Spotting recruitment scams

Most employers and agencies recruit fairly. Some people, though, use fake jobs and visa promises to take money from workers. UK government guidance describes the signs to look out for.

Common warning signs

• Being asked to pay for a CoS. A certificate of sponsorship (CoS) is the electronic record a licensed employer (a sponsor) uses to sponsor a worker. The sponsor is responsible for the CoS fee, the sponsor licence fee and the Immigration Skills Charge. The Home Office will normally revoke a sponsor's licence if it tries to get these costs back from a worker.
• Recruitment fees. Government guidance says it is illegal for UK-based agencies to charge workers a fee for finding them work. These fees are sometimes called a "job finding fee" or "application processing fee".
• A job that seems too good to be true. Signs include being contacted out of the blue, getting a job without applying, a very high salary, or a vague job description.
• An employer that is not on the register. Only licensed sponsors can sponsor workers for a work visa.
• Pressure. Scammers may demand secrecy or push people to act at once. Some workers are pressured to sign a contract they do not understand, or a new one with different terms.
• Cash or personal bank accounts. The Home Office says it never asks for visa payments by email, at a visa application centre or into a personal bank account. It warns about requests for cash, vouchers or payments to unknown accounts.
• Calls about a "visa problem". The Home Office says it will never contact people to ask for money or personal details.
• Debt that keeps growing. The Fair Work Agency lists being forced to work to pay off a debt that keeps increasing as a sign of serious abuse. The Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline calls this debt bondage, a form of forced labour.

Other signs of exploitation include having a passport taken away, wages being withheld, and not being allowed to leave work or accommodation.

What the law says about agency fees

In England, Scotland and Wales, the Employment Agencies Act 1973 says an employment agency must not charge a person a fee for finding them work. Breaking this rule is a criminal offence. There are a few exceptions, mainly for entertainment and modelling work.

The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 add more protections:

• An agency cannot make finding someone work depend on them paying for other services, such as CV writing.
• Before offering any paid extra service, an agency must say what the fee is, who receives it, and how to cancel.
• A worker can cancel those extra services with 5 business days' notice (10 for accommodation).

Agencies must also not withhold wages or make unlawful deductions from pay.

Government guidance notes that agencies based overseas may charge fees if the law in their own country allows it. The UK ban on passing sponsorship costs to workers still applies to the UK sponsor.

How to check a sponsor

1. Open the Register of licensed sponsors: workers on GOV.UK. It is updated most working days.
2. Use "View online" or download the file, then search for the organisation's name.
3. Check which type of worker it can sponsor (for example Skilled Worker) and its sponsor rating.
4. For care worker and senior care worker jobs in England, the employer must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Government guidance also suggests checking Companies House or the Charity Commission, and looking for a real postal address. Being listed does not prove a job is genuine.

Where to report

• Emergency: 999 (ask for the police) if anyone is at immediate risk of harm.
• Serious abuse or exploitation at work: the Fair Work Agency (FWA) takes reports through its online form, by email at contact@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or on 0800 432 0804 (free, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). It can arrange an interpreter. For people on a sponsored work visa, the FWA says the form or email are the quickest routes.
• Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline: 08000 121 700, run by the charity Unseen. At the time of writing, it is open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Sunday, because of high demand. Callers can ask for their details to be kept confidential or anonymous.
• Agencies charging fees: the FWA replaced the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate on 7 April 2026. Complaints about agencies go through the complain about pay and work rights form. In Northern Ireland, the Employment Agency Inspectorate deals with agencies.
• Fraud and scams: Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, reports go to Report Fraud or 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, fraud is reported to Police Scotland on 101.
• Problems with a CoS: the FWA points these to the Home Office report an immigration or border crime service. Reports can be anonymous.

From 8 October 2026, a Skilled Worker who is formally confirmed as a victim of modern slavery may have their work conditions lifted. This lets them work for any employer for the rest of their permission. This applies after a positive final decision through the National Referral Mechanism, the Home Office process for referring potential victims.

A regulated immigration adviser can look at an individual situation.