Background checks are normal in hiring, but scammers use that expectation to request Social Security numbers, bank details, ID photos, or fees before a real offer exists. The timing and channel are the biggest clues.
Does this affect you?
Use this for job seekers in the United States contacted by phone, email, text, or chat by someone claiming to verify employment, run a background check, or finalize a job.
Check whether the request is legitimate
A real background check follows a formal process.
- Confirm there is a real job offer or late-stage hiring process before sharing sensitive information.
- Remember that employers using outside background-check companies generally need written disclosure and your authorization under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Never pay a fee for your own background check, verification service, training materials, or administrative processing. Legitimate employers cover hiring-screening costs.
- Verify the employer and screening company independently. Use the company’s official website or public phone number, not contact details provided by the recruiter.
- Sensitive details such as full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number should be collected through a secure known screening portal, not text message or a generic form.
- Be suspicious of urgency, personal email addresses, mismatched company names, and requests routed through chat apps instead of company channels.
If you already shared information
Move quickly, especially if your Social Security number or bank details were sent.
- Stop contact with the person or company making the request.
- If you shared your Social Security number, place free credit freezes with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
- If you shared account or routing numbers, monitor the bank account closely and ask the bank whether closing and reopening is appropriate.
- Report the scam at reportfraud.ftc.gov and identitytheft.gov.
- If you paid a fee by card, contact the card issuer or bank to dispute it.
- Report the fake job listing or recruiter profile to the job board, LinkedIn, or platform where contact began.
More control
Real employers give you time
A legitimate HR process lets you review documents and ask questions. Pressure to respond immediately or lose the job is a scam signal.
Costs flow from employer to screener
Background checks are a business expense. If money is flowing from you to the supposed employer, stop and verify independently.
Sources
- FTC Consumer Advice – Job scams (2025)
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – Background checks: what employers need to know (2025)
- Better Business Bureau – Employment scams (2025)