You've sent out many CVs. Then a message lands on WhatsApp: "Congratulations, you've been shortlisted." The pay is big. The work is from home. The company name is one you know. Your heart jumps.
This is exactly the moment scammers wait for. Job scams work because people are tired, hopeful and in a hurry, and scammers know it. In September 2026, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) in Ghana warned jobseekers about fake recruitment websites and unsolicited messages sent by SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. In Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Finance had to warn people about a fake notice asking new recruits to pay a ₦50,000 "administrative fee" before starting work, according to Premium Times.
This guide shows you the common tricks, how to check a company and a recruiter before you reply, what real hiring looks like, and what to do if you've already paid or shared your details. It's written for people in Ghana and Nigeria, including those looking at remote jobs with companies abroad.
The 7 most common fake job tricks
1. Fees for "registration", "training", "uniform" or "visa"
This is the oldest trick and still the most common. The scammer gives the fee a nice name: registration fee, processing fee, medical fee, training fee, slot fee, visa fee. The name changes. The aim doesn't: your money, paid before any job exists.
Real cases show how it goes. In Ghana, the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) warned in July 2025 about messages demanding a GH¢500 "processing fee" for its Community Police Assistants and Fire Service Assistants modules. The agency said it does not charge fees at any stage of recruitment. In Nigeria, the Finance Ministry said no applicant or new staff member has to pay any administrative, processing or resumption fee at any stage.
The rule: if you must pay to get hired, it's a scam. A company that wants to train you pays for the training. A company that sends you abroad does not ask you to pay a "visa fee" to a person's MoMo or bank account.
2. "Buy equipment and we'll refund you"
This one targets work-from-home jobs. After a short interview, you get an offer letter. Then comes an "invoice" for a laptop, headset or software. They say you must pay the seller now and the company will repay you with your first salary.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes the same pattern: a fake invoice for equipment the "employer" says it will order, and the worker is told to pay for it. The FTC says the promised refund never comes, and that honest employers will never ask you to pay upfront fees for a job or for equipment.
3. The cheque trick
Here the scammer sends you money first. It might be a cheque, a bank transfer or a MoMo payment "for equipment". Then they say: "Keep your part and send the rest to our supplier." Later the cheque bounces, or the bank reverses the payment, and the money you sent out was your own.
The FTC page we read has real comments from victims in this exact situation. One person said they were sent a cheque supposedly for work or office equipment and told to deposit it and send the money on. A cheque that looks real can still be fake, and a payment that shows in your account can still be reversed. Don't spend or forward money you were "sent by mistake" or "for equipment".
4. Interviews only on WhatsApp or Telegram
The CSA said scammers use SMS and social media, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram, to send unsolicited job messages. A WhatsApp chat is not proof of a scam by itself. Many small honest firms use WhatsApp. But when the whole "interview" is typed messages with a stranger, and there is no company email, no video call and no named manager, treat it as a warning sign.
Made-up example: "Mr Kojo from Acme Foods HR" messages you from a number with a stock photo. He says the interview is "by chat only, 10 questions". Ten minutes later you're "hired". A real employer will want to hear your voice or see you on a video call, and will usually involve the actual team you'd work with.
5. Pay that is far too high for the work
"Earn GH₵5,000 a week typing at home." "Earn ₦400,000 a month liking posts." If the pay is far above what the same job pays elsewhere, ask why a company would do that. The CSA specifically told jobseekers to be careful with offers promising unusually high salaries.
A related trick is the "task job". You're paid small amounts for easy tasks, then told to deposit your own money to "unlock" bigger tasks or "commissions". Safety guides on job scams call this out as a clear sign of fraud. Any online job that wants a deposit is not a job.
6. Asking for ID, bank or BVN details too early
Scammers say they need your Ghana Card number, a photo of your card, your BVN, your bank account or your selfie "for employment paperwork". They ask for it before you've signed anything. The FTC notes that scammers ask for this early, sometimes before they'll answer your questions about the job.
With enough of your details, a criminal can try to open accounts, take loans or register SIM cards in your name. In Ghana, the National Identification Authority (NIA) said fraudsters have used other people's Ghana Card details to register SIM cards and commit crimes. And since 2 November 2026, the NIA has started nationwide enforcement of Ghana Card biometric (fingerprint or face) verification rules. The NIA says looking at or photocopying a card does not prove the person holding it is the real owner. So be careful about sending photos of your card to a stranger. Our guide on linking your Ghana Card to your bank and MoMo accounts explains how the card is used in real, official processes.
When is it normal to share ID? After you've had real interviews, received a written offer from a company you've checked, and are doing onboarding with a named person on the company's own email. Even then, send it only through the company's official channel.
7. Fake recruiters using real company names and look-alike emails
The scammer says they're from a real, famous company. They may even copy its logo and write a nice offer letter. The CSA warned that scammers build cloned websites that closely copy real institutions to steal personal details, and that they impersonate recruiters and senior officials. The Ghana Immigration Service has also warned about a fake online recruitment portal that collected personal information and, in some cases, payments.
