By the Sevetu team
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The one rule
If someone asks you for money before you start work, stop. A family that wants your help pays you; you do not pay them, and you do not pay a stranger to meet them.
The National Career Service, the government's own job portal, puts it plainly: it "does not charge any fee at any stage of registration, job application, or interview processing", and job seekers "should not pay fees to employers".1 It also warns that some websites and people falsely claim to be linked with it or use its logo.1
Six warning signs
- A fee before the job. Registration, form, uniform, training, "verification" or "security deposit". The Press Information Bureau has flagged a fake website, dressed up as a government programme, that asked applicants for an application fee of ₹1,698.2
- "Ghar baithe" jobs on WhatsApp or Telegram. The Home Ministry's cyber crime centre warns that ads using words like "Ghar baithe job" are aimed mostly at women, retired people and young people looking for part time work. Its advice: if a stranger contacts you on WhatsApp or Telegram, do not send money without checking.3
- Money to a person's name, not a company's. Before paying anything by UPI, look at the receiver's name the app shows. If it is a random person, the same advisory says, it may be an account used to move stolen money.3
- An agency with no licence and nothing in writing. See the Delhi rules below.
- They want to keep your original documents. Show your Aadhaar card, and give a masked copy if they need one; keep the original yourself (more below).
- A job abroad on a tourist or visit visa. Covered in its own section below.
Placement agencies: what the law asks for
In Delhi, the Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Order of 2014 says an agency that places domestic workers must register with the labour department within thirty days, and get a licence to run a placement agency from the district's Deputy Labour Commissioner.4 The agreement between the family and the worker through the agency "shall be in writing", the agency must give the worker a passbook that includes the bank account where the salary is paid, and running without registration can bring a penalty of ₹50,000.4 Complaints about held back wages, harassment or long hours can go to the Delhi Commission for Women.4 When the Delhi government made the licence compulsory, it asked the public to make sure an agency is registered and licensed before using it.5
Rules differ by state, and not every state has one. Wherever you are, ask the agency three things: its registration, a written agreement, and that your salary goes into your own bank account.
The risk is real. In July 2025, Delhi police rescued ten girls aged 14 to 17, brought from Jharkhand with the promise of jobs, from a placement agency in Rohini that supplied them as maids; a trafficking case was registered.6 Nobody under 18 should be sent to work in a home.
Domestic work abroad
Jobs as a housemaid or driver in the Gulf are a common bait. The Ministry of External Affairs warns of unregistered agents who recruit through Facebook and WhatsApp and overcharge "to the tune of Rs. 2-5 lakhs".7 Its rules:
- Use only a registered recruiting agent. Check the agent on emigrate.gov.in under "List of active RA".7 "Always deal with a registered Recruiting Agent. Only then will your rights be protected."8
- Employment visa only. A valid offer lets you travel on an employment or work visa, not a tourist visa.7
- The fee is capped. A recruiting agent may not charge more than ₹30,000 plus GST as its service charge, and must give you a receipt.7 Anyone asking for lakhs is breaking the rule.
- Women under 30 with an ECR passport cannot get emigration clearance for any job in an ECR country.9
If something goes wrong abroad, the ministry lists the Protector General of Emigrants, the MADAD portal and the Indian embassy as places to complain.8
Keep your documents safe
You can download a masked Aadhaar, where the first eight digits show as "xxxx-xxxx" and only the last four are visible, from the UIDAI website or the Aadhaar app.10 Give that instead of a full copy when someone only needs to see your identity. You can also lock your Aadhaar biometrics so nobody can use your fingerprint without you, from the UIDAI site, the app or an Aadhaar centre, as long as your mobile number is registered with Aadhaar.10
Keep your original Aadhaar, bank passbook and certificates with you. A family or agency that needs them can see them and take a copy.
Where to report
| What happened | Where to go |
|---|---|
| You lost money | Call 1930, or file at cybercrime.gov.in. The sooner, the better the chance of stopping the money.1112 |
| A suspicious call, SMS or WhatsApp, no money lost | Report it on Chakshu at sancharsaathi.gov.in, within 30 days.12 |
| You want to check a phone number or account | Search it in the cybercrime portal's suspect repository.13 |
| A placement agency in Delhi | The district labour office or the Delhi Commission for Women.4 |
| An agent for work abroad | The Protector General of Emigrants, or MADAD.8 |
How Sevetu keeps you away from this
On Sevetu you never pay to find work: joining and applying is free, and will stay free. Families post the job, you apply directly, and you chat in the app before deciding. There is no agent and no commission, and the salary you agree is paid to you. The pay, hours and weekly off go into a written work agreement. If anyone claiming to be from Sevetu asks you for money to get a job, do not pay, and tell us at info@sevetu.com.
