Finance Ministry warns job seekers against extortion

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Finance is alerting job seekers and newly hired staff to a fraudulent scheme demanding a N50,000 administrative fee for resuming duty. The ministry has identified this message as the work of fraudsters aiming to exploit unsuspecting applicants by falsely posing as ministry representatives.

The deceptive notice, titled “Administrative Update and Compliance Notice for Newly Recruited Staff,” falsely instructed successful applicants to pay a non-refundable fee before starting their jobs. The ministry has categorically denied issuing such a directive, emphasizing that the message did not originate from any of its offices or officials.

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It is important to state categorically that no such directive was issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the message did not originate from any office or official of the ministry.

According to the ministry, recruitment into the Federal Civil Service adheres to established procedures and never requires any payment from applicants at any stage. This includes the recruitment, documentation, or onboarding processes. The ministry urged the public to disregard the fraudulent message, avoid making payments, and refrain from sharing personal or financial information with those behind the scam.

The warning comes amidst a rise in fraudsters impersonating government institutions to extort money through fake recruitment drives and employment-related fees. The ministry reiterated its commitment to transparency and fairness in its hiring processes and is collaborating with law enforcement to curb such fraudulent activities. It advises Nigerians to verify employment information through official government channels.

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At no stage of the recruitment, documentation or onboarding process are applicants or newly recruited staff required to pay any administrative, processing or resumption fee.