Got a job offer? Check the recruiter is real, before you send your CV.
Hunch reads the whole message, not just the links, so it catches fake recruiters even when there’s no link to click.
This check runs right here in your browser, nothing you paste is uploaded or stored.
Or check it on Telegram, on Telegram, the message you forward is sent to our server for analysis and isn’t stored.
How to tell if a recruiter is real: 5 fast checks
To tell if a recruiter is real, check the email domain against the company’s real one, confirm a named recruiter exists on the real LinkedIn, and be wary of any push to WhatsApp, a form, or an attachment before a real conversation. The five checks below catch most fake-recruiter scams, even the ones with no link.
Check the domain. Real companies email you from their real domain (gm.com), not a look-alike someone registered (generalmotorstalentsource.example).
Look for a named person. A real recruiter has a name you can find on the company’s real LinkedIn, not a generic “Global Talent Acquisition” signature.
Notice the channel jump. Genuine recruiting rarely moves you to WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal from a cold message. Scammers do, to leave the platform’s safety behind.
Watch for a form or attachment first. Being asked to fill a form or open a “job details” file before any real conversation is a data-harvest, or malware, tell.
Be wary of too-good, too-senior. A big remote role or leadership title offered cold, to someone who never applied, is a classic bait.
The tell most fake recruiters share: the domain
Real companies write from their real domain. Scammers register a look-alike that reads right at a glance. Two, pulled from the case files below:
Impersonating General Motors
Real: gm.com
generalmotorstalentsource.examplenot GM’s real domain, the brand name is baked into a domain someone else registered
The case files, real fake-recruiter messages, annotated
Evidence tier: real-masked. Based on real reported messages (corpus records EN-JOB-001/003/007); names, addresses, personal details and identifying domains have been masked.
Is the General Motors recruiter email real?
Exhibit A · Impersonating General Motors
Received via · EmailNo link · reply-only
From: GM Careers <hr@generalmotorstalentsource.example>not GM’s real domain (gm.com)Dear [your name] … your experience in marketing analytics caught our attention. General Motors is looking to connect with professionals for a Marketing Science Partner opportunity … reply if you’d be open to a brief conversation., Global Talent Acquisition, General Motors
Why it’s a scam
Sent from generalmotorstalentsource.example, not the real gm.com. The brand name is baked into a look-alike domain someone registered.
No named recruiter, a generic “Global Talent Acquisition” signature.
A compensation “package” is dangled but never actually stated.
No link at all, just a “reply to continue” hook. Hunch flags it from the sender and wording, not a link.
From: OpenAI Career <network@openaiworknow.example>not OpenAI’s real domain (openai.com)Dear [your name], We are reaching out about a significant leadership opportunity at OpenAI for the position of Head of Performance … please reply directly to this email., OpenAI Recruiting Team
Why it’s a scam
Sent from openaiworknow.example, not openai.com.
Offers an implausibly senior role (“Head of Performance”) to a stranger, cold.
Pages of polished, AI-generated corporate filler to feel legitimate.
No named recruiter and no link, “reply to this email” is the only next step. Caught on content alone.
Is a Sea Group LinkedIn recruiter with a form and attachment real?
Exhibit C · Impersonating Sea Group
Received via · LinkedIn DMShort link + attachment
Reply link: lnkd.in/•••••short link, really opens a Google Sites page and a Google Form, not a Sea Group domainHi, my name is [recruiter] from the HR team at Sea Group … please complete the form here: [short link] … kindly review the attached document for full project details. An online meeting will be arranged afterward.
Why it’s a scam
The sender’s LinkedIn headline doesn’t match the employer they claim to represent.
A short link hides where it really goes, a Google-Sites “careers page” and a Google Form.
Form-first contact: fill the form before any real conversation.
Asks you to download an attachment, with a meeting promised only after, a classic data-harvest sequence. Don’t open it until the recruiter is verified.
Check the email domain against the company’s real one, confirm the recruiter is a named person you can find on the company’s real LinkedIn, and be cautious of any message that pushes you to WhatsApp, a form, or an attachment before a real conversation. Because fake recruiters often use look-alike domains and sometimes no link at all, paste the whole message into a checker that reads the sender and wording, not just links.
Is a recruiter email from a look-alike domain a scam?
Almost always, yes. A real company recruits from its real domain (for example gm.com or openai.com). A domain that bakes the brand name into something else, like generalmotorstalentsource.example or openaiworknow.example, was registered by someone else and is a strong scam signal on its own.
Why would a recruiter want to move to WhatsApp or Telegram?
Genuine recruiting almost never moves you to WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal from a cold first message. Scammers do it to get you off a platform that could flag or ban them, and onto a channel where they control the conversation.
A recruiter asked for my ID, passport or bank details before an interview, is that normal?
No. Legitimate employers collect ID and bank details after you’re hired, through an official HR system, never as a condition of a first interview. A request for documents or payment details up front is a data-harvest tell.
Can a job offer be a scam if there’s no link to click?
Yes. Many fake-recruiter messages contain no link at all, the hook is “reply to continue”. Hunch flags these from the sender address and the wording, so it can catch a scam that a link-only checker would miss.
Does Hunch store the message I paste?
No. The check runs on your device in your browser; the message isn’t uploaded and isn’t stored. Hunch advises you. It doesn’t keep your text.