Questions people ask
No. A real employer pays you; you do not pay to be hired. The government's National Career Service charges nothing at any stage and tells job seekers not to pay employers. Household job apps that are free for workers say so on their own pages.
Ask for its registration and licence. In Delhi, an agency for domestic workers must register with the labour department and hold a licence from the district Deputy Labour Commissioner, and the agreement must be in writing. If the agency will not show you either, do not go.
No. The Ministry of External Affairs says a valid job offer lets you travel on an employment visa, not a tourist visa, through a recruiting agent registered on emigrate.gov.in. The agent's fee is capped at ₹30,000 plus GST, with a receipt.
Call 1930 straight away, or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Keep the payment screenshot, the phone number and the chat. The faster you report, the better the chance of stopping the money.
Show it, and give a masked Aadhaar if they need a copy. A masked Aadhaar hides the first eight digits. Keep the original card with you.
Sources
- National Career Service, Ministry of Labour and Employment, home page FAQ, read 11 October 2026: "NCS does not charge any fee at any stage of registration, job application, or interview processing. Jobseekers should not pay fees to employers."; "Some websites and individuals falsely claim an association with NCS". ncs.gov.in
- Mid-day, Fact check: beware of this fraud job website, government warns, 18 December 2024, reporting a PIB Fact Check: a website "falsely claiming to be a flagship program of the Government of India" demanding "an application fee of Rs 1,698". mid-day.com
- Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, 6 December 2023, on task based part time job fraud: "key words like 'Ghar baithe job'"; targets "mostly retired employees, women and unemployed youth"; "refrain from performing financial transactions without verification"; check the receiver's name in the UPI app. pib.gov.in
- Government of NCT of Delhi, Delhi Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Order, 2014, read 11 October 2026: registration with the Labour Department within thirty days (3); licence from the district Deputy Labour Commissioner (4); passbook with the worker's bank account (5); agreement "shall be in writing" (6); penalty of ₹50,000 (7); complaints to the Delhi Commission for Women (8 to 10). legitquest.com
- Mint, Delhi govt makes licence must for private placement agencies providing domestic workers, 20 February 2021: agencies to register on the e-district portal; the public asked "to ensure that the agency is registered and licensed". livemint.com
- Times of India, Tricked, trafficked and trapped: 10 girls rescued from placement agency, 26 July 2025: ten minor girls aged 14 to 17 from Sahibganj, Jharkhand, rescued from a placement agency in Rohini that supplied them "as maids"; trafficking case registered. timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- Ministry of External Affairs, OE and PGE Division, Advisory on overcharging, 27 March 2024 (as published by the Government of Goa): service charges no more than "Rs. 30,000 + GST (18%)" with a receipt; check agents at emigrate.gov.in, "List of active RA"; employment or work visa, not tourist visa; unregistered agents "overcharging to the tune of Rs. 2-5 lakhs" through Facebook and WhatsApp. goa.gov.in, PDF
- Ministry of External Affairs, Complaints against recruiting agents, read 11 October 2026: "Always deal with a registered Recruiting Agent. Only then will your rights be protected."; complaints to the Protector General of Emigrants, MADAD, the Overseas Workers Resource Centre or the embassy. mea.gov.in
- Ministry of External Affairs, Issues of intending emigrants, read 11 October 2026: a ban on emigration clearance "to women below the age of thirty (30) years for all kind of employment in any ECR country". mea.gov.in
- UIDAI, Aadhaar online services FAQ, read 11 October 2026: masked Aadhaar replaces the first 8 digits with "xxxx-xxxx"; biometric lock "to stop any kind of biometric authentication", with a registered mobile number. uidai.gov.in
- Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, 17 December 2025: "A toll-free Helpline number '1930' has been operationalized to get assistance in lodging online cyber complaints." pib.gov.in
- Department of Telecommunications, Sanchar Saathi, Chakshu, read 11 October 2026: report suspected fraud communication by call, SMS or WhatsApp "within 30 days"; "If you have already lost money, please report at cyber crime helpline 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in." sancharsaathi.gov.in
- National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, home page, read 11 October 2026: citizens "can now search the mobile numbers, e-mail Ids, account numbers, URLs and other identifiers" in the suspect repository. cybercrime.gov.in
Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
