Michael HundeyinMany Lagos residents hear testimonies in churches about people securing executive jobs they never applied for, hoping to replicate such success. Those who have received an unexpected job interview invitation know there’s more to these stories than meets the eye.
The invitation, typically sent via text and sometimes by email, is concise. It informs the recipient they have been invited for an interview at a specific company, often located in Ogba, Ikeja, or other parts of Lagos.
If the recipient attends the interview, which might take place on an unusual day like a public holiday, they are subjected to irrelevant lectures which set the stage for extortion.
@IrediaOseine, an X user, shared how someone who attended an interview for a job they never applied for was scammed out of N11,000.
8, Bisi Ogabi Street, Balogun Awolowo Way, Ikeja. or 8 Bisi Ogabi St, off Allen Busstop behind watercress hotel,Ikeja, LagosThis one scammed people right before my eyes. Just less than a month here. I’m still new to all these things. Someone paid 11k https://t.co/wzCOaPCJK3— Iredia Omoike (@IrediaOseine) September 22, 2024
“They contact you through sites where you’ve applied for jobs, telling you they have a role for you. When you arrive at the interview, they spend about four hours explaining their ‘business’ before asking for money to cover training and registration. Some people paid N11,000,” the user explained.
An example of a fake job invitation text. Credit: X.com
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@TAdewole, another X user, recounted her experience with fake interview scams around Ikeja and Ogba in 2021. She lost her meagre resources travelling to the interview venue, only to discover she was being recruited for a network marketing scheme.
I was once a victim in the year 2021, I stayed on the island, I was looking for a job then, I had applied for some jobs online.So when I got the invite for the interview I didn’t asked questions, I didn’t know anyone on the mainland. I chat someone on a WhatsApp group that I— GOD IN RACE (@TAdelowe) September 22, 2024
Her response came under a post sharing 44 confirmed fake job venues in Lagos.
I was once a victim in the year 2021, I stayed on the island, I was looking for a job then, I had applied for some jobs online.So when I got the invite for the interview I didn’t asked questions, I didn’t know anyone on the mainland. I chat someone on a WhatsApp group that I— GOD IN RACE (@TAdelowe) September 22, 2024
Back in 2021, a Nairaland user detailed that many interview invitations were time wasters which cost desperate job seekers a lot of money by asking them to pay for materials and requiring a N7,000 payment.
“The second payment is N40,000 for the franchise then a step-up of over N308,000. Afterwards, you start paying daily N30,000 all for drugs,” the Nairaland user said.
In more disturbing cases, some Lagos residents who attended interviews for jobs they never applied for narrowly escaped harm. @Geophummie, an X user, shared how his sister narrowly avoided danger in 2017 after attending such an interview, only escaping because “they let her go”.
My sis almost fell victim about 4years ago. Thank God for prayerful parents. They let her go and God gave her wisdom to escape the building. I’ve never shared this hereSince then, any interview venue or number I check the address & number on nairaland. This country is dangerous— Aspiring Emi Oga & Min. of Petroleum (@geophummie) May 2, 2021
This issue is not limited to scams. In 2021, Uduak-Abasi Akpan raped and killed 26-year-old Hiny Umoren, a job seeker, after luring her to his family’s home in Nung Ikono Obio Village under the guise of offering her a job.
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While these incidents highlight a serious problem, they also point to a larger, unresolved issue — unemployment.
THE PROBLEM OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment is the driving force behind these crimes, as perpetrators exploit the desperation of unemployed Nigerians. It’s also the reason many fall prey to such scams.
The unemployment rate for the third quarter of 2023 was 5%, based on the National Bureau of Statistics’ revised methodology which defines unemployment as the proportion of the labour force actively seeking and available for work.
However, this has not always been the case. In 2022, Nigeria’s unemployment rate was over 30% before the revised methodology that now includes underemployment. According to Statista, in the fourth quarter of 2020, more than 33% of the labour force was unemployed, based on the previous NBS method.
The rising cost of living combined with high unemployment and poverty rates may continue fuelling job scams. The World Bank projects that by the end of 2024, approximately 40.7% of Nigerians will live below the international poverty line.
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WHAT THE POLICE CAN DO
On Saturday, X user Aramide Oyekunle shared a list of 44 fake job venues. EQ discovered that this list has been circulating for some time, with people contributing to updating it.
Since 2019, several Nigerian human resources managers have compiled addresses of these job scammers and shared them on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and X. However, despite these efforts, the Nigerian police appear to have done little to address this growing problem.
LIST OF 44 CONFIRMED FAKE JOB VENUES1. Plot 5, Voda Paint plc, University Press House, Fumec Bus stop off Adeniyi Jones Ogba Lagos2. 3rd floor, 8 Thomas Salako Street, Ogba Bus Stop, Ikeja Lagos3. No 2, Sunday Street, off Ikorodu , Palmgrove, Lagos4. 65c Opebi Road,…— Jobs with Aramide (@AramideOyekunle) September 21, 2024
Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), did not answer phone calls. He had not responded to messages inquiring about the police’s efforts against these cases at press time.
The post From Ikeja to Ogba: Victims Share Experiences at 44 Confirmed Fake Job Venues appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.
