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For job seekers

For job seekers: how to spot a fake job offer, and what a genuine agency never asks for

Fake job offers in Pune’s industrial belt usually ask for money first. How to tell a real offer from a fake one, what papers you should get, and where to complain if you are cheated.

Updated

A common trick goes like this: a call or WhatsApp message promises a job in a big company, “confirmed”, if you first pay a registration fee, a uniform charge or a medical fee. The money goes, and the job never comes. This page is for anyone looking for factory or office work, and for their families.

The one rule

Do not pay money to get a job. A staffing agency is normally paid by the company that needs workers. Only trust calls and messages from the numbers on our website. If anyone asks you for money in the name of StaffLab for a job, do not pay, and tell us on those numbers.

Warning signs of a fake offer

  • They ask for any fee before joining: registration, form, training, uniform, ID card, medical or “security deposit”
  • The offer comes without any interview or trade test, for a job that would normally need one
  • The salary is much higher than anyone else is offering for the same work
  • They insist you decide today or the “seat” goes to someone else
  • They ask for your bank OTP, UPI PIN, ATM PIN or passwords
  • The message comes from a personal number, the company name is spelt wrongly, or the email is a free email address pretending to be a big company
  • They will not give a written appointment letter, or say you will get it “after joining”

What a real job gives you

Under the Labour Codes, every employer must give every employee an appointment letter, and the government has said it should state the job, the wages and the social security you are entitled to. Your employer must also give you a wage slip every time you are paid. If you are hired through a contractor, the contractor is your employer and must give you these.

If your job is covered, you should also get:

  • A UAN for provident fund. It is a 12 digit number that stays the same for your whole working life. If you already have one, give the same number to the new employer; do not make a new one.
  • ESI cover, if you earn up to Rs 21,000 a month at a covered workplace. ESI now uses your Aadhaar to identify you.
  • PF and ESI deductions shown on your wage slip every month

Before you go for a job

  • Ask for the company name, the site address and the name of the person you will meet
  • Check the agency’s phone number against its official website, not the number in the message
  • Take copies of your documents, never the originals, unless they are only being checked in front of you
  • Tell a family member where you are going
  • If something feels wrong, walk away. A real employer will still be there tomorrow

Stories fake recruiters often use

  • “Your name is selected for a job in a big auto company. Pay the processing fee to confirm.”
  • “There is a direct joining. No interview. Only a few seats left.”
  • “Pay for the medical test and the uniform now; it will be returned with the first salary.”
  • “Send a photo of your Aadhaar, PAN and bank passbook, and the OTP we just sent, for verification.”
  • “Work from home packing job. Buy the starter kit first.”

A real employer or agency may ask for copies of your documents, but never for your OTP, PIN or passwords, and never for money to give you the job.

For parents and family members

Young people looking for their first job are the easiest targets. If someone in your family has been promised a job, ask to see the message and the number it came from. Help them call the agency on the number listed on its official website, not the number in the message, and confirm the offer. Go with them to the first interview if you can. If they have already paid, report it straight away.

If you have been cheated

If you lost money online or by UPI, call 1930, the national cyber fraud helpline, as soon as possible, and report it on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in. Reporting quickly gives the best chance of stopping the money. You can also go to your nearest police station with the phone numbers, messages and payment receipts.

Looking for work?

Register on our careers page or message us on WhatsApp, and we will call you back about openings that match your trade.

This is a plain summary for general information, not legal advice. Laws, rates and limits change; check the official source before acting on a figure.

Sources

  1. PIB, 21 November 2025: Government makes the four Labour Codes effective
  2. Ministry of Labour and Employment: Compliance Handbook for Employers under the Four Labour Codes (February 2026)
  3. EPFO: Frequently asked questions for members on UAN
  4. ESIC: Standard Note on the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme as on 1 January 2025
  5. PIB: National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
  6. PIB: Cyber frauds helpline 1930

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