Independent public interest resource
Last updated 8 September 2026Free to use, no sign-up
It is illegal in the UK for anyone to charge you a fee for finding you work. If a recruiter asks you to pay for a job or for a Certificate of Sponsorship, stop. You are being scammed, and the law is already on your side.
People hoping to work in the UK are asked every day to pay thousands of pounds for jobs that do not exist. The money goes to a personal account. The job never appears. This site explains how to spot it, how to check any offer for free in about ten minutes, and what to do if you have already paid.
The pattern, the two price tiers, and the three facts that end the conversation in one message. Start here if someone has approached you with an offer.
A CoS is not a document. If someone sent you a certificate, it is fake, and this page explains why in thirty seconds.
Charging a work-seeker to find them work is prohibited. Sponsorship costs cannot be passed to you. Both are settled law, not opinion.
Thirty-six red flags grouped by stage, from first contact to the fee that appears after you have already paid.
UK banks must reimburse many transfer scams up to £85,000. There is a 13 month deadline. Read this first if money has already gone.
Section 6 of the Employment Agencies Act 1973. Narrow exceptions for entertainment and modelling. Nothing else.
Since 31 December 2024, an employer cannot charge you the sponsor licence cost, the CoS assignment fee, or the Immigration Skills Charge.
It is a digital record. You get an 11-character reference beginning with C. A PDF certificate is always fake.