Nigerian Finance Ministry warns recruits against N50,000 resumption fee scam

The Federal Ministry of Finance in Nigeria has issued a stern warning to newly recruited staff regarding a fraudulent scheme circulating among them. The scam involves a fake message directing recruits to pay a non-refundable administrative fee of N50,000 before resuming their duties.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the ministry's Head of Information and Public Relations, Efe Ovuakporie, disowned the message, labeling it a scam designed to exploit unsuspecting applicants. The fraudulent communication, titled “Administrative Update and Compliance Notice for Newly Recruited Staff,” falsely claimed that the Human Resource Management Department mandated this fee as a condition for starting work.

The ministry emphasized that no such directive was issued and that the message did not originate from any official source within the Federal Ministry of Finance. It reiterated that recruitment processes strictly adhere to the established procedures of the Federal Civil Service. Applicants and new hires are explicitly informed that they are not required to pay any administrative, processing, or resumption fees at any stage of the recruitment, documentation, or onboarding process.

Prospective employees and the general public are advised to ignore the deceptive message and refrain from making any payments or divulging personal and financial information to those behind the scheme. The ministry encourages anyone who receives the message or has information about the perpetrators to report the matter to the relevant law enforcement agencies or use the ministry’s official communication channels. The Federal Ministry of Finance reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and integrity in its recruitment practices.