Overseas job scams and fake visa offers: the warning signs
An overseas job offer is probably a scam if you must pay for the job, the sponsorship or a promised visa, if it arrives only through messaging apps, or if the employer is missing from official registers.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
Do this first: pause the payment and check the employer yourself
If you are holding an offer right now and someone is waiting for money or documents, stop for one day. A real employer abroad will still be there tomorrow; a scammer relies on urgency.
- Do not pay anything and do not send a passport scan, bank details or card numbers yet.
- Find the employer's own website by searching for it yourself, not through a link in the message, and contact it through the details published there.
- Check the official register for the country: for UK sponsorship, the Home Office register of licensed sponsors; for a Turkish agency, İŞKUR's list of private employment agencies.
- Read the red-flag table below and count how many rows apply to your offer.
- If anything does not match, report it using the table further down, even if you have not lost money.
How these scams usually work
A job you never applied for
Many start with an unexpected email or message. IRCC's list of signs includes an email you did not expect, sent from a free webmail address, with a standard greeting instead of your name. EURES tells applicants to ask whether they initiated the contact and whether an employer's email comes from its official domain, spelled exactly right.
A fee for the sponsorship or the paperwork
The commonest trick is a charge for something the employer pays for. GOV.UK says there is no fee for the sponsorship certificate on the Seasonal Worker route and that a request for any other payment, its example being translation of your CV, is a scam. Canada amended its rules in 2022 so that employers may not charge or recover recruitment fees or fees for services relating to a labour market impact assessment (LMIA), and must make sure their recruiters do not either.
A visa that someone promises
Nobody outside the government decides a visa. IRCC writes that no one can guarantee you a job or a visa to Canada. The US Embassy in Ankara says the same for US visas, adds that all US government forms are free, and warns that so-called visa consultants have led applicants to commit fraud and be barred. The UK's 2025 campaign in India names promises of UK jobs, no need for an English test and exorbitant fees as the claims to look out for.
Your data or your bank account, not a job
Some offers want access rather than a fee. EURES warns against any job that involves forwarding or receiving money, and says no reputable company starts by asking for your bank or card details. It also warns about phone numbers sent by email that may be expensive premium-rate lines.
Red-flag checklist with official sources
One row on its own can have an innocent explanation. Two or more together are a reason to stop until you have verified the employer through the column on the right.
| Warning sign | Why it matters | How to verify | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| You are asked to pay for a UK sponsorship certificate | GOV.UK says there is no fee for the Seasonal Worker sponsorship certificate; a Skilled Worker certificate is an electronic record from an approved employer | Search the employer in the register of licensed sponsors; contact it through its own website | GOV.UK Seasonal work on farms; GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa |
| You are asked to pay for an LMIA or for a Canadian job offer | Since 2022 employers may not charge recruitment or LMIA service fees, nor let their recruiters do so | Ask the employer in writing who pays; you pay only visa and permit fees | Employment and Social Development Canada, 2022 amendments |
| Someone guarantees the visa or the job | Only immigration officers or consular staff decide a visa | Use only the embassy or immigration authority's own site | IRCC; US Embassy Ankara Fraud Prevention Unit |
| The offer arrives by WhatsApp, Telegram or a personal account | GOV.UK says the Seasonal Worker scheme operators do not send work offers that way | Call the company on a number from its own website | GOV.UK Seasonal work on farms |
| You must pay into a personal bank account or a money transfer service | IRCC staff never ask for that; Canadian government fees go to the Receiver General for Canada | Pay government fees only on the authority's own site | IRCC Online and telephone scams |
| Someone asks you to pay for translating your CV | GOV.UK names CV translation as an example of a scam payment | Translate it yourself or choose a translator you found | GOV.UK Seasonal work on farms |
| The salary looks far above the market | IRCC tells applicants to be careful if a salary seems too high to be real | Compare with the same job title on an official job portal | IRCC Online and telephone scams |
| The job is receiving or forwarding money | EURES treats this as a sign of fraud | Refuse; report it to the EURES Helpdesk if it came through EURES | EURES |
| A German agency wants money in advance | Under § 296 SGB III an agency may not ask for or accept advances, and the job seeker pays only if an employment contract results | Ask for the written placement contract, which must state the fee | German Social Code III, §§ 296 and 297 |
| A Turkish agency charges you, the job seeker | Under Law 4904 an agency may charge only the employer, apart from a few professions set by regulation | Look the agency up on İŞKUR's list of private employment agencies | Law 4904, Art. 19; İŞKUR |
| No İŞKUR-approved contract for work abroad arranged from Türkiye | An employer taking workers abroad must have the overseas service contract approved by İŞKUR | Ask the employer for the approved contract; ask the İŞKUR provincial office | Law 4904, Art. 17; İŞKUR Yurtdışı İstihdam |
| An unlicensed adviser offers to handle your Canadian application for money | Paid representatives must be members of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants or a law society | Search the College's or law society's online directory | IRCC, Check if your representative is authorized |
How to verify an employer or an agency, by country
United Kingdom
A Skilled Worker needs a job offer from an employer approved by the Home Office, and GOV.UK publishes the list of approved employers as the register of licensed sponsors; we read the version updated on 12 October 2026. A company that is on the register can still be impersonated, so contact it through its own website rather than the details in the offer. For seasonal farm work, GOV.UK names the scheme operators and says agents they use must be on the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority register.
