Why it is worth half an hour
Offers “from a US company” reach candidates in Armenia through LinkedIn, Telegram and email, and the scam versions follow a script the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes: easy work for high pay, then a request to pay for training or equipment, to forward money or to reship parcels[1].
A famous name proves nothing: scammers borrow real brands. What you need to establish is that the company exists and that the person writing to you really works for it. The red flags themselves are in fake job offers in Armenia.
7 steps to check
- Find the job on the company's own website. Open the site through a search engine, not a link from the message, and look for Careers or Jobs. If the job is not there, ask the recruiter where it is posted.
- Match the email to the company domain. A real company's recruiter writes from an address on its domain (name@company.com), not from Gmail or Outlook. Check the spelling letter by letter: a domain with one letter changed is a classic trick.
- Check the domain's age. ICANN Lookup shows when a domain was registered[2]. An “international company” whose website appeared a few weeks ago is a reason to stop.
- Find the company in a government register. It shows the legal name, registration date and address; where to look is in the table below.
- Check the people. The company's LinkedIn page, its headcount, the recruiter's profile: do they work there, and since when? Ask the name of the manager you would work for and find their profile.
- Search for reviews and complaints. The FTC advises searching the company or recruiter name together with words like scam, review or complaint[1].
- Check the process and the contract. Real hiring means a call with a real person and a test task. The contract shows the company's legal name and address, and pay goes through Deel, Wise, Payoneer or a bank. You pay nothing.
Where to look a company up
Search by the legal name from the contract or the email signature (for example “Acme Commerce LLC”), not by the brand. A US company is registered in a particular state, and the contract usually says which: “a Delaware corporation”, “a New York LLC”.
| Company | Where to look | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| US, Delaware | Division of Corporations | Name, file number, incorporation date and registered agent; a certificate of status is a paid extra[3] |
| US, other states | The secretary of state's website; links to state registers are collected on the NASS website | Depends on the state[4] |
| US, public companies | SEC EDGAR | Filings the company makes with the regulator; search by name or ticker[5] |
| United Kingdom | Companies House | Company details, officers and filed documents[6] |
| EU countries | e-Justice portal | A search across the business registers of all EU countries[7] |
The company is not in the register of the country it names, or the legal name differs from the contract? Ask for an explanation before you sign. An honest company will answer without taking offence.
A local agency or a company registered in Armenia
Sometimes the message comes from a firm in Yerevan that “hires for an American client”. That is normal in outsourcing, and it means you check two companies, not one.
- Look the local firm up in the company search of the Ministry of Justice e-register[8] and compare the registered name with the email signature and the contract.
- Ask the firm to name the client, then check the client with the registers in the table above and on its own website.
- Ask for a call with the person who will set your tasks: an outsourcing firm can arrange it, a scammer usually cannot.
- Make sure the contract says who pays you, how much, in which currency and through which service.
Contract and payment: the last check
Read the contract against what you have checked. The company's legal name and address are the ones in the register; your name is in the same Latin spelling as on your bank account and Deel or Payoneer profile; the pay is stated in dollars with a date. Anyone who wants you to accept a payment and forward it, or to pay for a laptop up front, is not an employer: how foreign companies pay contractors in Armenia.
Five questions before you sign
- Did the recruiter write from the company's own domain, and is the job on the company's site?
- Is the legal name in the contract the one you found in the register, in the US, the EU or on e-register in Armenia?
- Did you talk to a real person on video, and was there a test task or a proper interview?
- Does the money only ever go from the company to you, in dollars, through a bank, Deel, Wise or Payoneer?
- Did anyone ask you to pay, to forward a payment or to buy something first? If yes, stop there.
How it works on Stafka
We check the jobs employers post on Stafka before they go live, and we add the “Verified company” badge after a manual check. Jobs from other sites show their source: you apply where they were published, so check those companies yourself with the steps above.
We never ask candidates for money, card details or SMS codes. Our only channels are this site, the bot @silkstaff_bot and hello@stafka.com / hello@silkstaff.com: how to check it is really us.
If the check fails
Stop answering and send nothing more: no documents, no money, no codes. If card details or a payment have already gone, phone your bank and have the card blocked. Then report it: the Armenian police website lists how to contact it and send an application[9]. Found the job on Stafka? Tell us too at hello@stafka.com, and we will look into it.
Questions
How do I check that a US company exists?
Search its legal name in the register of the state where it is incorporated (Delaware, New York and so on); public companies are in SEC EDGAR.
How do I check a company registered in Armenia?
Use the company search on the Ministry of Justice e-register and compare the name with the contract.
I'm asked to pay for equipment and be reimbursed later. Is that normal?
No. An employer that needs you to have equipment either sends it or pays for it.
We only write what we can back with a source or with our own selection process. Spotted a mistake? Write to hello@stafka.com.