Staying safe
We never ask you for a fee. Never pay to get a job. Plain Jobs is free for job seekers, and in Great Britain it is against the law for an employment agency to charge a job seeker a fee for finding them work. We will never ask for your bank details, card number, PIN, passport or ID, and we will never message you to ask for money. If someone says they are from Plain Jobs and does, it is a scam: report it.
Never pay to get a job
Do not pay to apply, to be interviewed, or for "training", a uniform, a DBS check, a visa, equipment, software, a starter kit or a "refundable deposit" to start. Real employers cover these themselves. Scammers often promise the money will be refunded. It never is.
The common job scams
- Pay-to-start scams. You are "hired" with no real interview, then asked to pay for training, a DBS check, equipment or a visa. When you pay one fee, another appears.
- Money mule jobs. "Payment processor", "finance agent" or "transfer clerk": you receive money into your own bank account and pass it on, keeping a cut. The money is stolen. Acting as a money mule is a crime, even if you did not know, and your bank account can be closed.
- Parcel reshipping. You are asked to receive parcels at home and post them on. They are bought with stolen cards.
- Fake cheque jobs. You are sent a cheque, told to keep some and send the rest on, or to buy equipment. The cheque bounces later and you owe the bank.
- Crypto and "task" scams. "Like videos", "boost products", "complete simple tasks" for daily commission, often over WhatsApp or Telegram. First you are paid a little, then asked to deposit money (often crypto) to unlock more tasks.
- Multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes. You are asked to buy stock or a kit and to recruit others.
- Identity harvesting. A "job offer" that asks for your passport, National Insurance number or bank details before any contract, so they can steal your identity.
- Too good to be true. Big pay for no experience, "work from home, 2 hours a day", pressure to decide fast, or being told to keep it secret.
- Fake recruiters. Someone pretends to be a well-known company or recruiter, often from a free email address (Gmail, Hotmail) or a look-alike web address.
- Contact only through WhatsApp or Telegram. Real employers have a company email, a website and a proper interview.
Checks you can make in five minutes
- Is the company on Companies House (UK companies)? Do the name, address and status fit? Contact them using the details on their own website, not the ones in the message.
- Does the email come from the company's own domain? Be wary of free email addresses and look-alike domains.
- Is there a real interview and a written contract before you share ID or bank details? A genuine employer asks for right-to-work documents and bank details after an offer, through a proper process, not in the advert.
- DBS checks are arranged through GOV.UK or a registered body, usually by the employer. Never pay a stranger for one and never send ID photos to a private person.
- Search the company name with the words "scam" or "reviews". Poor spelling and grammar are a warning sign.
Remote jobs and jobs abroad
Check which countries a remote job is open to. Be wary of anyone sending you a cheque or equipment to buy, or asking for bank details before a contract. For jobs abroad, never pay an agent for a visa, travel or "placement", and check the visa rules with the embassy yourself. We do not arrange travel, visas or placements.
How Plain Jobs screens adverts
Every advert is checked automatically for fees, scam wording, money-mule and reshipping wording, messaging-app-only contact, requests for ID or bank details, implausible pay, look-alike or throw-away email addresses, and duplicates. Adverts that look risky are held for a person to check before anyone sees them, and the worst are rejected. New employers' first adverts are checked by a person. Employers can give a Companies House number for a Verified employer tag, which we add only after a person has checked it. We cannot catch everything, so please still use the tips above. Details are in the terms (draft).
Report it
Every advert has a Report this job button. After a few separate reports an advert is hidden until a person has checked it. You can also email hello@plainjobs.uk.
- Lost money or shared bank details? Call your bank straight away, using the number on your card, and ask it to stop payments.
- Report the fraud: Report Fraud (the national reporting centre, which replaced Action Fraud in December 2025): 0300 123 2040. In Scotland you can also call Police Scotland on 101. In an emergency, 999.
- Scam emails: forward them to report@phishing.gov.uk (National Cyber Security Centre). Scam texts: forward to 7726.
- Advice on jobs and recruiters: JobsAware, a free UK service about employment scams and rights.
[Contact details and these links to be checked again before launch.]