The trick with the email address is that it looks right at a quick glance. Here's a made-up example, with the dots written as [.] on purpose so no phone turns them into links:
| Address | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| name@acmefoods[.]com | Matches the company's real website (made-up example) |
| name@acmefoods-careers[.]com | Extra word added. This is not the company's own domain. |
| name@acmefoods[.]hr-team[.]net | The real domain is the last part, "hr-team[.]net". "acmefoods" is only decoration. |
| acmefoods.hr@gmail[.]com | A free personal email. The FTC lists this as a red flag for a company recruiter. |
Read an address from right to left, starting at the part just before the last dot-ending (.com, .com.gh, .ng). That's the real owner. Also watch for swapped letters, like a capital "I" in place of a small "l", or "rn" in place of "m".
How the scam usually runs, step by step
- The bait. You see a job advert on Facebook, or get an unsolicited message on WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS or email. The pay is good and the requirements are small.
- The move to a private chat. They ask you to continue on WhatsApp or Telegram, away from the job site where the advert was posted.
- A quick "interview". It's short, by text, or a group chat. You pass easily.
- The offer letter. It has a real company logo and a big salary. It may be signed with a name from the real company.
- The ask. A fee, an equipment payment, a cheque to deposit, or your ID and bank details. They add pressure: "Pay today or the slot goes to someone else."
- Silence or more demands. After you pay, a new fee appears (a "clearance fee", "insurance fee"). Or they block you.
The pressure is the key. Real employers give you time to think, read a contract and ask questions.
How to check a company and a recruiter before you reply
This takes 10 to 15 minutes. It can save you months of savings.
Step 1: Go to the company yourself
Don't click the link in the message. Open your browser and search for the company's name, then open its own website. Find the "Careers" or "Jobs" page. Is the job there? If not, ask yourself why the "recruiter" says it exists. The FTC's advice is the same: contact the company directly using a phone number or website you know is real, not one you got from the recruiter.
The CSA gives the same advice for Ghana: check recruitment offers directly with the institution before you send personal details, identity documents or financial information. For government jobs, look at the agency's own site. The YEA, for example, says official information is shared through its website, yea.gov.gh, and verified channels, and that it doesn't contact applicants through private phone numbers.
Step 2: Ask the company to confirm the recruiter
Write to the company's general contact email or phone number from its website. Ask: "Do you have a recruiter named X, and a vacancy for Y?" A real company will reply or pass your question to HR. Many big companies also say on their careers page that they never charge fees.
Step 3: Check that the company exists
- Ghana: Company registration is done by the Registrar General's Department. It is being moved to the new Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), and both have name search pages (the ORC one is on orc.gov.gh). A name search tells you if a business name is on record.
- Nigeria: The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) runs a free public search for registered companies. Nigerian business guides point to search.cac.gov.ng for this. Search by company name or RC number.
The tricky part: a registered company is not the same as a real recruiter. A scammer can use the name of a genuine company, or register a cheap business name just to look proper. So use the registry check together with Step 1 and Step 2, never alone.
Step 4: Look at the recruiter
- Search their name with the company name on LinkedIn. Does the profile have a long history, real connections and a company email?
- Do a reverse image search of their profile photo (upload it to Google Images or Google Lens). Stolen photos often show up under other names.
- Look at the email address using the table above. Is it the company's real domain?
- Search the company name with the word "scam" and read what comes up. Also check the company's social media for a notice such as "fake recruiters are using our name".
Step 5: Ask for a video call
Say: "I'd be happy to do a video interview on the company's usual platform." Scammers often refuse, delay or change the subject.
Step 6: Read the offer letter slowly
CSA lists poor grammar, spelling errors and unprofessional communication as possible signs of a fake advert. But good grammar doesn't prove a job is real, because many scammers now use AI tools to write clean English. Judge the offer by what it asks you to do, not how nicely it's written.
What real hiring looks like
| Real hiring | Fake hiring |
|---|---|
| Job is on the company's own careers page | Job only exists in a message or a Facebook post |
| You apply with a CV and are asked about your skills | "You're hired" with almost no questions |
| Company email, phone or video interviews, more than one person | Chat only, free email address, one "manager" |
| Employer pays for training and equipment | You pay, "refund later" |
| Salary is normal for the work | Pay is far too high |
| ID and bank details come after a signed contract, through HR | ID and bank details asked in the first chat |
| You get time to think and ask questions | "Pay today or lose your slot" |
A note on remote jobs abroad. Real foreign employers hire Ghanaians and Nigerians remotely, often through known platforms or company careers pages. They pay into your bank account or through a known payment service, and they sign a contract. Our guides on where to find remote tech jobs, freelance platforms that pay Ghanaians and how to get paid as a remote worker in Ghana will help you see how normal remote work looks.
Want a safer place to start? Our jobs board lists jobs, and every job there links to the employer's own page. That means you can check the job on the company's website, which is exactly the step that beats most fake offers. Still do your own checks. If you spot a job message you think is fake, send it to us on our report a scam page so we can warn others.
