checker uses a set of pattern rules that look for specific words, phrases, and structures in the text you paste. Each rule carries a weight based on how strongly that pattern correlates with known scams. For example, a request to pay a fee carries a very high weight because legitimate employers never charge candidates. A generic Gmail address carries a medium weight because some small companies do use personal email, though it is unusual for a formal recruitment process.

The tool also looks at the overall shape of the message. Scam adverts tend to be short, urgent, and vague. They use capital letters for emphasis, they promise large sums of money for simple work, and they often contain spelling or grammar errors. Legitimate job adverts, by contrast, are usually specific about the role, the location, the reporting line, and the qualifications required.

The risk score is a simple sum of the weighted flags, capped at 100. A score below 25 suggests the advert looks broadly normal, though it does not guarantee legitimacy. A score between 25 and 55 suggests caution. A score above 55 suggests a high probability of fraud, and the tool recommends not engaging further.

The red flags that matter most

Fraud prevention agencies across the world consistently identify the same core red flags. The Federal Trade Commission in the United States, the ACCC's Scamwatch in Australia, the South African Police Service, the Ghana Cyber Security Authority, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria all publish similar lists. The checker is built around those published warnings.

The highest-weight flags are:

• Any request for upfront payment. This is the single most reliable sign of a job scam. Legitimate employers do not charge for applications, interviews, training, uniforms, equipment, or "processing."
• Contact through personal WhatsApp, Telegram, or a free email account. Corporate recruiters use corporate email domains. A recruiter who insists on WhatsApp only, or who emails from a Gmail address with no company signature, is a red flag.
• A request for bank details, ID number, passport copy, or other sensitive information before a formal interview. Scammers harvest this information for identity theft and loan fraud.
• A salary that is wildly out of line with the role. If the advert promises a huge weekly income for simple tasks, the number is bait.
• An offer without any interview. A real employer wants to assess you. A scammer just wants your money or your data.

Upfront fees and payment requests

Every major fraud prevention body states the same rule: legitimate employers never ask candidates for money. Not for training, not for equipment, not for a "slot," not for a background check, not for a uniform, not for an application form. Any payment request is fraud.

Scammers dress the payment up in different ways. In Nigeria, common phrases include "registration fee," "processing fee," and "training deposit." In Ghana, the Cyber Security Authority has warned about fake military and security recruitment where victims are asked to pay for application forms, medical exams, and uniforms. In South Africa, the Western Cape Education Department warned about a scam that asked teachers to pay a "once-off fee" of around R2,800. In the UK and US, scammers use "equipment reimbursement" and fake cheque scams.

Suspicious contact methods

Legitimate recruitment starts with a corporate email address, an official applicant tracking system, or a phone call from a company number. Scams start with WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, or a free email account.

The FTC has specifically warned that real employers will never contact you through generic text messages or WhatsApp about a job. The ACCC's Scamwatch lists "a recruiter contacts you unexpectedly through text message or encrypted message platforms like WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram" as a primary warning sign. In South Africa, the government has warned that job scam adverts often have no official contact details and that recruiters who refuse to meet in person or cannot provide company registration details are suspect.

The checker scans for phone numbers, email addresses, and messaging app names in the text. A WhatsApp number with no company context, or an email address ending in @gmail.com or @yahoo.com, raises the risk score.

Unrealistic salaries and vague job descriptions

Scam adverts often promise pay that is several times the market rate for the described work. The work itself is usually vague: "simple online tasks," "product boosting," "data entry," "rating items," or "remote assistant." There are no specific duties, no reporting line, no required qualifications, and no mention of the company's actual business.

Legitimate adverts describe what you will do. They list responsibilities, required experience, and the skills needed. A real advert for a data entry role will mention accuracy targets, software used, and whether the role is full-time or part-time. A scam advert says "earn ₦50,000 per day working from your phone."

The checker looks for phrases like "no experience needed," "earn [large amount] per week," "simple tasks," "work from home" combined with high pay, and a lack of any specific job duties. The combination of high pay and vague work is a strong signal.

Requests for sensitive personal information

Identity theft is often the deeper goal of a job scam. The money you send is a bonus for the scammer, but your ID number, bank account details, passport copy, and date of birth are the real prize. Those details can be used to open accounts, take out loans, or commit fraud in your name.

The FTC warns that scammers ask for your driver's licence, Social Security number, or bank account number to fill out "employment paperwork" before you have even interviewed. South African fraud prevention guidance says never send your identity number, bank details, CV, or personal documents to random email addresses or WhatsApp numbers. The Ghana Cyber Security Authority warns that fake recruitment notices ask victims to submit scanned copies of their IDs, which are later used for identity theft.

The checker scans for requests for bank account numbers, ID numbers, passport numbers, and phrases like "send your documents to start." Any such request before a formal interview and signed contract is a major red flag.

Job scams in Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa

Job scams are a significant and growing problem across Africa. The patterns vary slightly by country, but the core tactics are the same.

In Nigeria, the EFCC has repeatedly warned about fake recruitment notices using its name and the names of other government agencies. Fraudsters collect money from job seekers under the guise of securing employment, then disappear. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has also warned about fake recruitment websites and online earning platforms falsely claiming affiliation with the agency.

In Ghana, the Cyber Security Authority has issued specific alerts about fake social media accounts impersonating the Ghana Armed Forces and charging victims for application forms, medical exams, and training materials. The government has also warned about networks that lure Ghanaians with false promises of travel and employment abroad.

In South Africa, the South African Police Service has issued multiple warnings about fake SAPS recruitment posts on social media. The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) has recorded sharp increases in fraud incidents, including job scams, and advises job seekers never to pay for security or credit checks as part of a job application.

What to do if you think it is a scam

If the checker returns a high risk score, or if you simply have a bad feeling about an advert, here is what to do.

1. Stop all contact. Do not reply, do not send money, do not send documents. Block the number or email address.
2. Do not share your ID, bank details, or passport. If you have already shared them, contact your bank immediately and consider reporting the identity theft to the relevant authority.
3. Verify independently. Go to the company's official website (type the address yourself, do not click a link from the message). Look for a careers page. Call the company's main switchboard and ask whether the recruiter works there.
4. Report the scam. In Nigeria, report to the EFCC. In Ghana, report to the Cyber Security Authority. In South Africa, report to SAPS or the SAFPS. In the UK, report to Action Fraud. In the US, report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
5. Warn others. If the scam came through a social media platform or a job board, report it to the platform. If it came through a WhatsApp group, post a warning.

Where this checker stops

This tool is a text-pattern scanner, not a verification service. It cannot confirm whether a company is real, whether a recruiter actually works where they claim, or whether a job offer is genuine. It only tells you whether the language in the advert matches patterns that are commonly found in scams.

A low risk score does not guarantee that an advert is legitimate. A scammer can write a clean, professional-looking advert with no obvious red flags. A high risk score does not always mean fraud either — some informal or small-business adverts trigger flags for style reasons rather than because they are scams.

Use the checker as a first-pass screen, then follow up with independent verification. The official company website, the national fraud reporting body, and your own judgement are the final authorities. Never rely on a single tool to decide whether to trust a job offer.

Sources

The red flags, verification advice, and regional warnings described on this page come from the sources listed below. Every source is public and can be checked directly.