In response to a surge in job scams during India’s festive hiring season, Apna.co has introduced an innovative AI-powered system called Apna Safety. This platform aims to verify recruiters, ensuring a safer job search experience for millions of job seekers across the country. The launch comes as India approaches its peak recruitment period, a time often marred by fraudulent job offers.
During a pilot program conducted in August and September 2025, Apna Safety successfully verified over 146,000 recruiters. This initiative led to a remarkable 45% reduction in fraud exposure for job seekers. Additionally, safety-related complaints on Apna’s Play Store listing decreased by 60%, contributing to the app achieving a 4.7 rating, the highest among job platforms in India.
Innovative Verification Process Enhances Trust
The Apna Safety system allows users to verify the authenticity of recruiters easily. By simply entering a phone number on the Apna app or visiting apna.co/apna-safety, candidates can receive a credibility score for the recruiter in question. Recruiters are categorized as active, blocked, or unregistered, and users can report suspicious profiles directly through the platform.
The verification process involves multiple layers of scrutiny. Recruiter legitimacy is assessed against official records such as GST, PAN, and CIN. Furthermore, details are validated using Aadhaar, while digital activities and domains are cross-referenced to generate a comprehensive credibility score. Recruiters failing to meet these criteria face restrictions or blocking, effectively shielding candidates from potential fraud.
Apna Safety also proactively identifies common scam patterns within the app. Candidates receive real-time alerts regarding red flags, including requests for registration fees, security deposits, or training charges. By embedding these alerts into the job search experience, Apna enhances user trust and awareness during the hiring process.
Addressing a Persistent Challenge in Recruitment
Fraudulent job practices represent a significant challenge within India’s employment landscape. According to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), cyber fraud cost Indians over ₹22,800 crore in 2024, with job-related scams emerging as the largest category of complaints. Industry estimates indicate that job-related fraud may have resulted in losses of approximately ₹5,100 crore.
Frontline roles in sectors such as e-commerce, logistics, and customer support are particularly susceptible as hiring intensifies during the festive season. These positions often attract freshers and first-time job seekers, making them prime targets for scams.
Nirmit Parikh, Founder and CEO of Apna.co, emphasized the urgency of addressing recruitment fraud in his comments on the launch. He stated, “Every year, lakhs of Indians fall prey to recruitment scams, and that is simply unacceptable. This is an industry-wide threat to the trust on which livelihoods are built. With AI-powered Apna Safety, we are setting a new standard for verification and accountability in the hiring ecosystem and moving decisively toward a scam-free job market.”
In the third quarter of 2025 alone, Apna facilitated over 2.7 crore job applications, underscoring the platform’s significant role in the job market and the responsibility it carries. Parikh further emphasized the mission of Apna: “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 the festive hiring surge continues, Apna Safety stands as a critical tool in safeguarding job seekers against the pervasive threat of recruitment scams. By leveraging AI technology, Apna.co is not only enhancing the credibility of recruiters but also fostering a more secure and trustworthy employment landscape in India.
