Finance Ministry Warns Nigerians Over Fake Recruitment Payment Scam

(Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele. Photo by News Express)

A phony mail requesting N50,000 from recently hired employees prior to their return to work has been denied by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Mrs. Efe Ovuakporie, the ministry’s head of information and public relations, made this announcement on Wednesday in Abuja.

A federal ministry has raised the alarm over a fr@udulent recruitment message circulating online, warning applicants against making any payments linked to it.

The ministry described the message as fraudulent and the handiwork of scammers targeting unsuspecting applicants with false recruitment claims.

According to the ministry, the fake notice is titled “Administrative Update and Compliance Notice for Newly Recruited Staff.”

Ovuakporie said the message falsely claimed that the human resource management department had directed new employees to pay a non-refundable administrative fee, stressing that no such directive had been issued by any office or official of the ministry.

She explained that recruitment follows established Federal Civil Service procedures without payment of administrative, processing or resumption fees.

The ministry urged prospective employees and members of the public to ignore the fr@udulent message and avoid making any payments, while also advising applicants not to disclose personal or financial information to those behind the scam.

The ministry encouraged anyone with useful information to report the matter to relevant law enforcement agencies, noting that such information could also be channelled through its official communication platforms.

Ovuakporie reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to transparency, fairness and integrity in all recruitment processes, and pledged continued collaboration with relevant authorities to protect Nigerians from fr@udsters operating in its name.

The ministry further urged Nigerians to verify recruitment information through official government channels before taking any action.