What to do if you've already paid or shared your details
Don't feel ashamed. These scams are built by people who do this every day, and clever, careful people fall for them. What matters is speed.
If you paid money
- Stop paying. A second "fee" to "release" the first is part of the scam.
- Call your bank or MoMo provider now. Tell them it's fraud and give the number or account you paid. Ask what they can do. The sooner you call, the better the chance. A Nigerian guide on reporting fraud suggests asking your bank to put a "post-no-debit" block on the receiving account. We couldn't confirm this on an official page, so just ask your bank what options it has.
- Keep evidence. Screenshot the advert, the chats, the offer letter, the payment receipts and the sender's number or email. Don't delete the chat.
- Report it using the lists below.
If you shared ID, bank or BVN details
- Tell your bank. Ask them to watch your account and say you shared details with a suspected scammer.
- Change passwords and PINs on your email, bank and MoMo. Turn on two-step login where you can. See our guide on setting up two-factor authentication.
- Watch for new SIM or loan activity you didn't ask for. Our SIM-swap fraud guide explains the warning signs.
- If you also clicked a strange link or installed an app, follow our 15-minute recovery plan.
- In Ghana, if you think someone is misusing your Ghana Card, the NIA's guidance tells people to report suspected misuse to the NIA.
Where to report in Ghana
- Cyber Security Authority (CSA): call or text 292, WhatsApp 050 160 3111, or email [email protected]. The CSA says this is a 24-hour point of contact for reporting cybercrimes and for asking about online links and transactions.
- Ghana Police: call 191 or 18555. The Police Cyber Crime Unit is at the CID Headquarters in Accra, and the police site lists 18555 and 191 as its helplines.
- The CSA's September 2026 notice told the public to report suspicious online activity to the CSA or to the Cybercrime Unit of the CID.
Where to report in Nigeria
- Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC): it runs an online e-reporting portal for cybercrime at nccc.npf.gov.ng.
- EFCC: Nigerian news guides say you can report to the EFCC through the Eagle Eye app, by email to [email protected], or in writing at an EFCC office.
- If the scam used the name of a government agency, also tell that agency through its official channels, as the Finance Ministry asked the public to do.
Questions people ask
Is every job offer on WhatsApp a scam?
No. Some real recruiters use WhatsApp to set up a time. The warning sign is when everything happens only on WhatsApp or Telegram, with no company email, no video call and no way to check the person. Also be careful when they contacted you first and you never applied.
The recruiter says the fee is small and refundable. Is that okay?
No. The size of the fee does not matter. Many scams ask for a small amount from thousands of people. A "refundable" fee is still a fee, and real employers do not take one.
Can a real company ask me to pay for a police report or medical test?
Some real employers ask you to get a document, such as a medical report, from a clinic. But they don't ask you to send money to a person's phone or account. If the payment goes to the recruiter and not to the clinic or an official body, stop and check with the company directly.
The company is real and I found it on Google. Can I trust the message?
Not yet. Scammers copy real company names, logos and even websites. The CSA warned about cloned websites of real institutions. Reach the company through the contact details on its genuine website, which you found yourself.
I'm not sure. Who can tell me if it's real?
In Ghana, call or text the CSA on 292, which says it can give guidance on online links and transactions. You can also send us the message on our report a scam page. For more patterns, see our Job and Recruitment Scams in Ghana guide and the scam checklist.
The TechTrendi Summary
- A real employer never asks you to pay for registration, training, equipment, uniform, medical or visa costs.
- A cheque or payment "for equipment" that you must pass on is a classic trick. The money can bounce back after you've sent yours.
- WhatsApp-only or Telegram-only interviews, free email addresses and pressure to pay today are warning signs.
- Pay that is far too high for the work is bait. So are "tasks" that need a deposit.
- Share your Ghana Card, BVN or bank details only after a signed offer from a company you have checked yourself.
- Always go to the company's own website, using your own search, and ask it to confirm the recruiter.
- If you paid or shared details, tell your bank or MoMo provider first, keep evidence, then report.
What to Do Next
- Before replying to any job message, spend 10 minutes on the checks in this guide: company website, recruiter email, and a message to the company itself.
- Save the reporting contacts for your country on your phone: CSA 292 and Police 191 in Ghana, or the NPF-NCCC portal and EFCC in Nigeria.
- Share this guide in your family, church, school and job-hunting WhatsApp groups. Someone close to you is looking for work right now.
Sources
- Citi Newsroom: CSA warns jobseekers over fake recruitment websites, messages
- Cyber Security Authority Ghana: Alerts and incident reporting contacts
- Ghana Police Service: Cyber Crime Unit
- NPF-NCCC: National Cybercrime Centre E-Reporting Portal
- US FTC: Scammers impersonate well-known companies, recruit for fake jobs
- GhanaWeb: YEA warns public against GH¢500 recruitment scam
- Premium Times: Finance Ministry warns job seekers against extortion
- Citi Newsroom: NIA begins nationwide enforcement of Ghana Card biometric verification rules
Contact numbers and rules can change. Always confirm with the official source, such as the CSA, the Police, the EFCC or the company's own website, before you act.