Recruiter informed me of job. Should I skip the recruiter and apply directly?

[DaveJ]

I got an email Saturday that appeared to be from a company that is hiring, but it turned out to actually be a recruiter.

When I replied with my resume, she said she can't get attachments thru LinkedIn, so I was about to reply directly to her email address, then noticed it's a recruiting agency in the area.

The company seems to be doing very well, recently went public, stock is doing great, and posting many positions on their site. It is located within walking distance of my current job. Based on Glassdoor, this company pays some people twice as much as what I'm currently making doing the same work.

So I have 3 choices. 1) Should I call them up and ask if they prefer applications directly, 2) should I ask the recruiter if she has experience placing people at this company, or 3) should I just apply directly to the company, from scratch, and take advantage of the info but pretend this never happened?

Edit: I reread her email and it says "we are hiring all levels..." and I went to the company's site, and they are, and they are a real company. Should I trust her that she really is working with them?

Edit 2: Does anyone know how to get to recommendations on LinkedIn? She seems very accomplished, but I cannot find recommendations, if she has any.

[rbnyc]

1. I would...

...call the company, especially if they have an HR department or director and ask what they prefer.

It's possible that they hired the recruiter and prefer she manage the process.

[DaveJ]

2. Turns out the recruiter is internal

Her LinkedIn profile seems ok so I took a chance and she's totally legit.

I got an interview Monday. But I'm scared. I posted about my crazy concerns on the techie forum here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1098259

But that forum is just as slow as this one and probably won't get any feedback. Thanks!

[KansDem]

3. Good luck tomorrow!

We'll be rooting for you!