A recruiter who will only talk on WhatsApp or Telegram
By Bhagirath Sheela, founder of JobCatch ·
Already paid, or shared an OTP? Call 1930, the national cybercrime helpline, straight away, tell your bank, and report it at cybercrime.gov.in. The sooner it is reported, the better the chance the money can be frozen.
A message like this
Hi, I am Priya from HR. We have an opening for a data entry job, ₹25,000 monthly. Please contact HR on WhatsApp only: +91 90000 12345.
Be careful with this one
- It moves the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram. Most job scams do this, because those accounts are hard to trace.
This is what the scam check in the JobCatch app says about the message above, word for word. The message is an example written the way these scams are written; the names and numbers in it are made up.
How this scam works
Scammers move the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram because the accounts are quick to create, hard to trace and easy to abandon. A Telegram "HR group" full of people posting their earnings is often staged. Once you are there, the next step is usually a fee, a task or a request for documents.
What a real employer does
Real recruiters may well message you on WhatsApp, especially in India. The difference is that they also have a company email address, can be found on the company's website or a professional profile, and the job is listed on the company's careers page.
When it can be innocent
This sign on its own does not mean a scam. Many genuine recruiters and small firms use WhatsApp. It becomes serious alongside other signs: a fee, no interview, a free email address, or a refusal to talk anywhere else.
What to do
- Do not pay anything, and do not share an OTP or PIN.
- Look for the same job on the company's official website.
- If you have already paid, call 1930 (the national cybercrime helpline) straight away and tell your bank.
Questions
How do I check a recruiter who contacted me on WhatsApp?
Ask for an email from the company's own domain, look the recruiter up on a professional network, and find the same job on the company's careers page yourself — not through a link they send.
Is a Telegram job group real?
Groups that promise daily income for tasks are almost always the task scam. Genuine employers do not hire through anonymous Telegram groups.
Other warning signs: Registration fees · Task scams · OTP and bank details · Penalty threats · Selected without interview · Pressure to act now · Gmail recruiters · Shortened links · all nine, in one guide