ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, issued a stern warning on Friday, September 8, 2023, against fraudulent employment letters circulating online, targeting unsuspecting job seekers across the country.
In a statement made available to journalists, Corps Public Relations Officer Babawale Afolabi revealed that the organization has been flooded with complaints from individuals who have lost substantial amounts of money to these scams.
“Victims have parted with their hard-earned money, ranging from N250,000 to N500,000, before being issued these fake letters, only to find out later that they have been scammed,” Afolabi said.
“The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, would like to alert the public of the fake and malicious employment letters currently circulating in the country,” Afolabi added.
“These misleading and criminal employment letters did not emanate from the NSCDC nor from the Fire, Immigration, and Correctional Service Board.”
The warning comes as desperation for stable employment runs high in a country grappling with economic challenges.
According to Afolabi, the scam is the work of “yet to be identified and faceless criminal-minded individuals” who are exploiting the country’s jobless and desperate job seekers.
Dr. Audi has ordered a nationwide manhunt for the fraudsters responsible for these fake employment letters.
Afolabi noted that efforts to identify and arrest syndicate members behind the fraudulent activity already show promising results.
The NSCDC urged the public to be vigilant and cautious when encountering employment opportunities that appear too good to be true, especially those that demand large sums of money upfront.
It is a troubling sign of when even employment opportunities—often seen as a pathway out of poverty and economic hardship—become a tool for exploitation.
As efforts to track down the scammers intensify, the NSCDC also calls on the public to report any suspicious activities or offers related to these fake employment opportunities.
The scam serves as a harsh reminder of the vulnerabilities that can be exploited in a society where stable employment is often difficult to secure.
As investigations continue, many are left wondering how such a sophisticated scam could proliferate so widely, and what measures can be put in place to prevent future exploitation of the country’s job-seeking population.
