Scammers know that people are looking for stable work and legal papers. They promise “high pay”, a “visa in one week” and a “free flat” – and then ask for money in advance or disappear. Here you will find the most important warning signs and simple ways to check.
As of October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Warning signs
- Payment upfront “for the place”: money for a reservation, papers, a medical check or travel before you have a contract.
- Visa or papers for money: EU citizens need neither a visa nor a work permit, and other documents are issued only by the authorities. More under Who can work in Germany.
- No German company details: no company name, no address, no register number, no website or no imprint.
- Only an anonymous Telegram contact: messengers are normal, but there must be a company behind them that you can check.
- Your passport is kept: the employer may look at your passport or copy it, but not keep it.
- Promises that are too good: pay far above normal, “everything free”, “100% guarantee”.
- Cash only, no contract: without a contract you have no social insurance, no sick pay and no protection if there is a dispute.
Typical tricks
- “Dream job” on social media: an eye-catching ad, pay “net in your hand” with no details, and right away a “small processing fee”.
- A visa through a third country: a work visa for another EU country is supposed to allow you to work “legally” in Germany. It does not, and the money is usually gone.
- Deposit before you travel: a transfer to a private card for a room, with no contract and no viewing.
- Collecting data: a “recruiter” wants a passport scan, a selfie with your passport and your bank details “for checking”. With these, accounts or loans can be opened in your name.
- Different conditions on arrival: when you arrive, suddenly there is different work, different pay and the contract comes “later”.
A copy of your passport for the employment contract is normal – but only send it after you have checked the company. No real employer needs your passwords, SMS codes or PINs.
What the law says
- No placement fee in temporary work: under the Temporary Employment Act (AÜG), any agreement that makes the temporary worker pay the agency a placement fee is invalid.
- Licence required: staffing agencies need a licence from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit).
- Working conditions in writing: under the Evidence Act (Nachweisgesetz), the employer must give you the main conditions such as pay, working hours, place of work and holidays in writing.
- Statutory minimum wage: Germany has a statutory minimum wage, which is adjusted regularly.
- Pay into your account with a payslip: every month you get a payslip showing gross pay, taxes and contributions.
Checking a company: step by step
- Ask for the full company name and address. Honest employers give them straight away.
- Read the imprint (Impressum): name, address, the people responsible and usually the commercial register number.
- Check the commercial register: on handelsregister.de or unternehmensregister.de – do the name, address and legal form (e.g. GmbH) match?
- Check the licence for temporary work: the Federal Employment Agency publishes a list of licence holders that you can search by company name.
- Compare contact details: do the phone number, email and address in the ad match the website and the register? Free email addresses instead of a company domain are suspicious.
- Read the contract in advance: do not sign anything you do not understand.
What to do if you were cheated
- Do not send any more money, even if you are promised a refund “after one last payment”.
- Keep evidence: chats, screenshots, phone numbers, payment receipts.
- Report it: at any police station, and in many federal states also online.
- Free advice: the advice network “Faire Mobilität” of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) gives free labour law advice to workers from Central and Eastern Europe, among others in Romanian and Bulgarian; some information is also available in Russian.
- Consumer advice centre (Verbraucherzentrale): advice on contracts and payments.
- Tell your bank: some payments can be reversed.
How we work
We are a German staffing agency (temporary work) and we work transparently:
- free of charge for applicants,
- written employment contract, pay from €15.33 per hour gross into your bank account,
- full social insurance, paid holidays, sick pay,
- your passport stays with you,
- help with moving and address registration (Anmeldung), accommodation can be provided on request.
More under How it works. From Moldova? Read our step-by-step plan.
Not sure about an offer or ready to start? Fill in the application form or ask in the chat on the website.
