…points red flags to identify job scams
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has issued an alert on its website as scammers lay ambush for teeming Nigerians clamoring for government jobs to relieve them of their cash.
The alert on the NIS website reads: “Please be informed that the Nigeria Immigration Service is not currently recruiting. The general public is therefore advised to disregard all malicious website(s) and online platforms claiming to be recruiting into the Nigeria Immigration Service.”
Scammers are said to typically place false employment notices in the name of government agencies and then charge fake processing fees along the line, only to disappear into thin air once they have relieved unsuspecting job seekers of their monies.
Job openings in federal and state government agencies attract premium attention from applicants across Nigeria because the establishments are among the largest employers of labour in the country.
Other attractions are that the employments are pensionable, offer health insurance, span the labour recommended eight hours per day, allow for equitable work/life balance, and encourage and reward self-development.
They also sometimes offer perks such as official housing along the line.
Such is the crush on these jobs, that in 2014 at least seven job seekers died at the Abuja National Stadium while scrambling to secure seats for a recruitment test into the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The stampede ensued after the over 20,000 job seekers scrambled through a poorly organised barricade at the test venue, witnesses said.
Federal Government agencies typically employ hundreds of personnel at a go, depending on expansion, replacements due to retirements, as well as changing human capacity requirements, among others.
Faster Capital reports that Job scams have become an increasingly common problem in today’s society, with more and more people falling victim to fraudulent schemes.
The scams continue to evolve and adapt to new technologies and trends.
Faster Capital further reports that job scams target job seekers looking for work online. They typically involve scammers posing as recruiters or employers who offer lucrative job opportunities in exchange for personal information, payment, or both. These scammers often use fake job postings, fake company websites, and fake email addresses to lure unsuspecting job seekers into their traps.
To help job seekers avoid falling prey to Nigerian job scams, we have compiled a list of key characteristics and red flags to watch out for:
Faster Capital warns that scammers often send unsolicited job offers to random people in the hopes of finding someone who will take the bait.
They further report that while legitimate recruiters and employers will typically ask for a job seeker’s resume and cover letter, they should never ask for personal information such as bank account information, or passport details and state that if a purported recruiter or employer asks for this type of information, it’s likely a scam.
They also report that scammers often post job openings with poor grammar, spelling errors, and vague descriptions and warn that if a job posting looks unprofessional or too good to be true, it’s best to steer clear.
They also say that if a would-be recruiter or employer asks an applicant to pay for anything upfront, such as training fees or administrative costs, the applicant should be wary, as legitimate employers would never ask for any form of payment in advance.
They also warn that scammers often use email addresses similar to legitimate ones but with slight variations. For example, they may use “gmial.com” instead of “gmail.com”. They advise that applicants should always double-check their email address before responding to any job offer.
Another red flag they say is when the prospective employer does not have an online presence. They add that legitimate companies will have an online presence, such as a website, social media accounts, or online reviews.
The number of workers on the Federal Government’s payroll rose from 1.14 million in June 2020 to 1.5 million in August 2023, increasing 360,000 workers in about three years.
Data obtained from the website of the IPPIS website showed that there were 696 MDAs and 1.14 million workers in 2020.
The website page read, “There are 696 MDAS on IPPIS Platform as at June, 2020. The department is responsible for processing and payment of salary to over one million (1,139,633) Federal Government employees across the 696 MDAs.
“IPPIS’ aim is to enrol into the platform, all Federal Government MDAs that draw personnel cost fund from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Since inception of the IPPIS project in April 2007, the department have saved the Federal Government of Nigeria billions of naira by eliminating thousands of ghost workers.”
In August 2023, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, revealed that the Federal Government’s personnel cost was over N5tn, with 1.5 million workers on its payroll.
This increase occurred despite the identification of about 70,000 ghost workers in June 2022.
