Nigeria’s Job Seekers at Risk: The Rise of Recruitment Scams
Many individuals, especially job seekers and young graduates, fall victim to fake job advertisements and lose their money to fraudulent recruiters who demand fees for job applications, training, or placement. These job scammers exploit people’s desperation for employment, causing them financial losses and emotional distress when these victims realise they have been deceived and swindled.
Fake job and recruitment scams are a major issue in Nigeria, exploiting the country’s unemployed actively seeking employment opportunities using fraudulent job offers, fake recruitment agencies, and deceitful employment schemes. Some of these job scams are also being used as a front for human trafficking, organ harvesting, and other criminal activities
Scammers lure victims with exaggerated salaries and benefits that seem too good to be true, often without requiring any significant experience or qualifications. These fake job ads are usually posted on social media platforms, WhatsApp groups, and unregulated job websites, making it difficult to verify their authenticity.
Sometimes, they impersonate well-known companies, using fake email addresses and phone numbers to trick applicants. Victims are invited for job interviews at questionable locations, where they may be coerced into paying money or, in some cases, even kidnapped and some of these fraudulent job ads require applicants to pay a registration fee, training fee, or processing fee. In 2024, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, raised alarm over trafficking with the guise of employment opportunities. Hence, job scams are also being used as a front for organ harvesting, human trafficking, forcing victims into exploitative labour or even criminal activities under false pretenses.
Job seekers also fall victim to fraudulent job offers from scammers posing as government agencies or major corporations. These agencies and corporations have had to debunk recruitment rumours on several occasions.
Pyramid schemes businesses have been known to use promises of a job in recruiting members. These schemes operate through a membership system where recruited individuals are forced to enroll others into the scheme and rely on a continuous influx of new members for sustainability. Eventually, when recruitment of new members slows down, the scheme collapses, and most participants lose their money. This has happened in the past with schemes like MMM, Ultimate cycler, and other peer-to-peer recruitment ponzi schemes.
Fake job postings are a regular feature on social media platforms. Scammers take advantage of job seekers' desperation. Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram lack strict oversight compared to LinkedIn and fake recruiters use this lack of verification to post fraudulent job offers.Fake websites and cloned recruitment portals are commonly used to misinform the public about non-existent job opportunities.
Word of mouth and informal job referral networks significantly contribute to misinformation and the spread of fake jobs in Nigeria because many people trust information from friends, family, and acquaintances without verifying the authenticity. When job opportunities and referrals come from a known person, candidates are less likely to question the legitimacy of the offer. Unfortunately, some referrers, knowingly or unknowingly, act as middlemen for job scammers.
Fake employment agencies and corrupt officials in Nigeria play a significant role in misinforming the public about fake jobs.
Techniques Used in Spreading Job Scams
Manipulative language and urgent job offers are common techniques used in spreading false job information. They use persuasive and deceptive wording to lure job seekers, claiming extremely high salaries, guaranteed promotions, or luxury perks to attract candidates. Well-crafted messages such as, “You’ve been personally selected for this opportunity!”, “Only a few spots left!”, “Apply now before it’s too late!”, “Apply now—hiring closes in 24 hours!” are used in advertising urgency vacancies. They also use clickbait job offers, such as “work from home and earn $500 per day!”, to attract attention.
Fake testimonials and success stories are used to create an illusion of legitimacy and success, luring unsuspecting job seekers into the scam while fake reviews make the job seem more trustworthy.
Impact of Job Scams on Individuals and Society
Financial losses are one of the most significant impacts of fake job scams. Scammers often ask victims to pay for job applications, background checks, or training materials before getting the job and such fees are never refunded. Some scams involve asking job seekers to provide bank details for salary deposits, only for the scammers to use the information for unauthorised transactions or identity theft. The victims are left with feelings of sadness and despair over this loss of their savings.
Fake job scams also pose significant cybersecurity risks that can have severe consequences for individuals and organisations. Fraudulent job listings often serve as phishing attempts to steal personal information. Some fake job postings include malicious links or attachments in emails, leading applicants to download malware. This allows cyber attackers to gain control over their devices, steal data, blackmail or demand ransom for sensitive information found on the device.
When job seekers fall victim to scams, they become more hesitant to engage with legitimate job postings, fearing they may be deceived again. This can lead to missed opportunities and reluctance to apply for jobs, even from reputable employers, further leading to an increase in unemployment.
Combating Misinformation and Disinformation in Job Recruitment
To combat misinformation and disinformation surrounding job recruitment, employers should maintain an updated presence on job platforms and address misinformation about their company by providing clear information about job roles, salaries, benefits, and expectations. Job seekers on their part should research companies via official websites, LinkedIn, and reviews to confirm legitimacy. Scammers often use free email services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo) instead of corporate email domains. Governments and law enforcement agencies can tackle job scams through a combination of regulation, enforcement, and public awareness.
