Because UN jobs are sought-after and trusted, fraudsters impersonate the United Nations and its agencies to trick applicants out of money and personal data. The scams can look convincing, but one simple rule exposes all of them.
The one rule that never changes
The United Nations and its agencies never charge a fee at any stage of recruitment. Not for applications, not for processing, not for training, visas, travel or to "secure" a position. If anyone asks you to pay anything, it is a scam, full stop.
Common scams
- A job offer for a role you never applied to, often by email or messaging app.
- Requests for a fee, a deposit, or your bank details to "release" an offer.
- Requests to pay upfront for travel, a visa or a hotel, to be "reimbursed later".
- Messages from free email addresses or look-alike domains claiming to be UN human resources.
Red flags
- Unsolicited contact and pressure to act urgently.
- Any request for money or for sensitive financial information early in the process.
- Poor grammar, generic greetings, or an email domain that does not match the official organization.
- An offer that skips the normal application, assessment and interview steps.
How to verify a real opportunity
Apply only through the official careers portal of the organization. Genuine communication comes back through the platform you applied on, and official email domains match the organization’s real website. When in doubt, go to that organization’s official site and contact them directly rather than replying to the message.
If you are targeted
Do not pay, and do not share bank or identity details. Stop communicating, and report the attempt to the organization being impersonated and to your local authorities. Many UN agencies publish fraud alerts on their websites. Every listing on this site links to the official employer portal, and we never charge to search or apply, always apply at the source.