How to spot a fake job offer in Nigeria: 10 warning signs
Most job scams in Nigeria follow the same script: a job that sounds easy, pay that sounds generous, and then a fee. Learn the ten signs below and you will spot almost every fake offer before it costs you money or your personal details.
The one rule: a real employer pays you. If anyone asks you to pay them to get, start or keep a job, it is not a real job.
10 warning signs of a fake job offer
1. You are asked to pay a fee
Application forms, “processing”, training, medicals arranged by the recruiter, uniforms, ID cards or a “starter kit”. Jobberman calls certification, background-check or set-up fees “a big red flag”. The EFCC has said it does not collect money from job seekers and asks people to report such requests at its nearest office or at a police station.
2. The pay is far above the going rate
Entry-level jobs in Nigerian job ads mostly show ₦50,000 to ₦250,000 a month. An offer of several times that for “simple data entry” or “liking posts” is a lure. Our entry-level jobs guide shows what real ads pay.
3. You got the job without an interview
Real employers want to speak to you, even briefly, before they hire you. An offer that arrives by WhatsApp straight after you send a CV, with no conversation, is a warning sign.
4. They want your BVN, bank PIN or OTP
An employer may need your account number to pay your salary once you are hired. No one ever needs your PIN, password or one-time code. Never share them.
5. The email comes from a free address
Established companies usually write from their own domain (for example name@company.com). A “big company recruitment team” writing from a Gmail address deserves a second look. Check the company’s own careers page.
6. They use a famous name to recruit for a government agency
Government recruitment is announced on official websites. The NSCDC, for example, has warned that it does not recruit by asking applicants to contact agents or consultants. If an “agent” promises a government job for a fee, walk away.
7. Pressure to decide today
“Only two places left”, “pay before 6pm”. Scammers rush you so you do not stop to check. A real offer will still be there tomorrow.
8. You must buy stock or a bike first
Some “sales jobs” are schemes where you buy products and sell them yourself, and some “rider jobs” are bike hire-purchase deals with no salary. These may be legal, but they are not jobs. Read the terms and ask: will I be paid a salary, how much, and when?
9. The interview is somewhere strange
Interviews in a hotel room, a private house or a different state, at your own cost, are a risk to your money and your safety. Ask for the company address, check it on a map and tell someone where you are going.
10. The agency charges you
Under Nigeria’s Labour Act, a fee-charging employment agency needs the written consent of the Minister. Even then, most legitimate recruiters are paid by the employer, not by you.
How to check a job before you apply
- Search the company name plus the word “scam” or “fraud”.
- Find the company’s own website or social pages and check that the vacancy is there.
- For security jobs, ask to see the company’s NSCDC licence.
- Apply through established job boards such as Jobberman, MyJobMag or NELEX, the Federal Ministry of Labour’s job portal. Applying is free.
If you have already paid
Stop all contact, keep the messages and payment receipts, call your bank at once, and report it to the EFCC or the police. The sooner you report, the better the chance of stopping the money.