A software engineer in Delhi shared a ‘scary’ experience on Reddit about a job interview that nearly turned into a scam. The recent graduate was contacted by a consultancy promising to help him secure a position at a top company. However, upon arriving at the interview location in Kirti Nagar, he found the building to be “shady” with “African bodyguards” outside. This immediately raised red flags, making him realise that he may be walking into a dangerous situation. He even recounted how the “interview” was conducted by a woman who claimed to have connections with top companies but lacked basic knowledge in the field. She then demanded a fee, and the user, feeling trapped, gave her a small amount and made an excuse to leave. He managed to escape the building and flee to safety. This experience left him feeling frustrated and disheartened, highlighting the vulnerability of job seekers to such scams.
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In the Reddit post, the engineer wrote: “I had a pretty scary experience in Delhi when I was a fresh graduate, just starting my job hunt. I got a call from a consultancy claiming they were hiring for top companies through a third-party agency and would help place me. They told me the interview was in Kirti Nagar, so I went there, but when I arrived, the building looked shady. There were African bodyguards standing outside, which immediately felt off. I asked one of them where the interview was, and he told me to go inside, where HR would be waiting.
I walked into the room, and a woman in mid 30s greeted me. She said she had connections with top companies and even showed me fake pictures of candidates who had been placed in Microsoft through her. She asked about my skills, and when I mentioned Java, she started asking me questions. I deliberately gave wrong answers just to test her, and she still told me I did great. At that point, I knew something was wrong. Because she had no knowledge about Java
Then, she asked me to pay her 3,000 rupees. I was desperate to leave but noticed there was a bouncer standing near the door, and several men outside. I only had a 500-rupee note, so I handed it over and told her I needed to go outside to get the rest of the money. I convinced her, and the bodyguard followed me down the stairs. As soon as I was out of the building, I ran as fast as I could and took a metro because I knew he wouldn’t follow me on a public road.
It was such a frustrating experience. I had traveled a long distance for that interview, as I was already struggling to get calls. This scam made me feel even more down and defeated during that time. It’s sad that these scammers are out there preying on innocent people.”
How users reacted to the post
The Reddit post has already gained over 2,000 likes and caught the attention of users, prompting many to share their own experiences with similar scams.
“Remember sharing your experience about this will actually save many people out there, Hope the necessary action is taken against those scammers,” one user wrote.
Another user commented: “These scams are common in Delhi, I was scammed too in my early stage. Never ever feel terrible in such experiences. Try hard, one day you will get a good job. This experience will teach the value of a job, a value that our parents tried to teach us.”
“This is probably the worst of all I’ve heard of so far,” a third user wrote.
Meanwhile, a fourth user wrote: “My friend had faced a similar issue in Gurugram. An unregistered startup visited her college, conducted the first round of aptitude tests and called selected candidates to location. Three men were waiting inside the room and they had to pay whatever they could to get out of there. This was back in 2017.”
