What Information Should You Never Share With a Recruiter?

What a recruiter needs at each stage

The simplest way to stay safe is to match what you share to how far the process has really gone. Requests that jump ahead of the stage are the warning sign.

Stage	Reasonable to share	Not needed
Application	Resume, phone, email, city, availability, links to your work	ID numbers, bank details, family details, a photo unless requested
Interview or assessment	Work samples, projects, references if asked	Any financial information, OTPs, passwords
Verified offer and onboarding	ID and address proof, academic certificate copies, bank account details for salary, previous employer details	PINs, card numbers, CVV, passwords, OTPs

Even at onboarding, documents should go to the company's official HR email or portal, not to a personal account or a chat application.

Never share, at any stage

These give someone direct access to your money or accounts. No genuine recruiter or employer needs them, at any stage, for any reason.

• One-time passwords (OTPs) sent to your phone or email. An OTP exists to prove that you are the one acting.
• Card numbers, CVV and expiry dates.
• UPI PINs, net-banking passwords and app logins, and approval of any UPI "collect" request you did not start.
• Screen-sharing or remote-access codes. Installing such an app because a recruiter asks lets them see and operate your phone.
• A small "test" payment to "verify" your account.
• Signed blank cheques or blank signed forms.
• Passwords for your email or social accounts.

Share only after you have verified the offer

Some documents are normal at onboarding but risky beforehand, because they can be used for identity theft, loan fraud or opening accounts in your name:

• Aadhaar and PAN details
• Passport or other identity documents
• Bank account number and IFSC, which payroll needs
• Address proof and photographs
• Copies of academic certificates

Before you share any of these, complete the checks in how to verify a job offer: the company, the role, the recruiter, and the process. Then send documents through the company's official channels only.

Be careful with original documents

Sharing copies is normal. Being asked to show your original certificates at joining, so HR can check them against the copies, is also common. What should worry you is an employer that wants to keep your originals as security, or a recruiter who asks you to courier originals before you have joined. Push back, ask for the policy in writing, and reconsider if they insist.

Protect what you publish

Recruiters and scammers both browse resume databases. Before you upload a resume anywhere public:

• Leave off your Aadhaar, PAN and any bank details. They do not belong on a resume.
• Consider whether you need to show a full home address. A city is usually enough.
• Use an email address and phone number you are comfortable receiving unsolicited messages on.
• Remember that anything you upload can be copied and reused to make fake offers convincing.

If you need a clean resume that leaves out unnecessary personal details by design, the free Resume Builder does not ask for them.

How to ask before you share

You are allowed to ask, and a genuine employer expects it. Try something like this:

Could you tell me what this document is used for and how it will be stored? I'll send it to the official HR email once my offer is confirmed in writing.

A real HR team can explain and will usually wait. A scammer tends to push back, add pressure, or disappear.

If you have shared something you should not have

1. If you shared an OTP, card details or a banking password, call your bank at once, using the number on your card or the bank's official website, so they can block the card or account.
2. Change passwords that may be exposed, and check your recent transactions.
3. Report it: call 1930, the national cyber fraud helpline, and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
4. If you shared Aadhaar details, the official UIDAI website explains how to review where your Aadhaar has been used and how to lock your biometrics.
5. Save the evidence of the conversation, then stop replying.

More on how these schemes work is in whether you should ever pay money for a job, and you can check the person contacting you with how to verify a recruiter or a recruitment email.