Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) is the latest to officially deny false job advertisements that are being shared on social media that claimed job openings, and also included incorrect information about salaries, benefits, and job roles. 

KAC told Al-Seyassah Daily that the job ads going around are fake. They also advised job seekers to only trust information from their official website or verified social media pages and recruiters to avoid being tricked by false or scam offers.

It also added that “necessary legal action will be taken against individuals responsible for publishing or spreading false information that damages the company’s reputation and harms the interests of the national airline.”

What are Gulf Recruitment Scams?

Gulf job frauds offering fake employment opportunities in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman are unfortunately quite common and can take various forms.

Scammers often pose as recruiters or fake companies, luring people in with attractive job offers in fields like oil & gas, hospitality, or construction—promising high salaries, great benefits, and a quick hiring process. But behind the scenes, it’s all a trap. 

Job seekers are asked to pay upfront fees for things like visas, medical tests, or processing, only to find out later that the job never existed.

Some fraudulent agencies, often unlicensed, disappear after taking the money, leaving job seekers with nothing but traumatic experiences. Others go a step further—sending fake offer letters, issuing tourist or invalid visas instead of proper work permits, and in some cases, getting people to travel to the Gulf where they end up stranded or forced into exploitative jobs.

These scammers are getting increasingly clever, using forged documents, logos, and even fake interviews to look legit.

Many of these ads spread fast on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, or Telegram, often targeting those who are just looking for a better life—but end up being deceived by offers that are simply too good to be true.

Take for example, this Indian job seeker was approached as claimed to be a ‘recruiter’ for Kuwait Construction Company:

The job seeker later confirmed, “It was fake only, Naukri (India-based gulf recruitment platform’ people started calling after they said they require a list of qualifications and when I denied them, apparently KCC also stopped following up."

What helps these Gulf job scammers?

One big reason these job scams are still so rampant is because a lot of people just don’t know what a legit hiring process in the Gulf looks like. Scammers bank on that. They pose as recruiters or company hiring team members, knowing most job seekers don’t have a way to verify them.

Many companies don’t make it easy either—try finding contact info for their HR or talent acquisition teams, and it’s often vague or missing altogether. To make things worse, scammers create fake accounts on job sites or LinkedIn and even run full-blown fake hiring campaigns.

There’s also this frustrating bit—some Gulf company websites just won’t open in certain regions, either because of misconfigured security settings or random access blocks. That doesn’t mean they’re sketchy, but it definitely makes it harder for someone sitting miles away to double-check if an offer is real. All this creates the perfect setup for fraud to thrive.

But many organisations such as Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), regularly issue clarifications and warnings on their official websites to alert job seekers about recruitment scams, and list down the essentials to identify a fake job scam. For example KIPIC states on its official website: “KIPIC has been notified of several fake employment offers emailed to job seekers by unauthorized individuals or groups claiming to represent KIPIC and requesting personal or financial information to process the job application. The employment offer may appear to be legitimate, and will include KIPIC’s logo and employment information such as job details, salary and benefits, etc. and part of KIPIC’s effort to prevent prospective candidates from falling victims to such perpetrators’ acts, several guidelines have been summoned to help you identify the fraudulent communication.”

“Please be advised that these fraudulent communication and fake job offers are illegitimate and are not authorized by KIPIC or any of its affiliates, and therefore, shall not be liable for any damage occurred in connection to those fraudulent correspondence," the company added. 

Kuwait Banking Association and National Bank of Kuwait went a step further and ran a ‘Let’s Be Aware’ campaign to inform and alert about cyberfrauds including job seekers against such ‘recruitment’ scams.

Last year, the Kuwait Ministry of Interior’s Electronic, Cyber Crime Combating Department, along with Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) and telecommunications companies, blocked 52 fake websites impersonating Al-Durra Company for recruiting and employing domestic workers. These sites were involved in fraud and deception, and over 662 fraudulent Kuwaiti WhatsApp numbers were suspended, 65% of which claimed to be affiliated with the company. The Ministry urged the public to verify the credibility of websites before making any transactions and to avoid sites hosted on platforms like Wix to protect personal information. 

Some of the recently reported scams on the social media and forums are: 

A job seeker who was approached by a fake recruiter on behalf of Kuwait Construction shared the 'appointment offer letter' document, which appeared to be authentic. However, since the job seeker was well-informed about such fraudsters, he flagged it out on LinkedIn.

One Redditor posted:

He added: “Thank you alot for your post, they just called me recently pretending that they have an agent and the salary is great with many benefits.... The scammer will ask you to open the email that he sent you in your email and click on the link to pay registration fees !! They are professional scammers ... Don't let them cheat you and steal your money!! Big companies have their own HR department and don't use recruitment agencies!!!”

He also notified that:

the scammer was using a UAE-based WhatsApp number to offer fake job opportunities, requesting money to 'certify' educational documents. This raised concerns about cybersecurity, as it was unclear whether the number was being used fraudulently or linked to someone else’s ID.

Another Redditor flagged out:

“There’s another one of these that operates on LinkedIn for board director positions. Same thing. Just as member and then try to charge you for looking for opportunities. I had an interview with them and when they got to that part I was like nah fam I’m good. I think it was called BoardSI," commented one user. 

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What can organisations do to raise awareness among job seekers?

Gulf organisations and their HR leaders can play a powerful role in combating job fraud. Here's a breakdown of practical actions they can take:

#1 Create an authentic source of information and communication: Employers need to ensure that all job opportunities are listed only on official websites and government-verified platforms. They should also list official and authorized recruiters and hiring managers on the company website or at least on social media pages.

#2 Identify and report scammers: Make it a practice to identify and alert others about scammers carrying out fake recruitment offers on social media and websites, especially in multiple languages. It will be a challenge to identify impersonators on social media and job portals immediately, but vigilant steps in collaboration with cybercrime units or local law enforcement can help track down scam networks effectively. Additionally, report them to the government to shut down fraudulent websites, WhatsApp numbers, or fake email IDs impersonating the company.

#3 Awareness campaigns: Communication can only be effective if it is carried out across wider networks. Therefore, launching awareness campaigns in collaboration with embassies, labor ministries, or overseas job boards can help job seekers become aware of such Gulf job scams. Also, conduct online webinars or offline seminars—especially in countries where migrant workers originate, as the workers may not be as digitally literate to check across official websites. On social media platforms, publish a simple “how to verify a job offer” checklist or video guide.

#4 Stricter security measures: Employers need to use digital verification tools (like QR codes on offer letters or official tracking portals) so job seekers can easily check if an offer is legitimate. Train the HR team to quickly respond to verification requests from job seekers, and also partner with governments and embassies to pre-verify jobs through official channels.

#5 Community outreach: Hiring managers or recruiters should join verified channels to work with other Gulf employers, recruitment agencies, and labor departments to create a shared blacklist of scam operators. This could include even government-backed task forces focused on ethical recruitment and fraud prevention. Organise webinars or live Q&A sessions where job seekers can learn how to identify fraudulent recruitment and ask questions about legitimate job offers.

Fake job ads are a challenge constantly faced by Gulf job seekers, and the region's government is taking stricter measures to identify such frauds and penalise them. The region's government aims to improve the labour market, and talent mobility, expats hiring, recruitment firms, and employee verifications are some of the top areas on their agenda. For example: Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has taken action against 22 illegal recruiters. The ministry also actively monitor promotional and advertising campaigns across social media and other platforms to detect potential labour violations. It also encourages job seekers to verify that any entity offering employment or mediation services holds a valid license from the ministry before engaging with them.