# How do I check if a company is real before applying?

> Confirm the company exists independently of the posting. Look for a working website on its own domain, a profile with real employees, an address, and outside coverage or reviews. A company you can find only through the job message, or whose website is days old, is a red flag. Match the recruiter and the role to what you find.

Source: https://realjobcheck.com/answers/how-to-check-if-a-company-is-real/  
Updated: 2026-06-07 - Real Job Check Trust and Safety Research Team

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Before you hand a "company" your details, make it prove it exists somewhere other than the message offering you a job. Most fronts fail that test quickly.

## The rule

A real employer leaves a trail you can find on your own: a working website on its own domain, real employees, an address, and mentions beyond its own pages. If the only evidence a company exists is the job message itself, treat it as a scam.

## How to check in five minutes

1. Search the company name and visit its site by typing the name yourself.
2. Check the domain: a brand-new domain for an established-sounding company is a flag. Watch for a [lookalike domain](/glossary/lookalike-domain/).
3. Look for real employees, an address, and reviews or news from outside the company's own site.
4. Confirm the specific role on the company's [careers page](/answers/find-a-companys-real-careers-page/).

## What a scam looks like

A company you can find only through the posting, a site that is days old or thin, no verifiable staff, and a recruiter pushing you to act before you can check any of it. Some real-company names are borrowed outright, so verify the [recruiter](/answers/how-to-verify-a-recruiter-is-real/) too. A real listing that never gets filled is a [ghost job](/glossary/ghost-job/), which wastes time rather than steals, but is worth knowing.

## What to do

If the company checks out, proceed with normal caution. If it does not, share nothing and report a scam to the [FTC](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov). A quick way to gauge a domain is to check when it was registered, since an established-sounding company on a domain that is only days or weeks old is a clear warning. The [complete guide](/learn/how-to-spot-a-job-scam/) has the rest. To check a posting fast, paste it into the [free checker](/#check).