How to spot fraudulent job offers and misinformation

At EURES, matching jobseekers with employers is what we do. To facilitate this, we want to ensure that employers can contact jobseekers registered on the EURES portal.

However, we are aware that jobseekers may occasionally be sent scam emails, given false advice, or even offered non-existent jobs.

Some scams also appear on social media, for example in YouTube videos. Even if these videos seem to promote EURES, they often provide false information, for example claiming that EURES supplies visas.

It is therefore important that you can recognise real employers and identify fake job offers and other scams. Below, we provide some key advice, starting with a checklist of questions to ask yourself.

If you receive an email:

Do you know the sender? Did you initiate the contact, e.g. by subscribing to a mailing list? If you have not heard of the company, research it carefully - look at its website, but also independent sources like reviews and news articles.
If it claims to be from an employer, is it from their official domain? Some fraudsters exploit the names of reputable companies or EURES by creating fake, misleading email addresses or domain names – always double check these, including the spelling.
If the email claims to be from EURES directly, has it been sent from a EURES email address or an official EURES service provider? Use the Find a EURES Member or Partner tool to check the list of organisations providing EURES services in each country.

If you see something on social media:

Can you verify the information in the video? Always start by checking the EURES portal. If in doubt, contact a EURES Adviser.
Has the video been published by an official EURES channel or a EURES Member or Partner? Always check for an official handle and logo.

Note: The central EURES channels can be found below (please note that some national EURES services also run their own accounts):

Common mistakes to avoid:

Never reply to a ‘job offer’ that involves forwarding or receiving money, or in which a company pretends that it cannot open a bank account, obtain tax identification, transfer money, etc.
Never submit financial information via online forms during the recruitment process. No reputable company will start by asking for your bank or card details.
Never call a phone number sent to you in an email until you have verified that it is a regular number and not an expensive, premium-rate one.

What to do if you spot a scam:

If you receive a job offer that you consider unlawful, unethical or otherwise inappropriate via the EURES portal – or indeed receive a fraudulent email and suspect that the sender got your email address from our database – please contact the EURES Helpdesk.
You are also welcome to contact the helpdesk if you find other false or misleading information about EURES online.

Note: Frequent scammers may also have been reported by other recipients online. If you have followed the steps above and are still in doubt, try searching online for reports of similar scams.

Related links:

EURES portal

Search for EURES Advisers

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Find EURES Advisers