Is it legal for a recruiter to charge me a fee to find work?

No. UK employment agency legislation prohibits charging a work-seeker a fee for finding or seeking to find them employment, with very narrow exceptions in entertainment and modelling that do not apply to construction or hospitality.

How do I check if a recruiter is genuine?

Look them up at Companies House, check they have a real website and a company email domain rather than a free one, call the main switchboard number listed publicly rather than the one they gave you, and search their name alongside the word 'scam'. Genuine recruiters are easy to verify.

Should I pay for a CSCS card through a recruiter?

You do not need to. Book the course with an approved provider and apply to CSCS yourself. A recruiter offering to sort it for a fee well above the real cost is a warning sign, not a service.

Where do I report a job scam?

Action Fraud is the national reporting centre for fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For an agency charging work-seekers fees, also report it to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate via GOV.UK.

Recruitment scams around big projects, and how to spot them

Large, well-publicised projects attract advance-fee job fraud. The patterns to recognise, what is never legitimate, and where to report it.

Updated 27 July 2026

Why this project in particular

Job fraud follows publicity. A project with a widely reported figure of twenty thousand jobs attached to it is exactly the kind of story fraudsters use, because it makes an implausible offer sound plausible.

It is also aimed at people who are moving, or want to move, for work — which means they are often arranging things remotely, at distance, in a hurry. That is the condition fraud needs.

The patterns

Almost all of it reduces to a handful of recognisable moves.

Treat any of these as a stop sign:

A fee to register, to be 'put forward', or to secure a placement
A mandatory training course you must buy through them specifically
Bank details or ID documents requested before any written offer or contract
Recruitment conducted entirely through WhatsApp or Telegram with no company email
An offer with no interview, or an interview conducted only by text
Pay well above the market rate for the role, with urgency attached
A request to pay for PPE, a card or a DBS check through them rather than the issuing body
Anyone claiming to be an official or exclusive Universal recruitment partner without verifiable evidence

Worth knowing. The clearest single test: money moving from you to them, at any stage, for any reason connected to getting the job. Legitimate recruiters are paid by the employer.

Cards and courses — the grey area

It is entirely legitimate for a training provider to charge you for a CSCS course, an SIA licence or a food hygiene certificate. Those are real qualifications with real costs, and we cover what they should cost.

What is not legitimate is a recruiter making a specific paid course a condition of a job that does not exist, or charging well above the market rate and pocketing the difference. Always book training with an approved provider you found yourself, and check the price against the issuing body.

If it has already happened

Contact your bank immediately — if it was a bank transfer in the last day or so there may be a chance of recall. Then report it to Action Fraud, which is the national reporting centre for fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

If an employment agency has charged you a fee for finding work, that is a matter for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, who can act against the agency regardless of whether you get your money back.

Keep every message and receipt. And tell people — this stuff spreads through word of mouth on sites, and one warning stops several people losing money.

Primary sources

Check these rather than taking our word for it. Rules and figures change.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or employment advice. We are not a recruiter and hold no vacancies. Rules change and circumstances differ — check the primary sources above or take professional advice before making a decision.

Common questions

Is it legal for a recruiter to charge me a fee to find work?: No. UK employment agency legislation prohibits charging a work-seeker a fee for finding or seeking to find them employment, with very narrow exceptions in entertainment and modelling that do not apply to construction or hospitality.
How do I check if a recruiter is genuine?: Look them up at Companies House, check they have a real website and a company email domain rather than a free one, call the main switchboard number listed publicly rather than the one they gave you, and search their name alongside the word 'scam'. Genuine recruiters are easy to verify.
Should I pay for a CSCS card through a recruiter?: You do not need to. Book the course with an approved provider and apply to CSCS yourself. A recruiter offering to sort it for a fee well above the real cost is a warning sign, not a service.
Where do I report a job scam?: Action Fraud is the national reporting centre for fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For an agency charging work-seekers fees, also report it to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate via GOV.UK.