How can I tell if a job offer is fake?
A job offer is suspicious when they ask you for money – a registration fee, training, a uniform, a medical or a "starter kit" – or promise a lot of pay for very little work. A real employer doesn't charge you to hire you.
Job scams arrive on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook or in groups, often using the name of a well-known company or a government department. Some pay you for small "tasks" at first to win your trust, and then ask for a bigger "deposit".
How to check
- Look for the vacancy on the company's official website, or phone the number listed there – not the one in the advert.
- Look the company up on the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) register and search its name online together with the word "scam".
- Never pay a fee, training, a uniform or a deposit to start working.
- Be wary of interviews done only by text message and of pressure to accept quickly.
- Check the number and the email address of whoever made the offer.
Frequently asked questions
- They paid me for small tasks. So it's real?
- Not necessarily. Paying a little at first is a trick to get you to send a bigger amount later.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you're chatting to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email address, the name and the ID document, for USh 7,000.
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