India’s leading jobs and careers platform, Apna.co, has introduced an innovative AI-powered system called Apna Safety to help combat job scams amidst the country’s festive hiring surge. This initiative aims to protect millions of job seekers by verifying recruiters against official records and digital patterns, thereby generating a credibility score.
The launch comes at a crucial time, as many individuals seek employment during India’s peak hiring season. Initial pilot results from August and September 2025 demonstrate the effectiveness of the platform: over 146,000 recruiters were verified, resulting in a significant 45% reduction in fraud exposure for job seekers. Furthermore, safety-related complaints on Apna’s Play Store listing plummeted by 60%, and the app achieved a high rating of 4.7, the best among job platforms in India.
Strengthening Trust in the Hiring Process
The data reveals that more than half of the verified cases pertained to opportunities for freshers and first-time job seekers, who are often the most vulnerable to scams. Nirmit Parikh, Founder and CEO of Apna.co, emphasized the urgent need for such measures, stating, “Every year, lakhs of Indians fall prey to recruitment scams, and that is simply unacceptable.” He highlighted the role of Apna Safety in setting a new standard for verification and accountability.
Candidates can verify a recruiter’s authenticity through the Apna app or via the website by entering a phone number. The system categorizes recruiters as active, blocked, or unregistered, while suspicious profiles can be reported. Apna Safety employs multiple layers of verification, checking the legitimacy of companies against GST, PAN, and CIN records. Recruiter details are further validated using Aadhaar, and this information is cross-referenced with digital activity to generate a credibility score.
The introduction of Apna Safety also includes alerts for common scam patterns. Job seekers are notified of red flags such as requests for registration fees, security deposits, or payment for training courses, as well as pressure to purchase digital products as a condition of employment. By embedding these alerts in the job search experience, Apna reinforces trust and keeps candidates informed in real time.
The Scale of Job Scams in India
Job-related fraud remains a significant concern in India. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) reported that Indians lost over ₹22,800 crore to cyber fraud in 2024, with job-related scams emerging as the largest category of complaints. Industry estimates suggest that job scams alone have cost India approximately ₹5,100 crore. The most affected roles include e-commerce, logistics, telecalling, customer support, and warehouse operations, where hiring is notably high during the festive season.
Apna’s proactive approach reflects its commitment to fostering a safer hiring environment. In the third quarter of 2025, the platform facilitated over 2.7 crore job applications, highlighting both the scale of opportunity and the responsibility that comes with it. Parikh concluded, “Our mission is clear: every Indian should be able to pursue opportunity with confidence, dignity, and safety. We will keep raising the bar until trust becomes the default currency of India’s workforce.”
As Apna.co continues to innovate and enhance the safety of its platform, the job market in India may become a more secure space for job seekers, especially in a landscape where scams are prevalent.