"The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process." This is from the UN's own fraud alert, and it is the most useful thing to know about UN job scams. You never pay to apply, for an interview, for processing, for training, for a visa, for a medical check or for travel.
Most UN job messages are real, and most job sites are honest. But some people send fake offers that use real UN logos, real names and real salary figures. So don't judge a message by how official it looks. Check where it came from. These five checks take a few minutes.
Five simple checks
- Find the job on the official careers site. Don't use the link in the message. Type the address yourself: careers.un.org for the UN Secretariat, or the careers page of the agency, such as UNICEF or WHO. If you can't find the job there and you never applied for it, be very careful.
- Look at the email address, not the logo. Real messages come from the organization's own address (for example, ending in @un.org or @unicef.org) or from its official online application system. A real recruiter does not use a free Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook address, and does not run the whole process on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- You applied first. In a real process, you apply through the official system first. There is usually a test or an interview. It often takes weeks or months. An offer for a job you never applied for is a warning sign. The real UN application timeline shows the normal steps.
- Never pay money. If anyone asks you to pay, for any reason, stop. This includes visa fees, medical checks, "refundable" deposits, training and flights booked through an agent. Requests to pay by Western Union, MoneyGram, mobile money, gift cards or crypto are another strong warning sign.
- Keep your bank details private. The UN says it does not ask applicants for bank account information. Wait before you send a copy of your passport, too. First make sure the process is real.
Scammers sometimes copy a real job that is really open, then write to people "about" it. The job can be real while the message is fake. Check who sent it, not only the job.
Common types of scam
- The surprise offer. You are told you have been chosen for a job you never applied for. The job is often abroad and well paid. You are asked to "complete processing".
- The agent. A "recruitment partner" or travel agency says it is the only way to get your visa, medical check or flight. You must pay it first.
- The chat interview. The whole "interview" is by text message, and an offer letter arrives soon after.
- The paid shortlist. A social media page promises to put you on a UN roster, or to get you an interview, if you pay.
The stories are different, but the end is the same: they ask for money or personal details before anything real has happened.
Where UNjobnet fits
UNjobnet is an independent job site. We are not part of the UN, and we do not hire for any organization. We collect vacancies from the official careers sites of the UN and other international organizations and show them in one place.
- Most jobs on UNjobnet link to the employer's own vacancy page. You apply there, not with us.
- Some employers post jobs directly on UNjobnet. For these, you may apply with Easy Apply on our site, or by email to the employer. Your application goes only to that employer.
- Applying is always free. We never send job offers, run interviews or ask you for money.
- Our emails are the job alerts and newsletters you signed up for.
So you can use UNjobnet to find a job, and check it on the employer's own website before you apply. That is a good habit. If a job on our site looks wrong, or anyone asks you to pay, click "report this job" on the job page and we will check it.
Not sure? Ask the organization
You can always ask the organization directly. Use the contact details on its official website, not the ones in the message. For example, UNICEF and the UN Office at Geneva both explain on their websites how to check an offer.
If you have already paid
This happens to careful, intelligent people. It is not your fault. Act quickly:
- Stop all contact. Don't send more money, even if they promise to pay you back.
- Call your bank or mobile money provider now. Sometimes a payment can be stopped if you are fast.
- Report it to the police. Keep every message, receipt and phone number.
- Tell the organization whose name was used, through its official website, so it can warn others.
Check this before you reply to a job message
- I found this job on the organization's official careers site.
- The email comes from the organization's own address or its official application system.
- I applied for this job myself.
- Nobody has asked me for money.
- Nobody has asked for my bank details.
If the answer to any line is "no", stop and check first. A real job will still be there tomorrow. Find jobs that link straight to the employer's official page →
Last reviewed: November 2026. General guidance. For an official answer, contact the organization named in the message through its own website.
