Scam job postings on the rise

Norfolk’s job market is in good shape. From digital marketing agencies growing their teams, to engineering businesses pushing the boundaries of high-performance electrical systems, to tech-forward organisations investing in AI and automation across the county, there is genuine opportunity here, and a genuine demand for talent.

That opportunity, unfortunately, attracts a darker kind of attention…

Fake job postings and unscrupulous recruiters are not a fringe problem confined to big cities. They are a growing threat that reaches into every corner of the country, including ours, damaging careers, compromising personal data, and undermining the trust that the entire recruitment ecosystem depends on.

In the UK alone, around £17 million was lost to job scams in a single year, and that figure only accounts for reported cases. The true cost, in terms of lost time, stolen data, missed genuine opportunities, and reputational damage to businesses whose identities are cloned, is almost certainly far higher.

Whether you are a Norfolk candidate searching for your next role, or a local hiring manager working to protect your employer brand, knowing the warning signs could save you significant time, money, and stress.

Here are 9 red flags that should make you stop and think twice:

For Candidates

1. The salary is suspiciously good

If a role is offering a salary that seems significantly above market rate for the experience level required, treat it as a warning sign, not a windfall. Scammers use inflated compensation to generate excitement and lower your guard. A genuine £28,000 admin role won’t suddenly be advertised at £65,000. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Cross-reference the salary against industry benchmarks and similar roles on reputable job boards.

2. The job description is vague or generic

Legitimate employers and professional recruiters invest time in writing accurate, detailed job descriptions. Fake postings tend to be deliberately vague, heavy on enthusiasm, and light on specifics. Watch out for job ads that describe responsibilities in broad, non-committal terms (such as ‘supporting the team’, ‘various duties as required’) with no reference to the company’s products, services, or team structure. Scammers avoid specifics because specifics can be verified.

3. You’re asked for money…

No legitimate recruiter or employer will ever ask you to pay a fee to apply, to access training materials, to obtain a DBS check through their chosen provider, or to cover any administrative cost. If anyone in the hiring process asks you to transfer money, even a small amount, disengage immediately and report it. This is one of the clearest and most consistent signals of a recruitment scam.

4. Communication happens only via WhatsApp or personal email

Reputable recruiters and employers communicate through professional channels. If initial contact comes exclusively through WhatsApp, Telegram, or a Gmail or Hotmail address (rather than a company domain), be very cautious. Similarly, if you are ‘interviewed’ entirely via text message or asked to complete a task via an informal chat app rather than a structured process, something is fishy!

5. You receive a job offer without a proper interview

The recruitment process exists for a reason. A job offer extended after nothing more than a brief message exchange, or with no interview whatsoever, should raise alarm bells. Scammers want to move quickly before you have time to think critically. A professional recruiter will always conduct a structured conversation, ask relevant questions, and take the time to understand your background before presenting you to a client.

6. The company is difficult or impossible to verify

Before progressing with any application, spend five minutes doing basic due diligence. Does the company have a functional website? Are they registered on Companies House? Do they have a genuine LinkedIn presence with real employees? If the business appears to have been created last month, has no online footprint, or the contact details on the job ad don’t match anything verifiable, do not proceed.

For Employers

7. Candidates are being approached ‘on your behalf’ without your knowledge

One of the more damaging scams for employers involves fraudsters posing as your business and approaching candidates with fake vacancies, often harvesting CVs, personal data, and even conducting fake interviews. If you notice candidates referencing a job your company never posted, or if individuals contact you claiming to have applied for a role you did not advertise, take it seriously. Report it immediately and consider issuing a public statement to protect your employer brand.

8. A recruiter can’t demonstrate their process or track record

When engaging with a recruitment partner, always ask about their methodology. How do they source candidates? What does their vetting process look like? Can they provide references or case studies? An unscrupulous recruiter will often be evasive when pressed on specifics. A professional consultancy will be entirely transparent, because their process is their competitive advantage, not something to hide.

9. Pressure to make a hiring decision quickly

Whether it’s a fake recruiter pushing you to commit to a candidate before you’ve had time to complete due diligence, or a scammer posing as a staffing agency pressing you to transfer an ‘advance fee’ for a candidate placement, pressure is a manipulation tactic. If someone is rushing you toward a decision that doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and slow down.

The Bottom Line

Recruitment, at its best, is built on trust. Candidates trust that the opportunities they pursue are real. Employers trust that the partners they work with are professional and ethical. Scammers exploit that trust, and the damage they cause goes far beyond a wasted afternoon. Stolen personal data, financial loss, missed genuine opportunities, and reputational harm to businesses are all very real consequences.

The best protection is awareness, and the second-best protection is working with a recruiter whose integrity you can verify, whose process is transparent, and whose track record speaks for itself.

Synergy operates with complete transparency for candidates and employers alike. With 20+ years of combined experience recruiting across the East Anglia market, we understand what a professional, well-run recruitment process should look like at every level. If you want to see what that looks like in practice, you can find us at the Norfolk Chambers Business Hub, where we’d be happy to talk you through our approach and how we support businesses and individuals through the recruitment process.

Or you can get in touch via our website, www.synergy-rec.com, or give us a call on 01603 542300.