Field guide
Is a registration fee for a job legit? (India)
No. A genuine employer pays you; it does not charge you to be hired. A fee for registration, training, a laptop, a kit, background verification or a security deposit is the classic advance-fee job scam.
The names the fee goes by
Scammers rarely call it a fee for the job. You will see 'registration amount', 'refundable security deposit', 'training kit', 'laptop courier charge', 'ID card fee', 'verification charge' or 'onboarding fee'. The promise is always that it will be refunded with your first salary.
It is never refunded. After the first payment there is usually a second one: 'GST', 'insurance', 'courier hold'. Each payment is presented as the last step.
What about genuine exceptions?
A few things look similar but are different. Paying an exam or certification body for a test you choose to take is not the employer charging you for the job. Paying a government form fee for a public-sector exam goes to the official portal, not to a person on WhatsApp.
The test: is the money going to a named, official body through its own website, for something you chose, or to a personal UPI ID or bank account to 'confirm your offer'? The second is a scam.
What to do
Do not pay. Ask for the offer in writing from an official company email, then look the company up on the MCA registry and its own website.
If you already paid, call 1930 (the national cyber crime helpline) immediately and report at cybercrime.gov.in. Tell your bank at once, and keep every chat, receipt and phone number.
If you've been scammed
- Call 1930 (national cyber crime helpline) immediately if money was lost.
- Report at cybercrime.gov.in and tell your bank at once.