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The short answer
The scams Kaduna residents most often report are land sold by people who do not own it or with forged papers, fake transfer alerts used to collect goods, one-chance rides, and job offers that ask for a fee first. Check any land title with the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS) before paying, confirm transfers in your own banking app, and treat any request for money to secure a job as a warning sign.
Kaduna is a large, fast-growing city, and its scams follow the same patterns as elsewhere in Nigeria, with a few local twists around land and travel. None of these depend on luck: each one works because the victim pays before checking something that could have been checked. This guide sets out how each works and the check that stops it.
Fake land and forged titles
Land fraud is the most costly. Common forms include a plot sold to several buyers, land sold by a family member without the family's consent, land inside a government acquisition or road setback, and forged Certificates of Occupancy (C of O). Buyers abroad are targeted most, because they cannot visit the site.
KADGIS is the state agency that generates, registers and records titles. In March 2025 its Director-General said C of Os are generated in KADGIS, signed by the governor and returned to KADGIS for scanning, registration and recording at the Deed Registry, and that drafts are now quality-checked to remove errors common on titles issued before 29 May 2023 (Blueprint). That makes KADGIS the place to confirm a title before money changes hands.
- Ask the seller for the C of O or Right of Occupancy and the survey plan.
- Search the title at KADGIS yourself or through your own lawyer, not one the seller provides.
- Visit the site, ask neighbours and the community who owns it, and look for government markings.
- Pay only after the search, by transfer to the named owner, against a written agreement.
Our guide to buying land in Kaduna from abroad goes through the checks in detail.
Fake transfer alerts
A buyer shows you a debit screenshot or forwards an SMS that looks like a credit alert, takes the goods and leaves. Some send a fake SMS from a name that looks like a bank. The defence is simple: only release goods when the money shows in your own banking app or statement. SMS alerts can be forged; your app balance cannot be faked by the buyer. A related trick is the 'wrong transfer', where someone sends money and pressures you to send it back; see someone sent money to your account by mistake.
One-chance rides
One-chance is the name for a vehicle, often a car or bus posing as a normal commercial ride, whose driver and 'passengers' are working together to rob the real passenger, sometimes forcing ATM withdrawals or transfers. Residents commonly name busy junctions and motor parks, including around Kawo, as places to be careful, though we found no official data on where incidents happen. Practical steps:
- Board from recognised parks or use a ride-hailing app that records the driver and route.
- Be wary of a vehicle that already has every seat filled except one, or that offers an unusually low fare.
- Share your trip with someone and keep a small amount of cash separate from your cards.
- If you are robbed, call your bank's fraud line at once to block cards and accounts, then report to the police.
Job and recruitment rackets
Fake recruiters promise civil service, security agency or company jobs for a 'processing' or 'slot' fee. Selling recruitment slots is a real problem in Nigerian public employment: in September 2026, for example, the Cross River government nullified a local government recruitment exercise over the sale of slots (Vanguard). Genuine employers do not ask applicants to pay to be hired. Apply only through an employer's official channel, and treat any payment request, including for 'medicals' or 'uniform', as a warning sign. See jobs and salaries in Kaduna for where real vacancies are posted.
Impersonation of officials
Scammers pose as officials of the CBN, the EFCC or banks. The CBN says it does not maintain accounts for individuals or private companies, does not run lotteries and does not hold inheritances; it advises deleting such messages and reporting them to the EFCC or police. The EFCC has said its officials do not solicit or accept payments from anyone under any guise. Our guide to fake bank customer care covers bank impersonation.
If you have been scammed
- Call your bank immediately and ask it to place a fraud hold on the receiving account.
- Write down everything: account numbers, phone numbers, names used, dates and amounts.
- Report to the police and keep the report number; the EFCC also receives fraud reports.
- For land, report to KADGIS so the title can be flagged.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme uses an authenticator app rather than SMS codes and a transaction PIN; see security. Any verifiable receipt generated through Pryme's partner VerifyDoc.ai can be checked as genuine and unaltered by the person you pay (receipts), which helps against fake payment proof.
Questions people ask
How do I verify land in Kaduna before buying?
Search the title at KADGIS, which registers and records Certificates of Occupancy, visit the site and ask the community, and pay only after the search to the named owner.
How do I know a transfer alert is real?
Check your own banking app or statement. Do not rely on an SMS or a screenshot the buyer shows you.
Is it normal to pay to get a job in Kaduna?
No. Genuine employers do not charge applicants to be hired. Treat any fee for a slot, form or medical as a warning sign.
What should I do after a one-chance robbery?
Call your bank's fraud line to block cards and accounts, then report to the police and keep the report number.
Sources
- How Uba Sani simplified issuance of land title in Kaduna – Official (Blueprint, 8 Mar 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- CBN: Advance Fee Fraud (419) notice · accessed Oct 2026
- EFCC issues fraud alert (ThisDay, 7 Apr 2016) · accessed Oct 2026
- Cross River nullifies LG recruitment (Vanguard via allAfrica, 10 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.