Canada
Check that anyone you pay for immigration help is authorised: consultants must belong to the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, lawyers and notaries to a provincial or territorial law society, and Ontario paralegals to the Law Society of Ontario. IRCC says you should not use someone who is not a member in good standing.
United States
USCIS warns about job offers sent by email from overseas, especially when you must pay to receive the offer, and tells you to make sure a company found on social media is legitimate before sharing personal data. It also reminds applicants that a legitimate offer does not by itself give the right to work.
Germany
A private placement agency must make a written contract that states its fee. § 297 SGB III makes agreements void when the fee exceeds the legal cap, when the agency charges separately for services that belong to the placement, or when the written form is missing.
Türkiye
Private employment agencies need İŞKUR's permission, and İŞKUR publishes the list of licensed agencies on its e-Şube site. The regulation requires each agency to display its permit and a statement that it takes no fee from job seekers, on its premises and on its website.
What you may pay, and what you should never pay
Some costs really are yours. The line is usually that you pay the government, and the employer pays for recruiting you.
| Country | You may have to pay | You should not pay |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (Seasonal Worker) | Visa and travel; in some countries a criminal record check, medical certificate, visa appointment, biometrics and a labour ministry fee | The sponsorship certificate, CV translation or any other request |
| Canada | Temporary visa, temporary resident permit and work permit fees | Recruitment fees, LMIA service fees or employer compliance fees |
| United States | The government's own fees on its own channels | Anyone who promises a visa; the forms themselves are free |
| Germany (private agency) | A capped placement fee only after an employment contract results | Any advance |
| Türkiye (private agency) | Nothing, unless you are a professional athlete, coach, model, artist or a general manager or higher | Any fee or benefit to the agency |
Where to report, by country
| Country | Where to report | Source |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Home Office online form for immigration crime, or the Immigration Enforcement hotline 0300 123 7000; you need not give your name | GOV.UK, Report an immigration or border crime |
| Canada | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre for scams; CBSA Border Watch Line for immigration fraud; the College for a consultant | IRCC, How to report fraud |
| United States | Federal Trade Commission or your state consumer protection office | USCIS, Common scams |
| EU and EEA (via EURES) | EURES Helpdesk for job offers on EURES or misuse of your EURES address | EURES |
| Türkiye | İŞKUR provincial office; complaints are passed to the Labour Inspection Board | Law 4904, Art. 17 |
If you have already paid, call your bank as well; a report is easier to act on while the transfer is recent.
Sources and the dates we read them
- GOV.UK, Seasonal work on farms: guidance for workers, last updated 16 March 2026; read 12 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, Visa Fraud Ton Bacho campaign news story, 27 February 2025; read 12 October 2026.
- IRCC, Online and telephone scams, modified 1 September 2026; How to report fraud, modified 11 May 2026; representative check, modified 4 June 2026; all read 12 October 2026.
- Employment and Social Development Canada, news release of 26 September 2022 on fee prohibitions; read 12 October 2026.
- US Embassy and Consulates in Türkiye, Fraud Prevention Unit, and USCIS, Common scams; read 12 October 2026.
- Germany, SGB III §§ 296 and 297 on gesetze-im-internet.de; Türkiye, Law 4904 on mevzuat.gov.tr and the Private Employment Agencies Regulation published by İŞKUR; read 12 October 2026.
