Is this company real? Check a job offer in 10 minutes
Before you reply to a job offer, check the company, not the message. Look it up free on the government's company register and GST search, see when its website was made, and confirm any offer letter on the company's own website. A real company usually passes these checks; one failed check is a reason to stop and ask more.
On this page
The 10-minute company check
Four free checks: the company register, GST, the website's age and the offer letter. All work on a phone.
Scammers copy real company names and logos, so the name in the message proves nothing. These checks take about 10 minutes and look at the company itself. You need its full name, and its website or GST number if they gave one.
- Company register. Open the Ministry of Corporate Affairs company master data search and type the company's name. Check that its status says "Active", not "Strike off". Only companies and LLPs are listed; a small shop or a one-person business may not be.
- GST number. If they gave a GST number, enter it in the GST portal's Search Taxpayer page. The legal name shown should match the business that contacted you, and the status should be "Active".
- Website age. Type the company's website into ICANN Lookup. It shows the date the website name was registered, for .in and .com names alike. A business that says it has hired for years, on a website made last month, needs more questions.
- Offer letter. An offer letter in a chat is only real if you can confirm it on the company's own website or careers portal. Find that site yourself, without the link they sent.
If they won't tell you the business's full name, or can't give any proof you can check, stop there.
What the results mean
Clear results on every check are a good sign; a failed check means stop and ask for more proof.
| Check | Good sign | Stop and ask more if |
|---|---|---|
| Company register | Found, status Active | Strike off, or not found for a business that calls itself a company |
| GST number | Name matches, Active | Name differs, or Cancelled |
| Website | Registered years ago | Registered very recently |
| Offer letter | Confirmed on the company's own site | Exists only as a file in your chat |
Big employers make the last check easy. Amazon India puts a QR code on every offer letter, to be checked on Amazon's own secure portal.
What a check can't prove
A registered company can still be a scam; the one rule that never fails is that you never pay to work.
A real registration doesn't make a job real. Scammers can borrow a real company's name, or register one. So keep the one rule that beats every check: if anyone asks you to pay first, for registration, training, a deposit or "GST", the job is not real.
Our guide to work from home jobs without investment explains that rule, and the checks before you reply to a WhatsApp job message cover the message itself.
Found a fake? Report it
Report a fake offer even if you lost nothing; if you paid, call 1930 today.
Lost nothing? Report it anyway: our guide on how to report a job scam shows where. Paid money? Call 1930 today and file at cybercrime.gov.in. Then tell a friend who is looking for work too, because these offers go to many people at once.
Looking for checked work instead? The free HerWorkCircle skill check matches you to work and never asks you to pay.
Questions
How do I check if a company is registered in India?
Search its name on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs company master data page. It is free, and shows whether a company or LLP is Active or struck off.
How can I check if a job offer letter is genuine?
Confirm it on the company's own website or careers portal, not through the person who sent it. Amazon India, for example, puts a QR code on every offer letter to check on its own portal.
Does a GST number mean the company is genuine?
It means a business is registered for tax. Check that the legal name matches and the status is Active. It doesn't prove the job is real.
How do I check how old a company's website is?
Type the website name into ICANN Lookup. It shows when the name was registered. A long-established business on a brand new website needs more questions.
The company is real but asks me for a fee. Is that okay?
No. Scammers use real company names. Any fee to get a job or to get paid means the offer is fake.
Where do I report a fake job offer?
If you paid, call 1930 and file at cybercrime.gov.in. If you lost nothing, you can still report the message; our reporting guide shows where.
Sources
- View company or LLP master data Ministry of Corporate Affairs
- Search taxpayer by GSTIN Goods and Services Tax portal
- Registration data lookup tool ICANN
- Identifying and protecting against recruitment fraud Amazon India
- Frequently asked questions: reporting cyber crime National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal