# How do I tell a real recruiter email from a fake one?

> Check the domain after the @, character by character. Real recruiters email from the company's exact primary domain, the one you reach by typing the company name yourself, not from gmail.com, yahoo.com, or a lookalike like acme-careers.com. A free or near-miss domain, paired with a fast offer or a request for money or ID, marks a fake.

Source: https://realjobcheck.com/answers/real-recruiter-email-vs-fake/  
Updated: 2026-06-07 - Real Job Check Trust and Safety Research Team

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The fastest tell in a recruiter email is the part most people skip: the domain after the @. Read it slowly and a lot of scams give themselves away.

## The rule

A real recruiter at a real company emails from that company's primary domain, the same one you reach by typing the company name into your browser. A free address or a near-miss domain is a reason to stop and verify, especially if it comes with a fast offer or a request for money or ID.

## How to read the address

1. Ignore the display name. Look at the actual address, the text after the @.
2. Compare the domain letter by letter to the company's real domain.
3. Watch for free domains (gmail.com, yahoo.com, outlook.com) on a corporate role.
4. Watch for lookalikes: extra words like "-careers" or "-hr," a different ending like .net, or a small misspelling. That is a [lookalike domain](/glossary/lookalike-domain/).

## What it looks like in a scam

A polished email that names a real company, sent from a free or near-miss address, with a quick offer and an early ask for your bank details or a photo of your ID. The mismatch between the name and the domain is the giveaway, a hallmark of [recruiter impersonation](/glossary/recruiter-impersonation/).

## What to do

If the domain does not match the real company, do not reply with personal details. Verify the recruiter through the company directly, as in [how to verify a recruiter](/answers/how-to-verify-a-recruiter-is-real/), and report a fake to the [FTC](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov). On a phone, tap the sender's name to reveal the full address, since email apps hide it behind the display name by default and that is exactly what a scammer counts on. To check an address fast, paste the message into the [free checker](/#check).