- EURES, How to spot fraudulent job offers and misinformation, 15 June 2023; read 12 October 2026.
Rules and reporting channels change; check the linked official page before you act.
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether one specific offer is genuine: only the employer, through its own published contact details, can confirm that.
- The fee cap for German agencies in euros: the law and the Federal Employment Agency's page gave different figures when we read them, so we leave the number out.
- Rules for countries not listed here: use that country's immigration authority and labour ministry pages.
- Legal advice: if you have lost money, a lawyer or the police can tell you what is possible.
Next steps
- Once the employer checks out, go back to the pre-application checklist in the guide to CVs for jobs abroad.
- If a consulate asks you for a CV, the visa CV guide explains what it has to match.
- You do not need to pay a recruiter to write or translate your CV. CitedCV drafts one in English, Turkish or German from the facts you confirm, and the free ATS checker runs in the browser without an account.
Questions people ask
How do I know if a job offer abroad is fake?
Look for payment requests, guaranteed visas, contact only by WhatsApp or Telegram and a salary far above the market. Then confirm the employer on an official register and through its own website.
Is it normal to pay for visa sponsorship?
No, the sponsorship itself is the employer's cost. GOV.UK says there is no fee for the Seasonal Worker sponsorship certificate, and Canada bars employers from charging recruitment or LMIA service fees.
Can a recruitment agency charge me a fee to work abroad?
It depends on the country, and often not. In Türkiye an agency may charge only the employer except for a few professions; in Germany an agency may not take advances.
What is a work permit scam?
It is an offer to sell you a permit, a sponsorship or an LMIA that the employer or government should provide. Only immigration authorities issue permits, and their fees go to the government.
Can someone guarantee me a visa?
No. IRCC says no one can guarantee a job or visa to Canada, and the US Embassy in Ankara says no one can guarantee the issuance of a US visa.
Is a job offer sent on WhatsApp real?
Treat it as a warning sign. GOV.UK says Seasonal Worker scheme operators do not send work offers by WhatsApp, Telegram or a personal account; call the company on its published number.
Where do I report a fake job offer abroad?
To the authority of the country the job claims to be in: the Home Office in the UK, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the US Federal Trade Commission, or İŞKUR for a Turkish agency.
What should I do if I already paid a fake employer?
Call your bank at once, keep every message and receipt, and report it to the authorities listed above. Reporting fraud will not harm a later application, USCIS says for the US.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Seasonal work on farms: guidance for workers (avoiding recruitment scams)www.gov.uk/guidance/seasonal-work-on-farms-guidance-for-workers
- GOV.UK, UK launches visa fraud awareness campaign Visa Fraud Ton Bachowww.gov.uk/government/news/uk-launches-visa-fraud-awareness-campaign-visa-fraud-ton-bacho
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visawww.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
- GOV.UK, Register of licensed sponsors: workerswww.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers
- GOV.UK, Report an immigration or border crimewww.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime
- IRCC, Online and telephone scamswww.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/protect-fraud/internet-email-telephone.html
- IRCC, How to report fraud or abusewww.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/protect-fraud/report-fraud.html
- IRCC, Check if your representative is authorizedwww.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigration-citizenship-representative/choose/authorized.html
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Amendments on temporary foreign workers (2022)www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/09/new-amendments-to-the-immigration-and-refugee-protection-regulations-temporary-foreign-workers.html
- US Embassy and Consulates in Türkiye, Fraud Prevention Unittr.usembassy.gov/fraud-prevention-unit/
- USCIS, Common scamswww.uscis.gov/scams-fraud-and-misconduct/avoid-scams/common-scams
- SGB III § 296, placement contract between agency and job seekerwww.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_3/__296.html
- SGB III § 297, invalid agreementswww.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_3/__297.html
- EURES, How to spot fraudulent job offers and misinformationeures.europa.eu/how-spot-fraudulent-job-offers-and-misinformation-2023-06-15_en
- Law 4904 on the Turkish Employment Agency (mevzuat.gov.tr)www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.4904.pdf
- İŞKUR, list of private employment agenciesesube.iskur.gov.tr/Istihdam/Reports/OzelIstihdamBurolari/RaporIstOibBuroPublic.aspx