AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Genuine employers do not charge applicants to get a job: not for forms, training, medicals, uniforms or 'processing'. The US Federal Trade Commission says honest employers 'will never ask you to pay to get a job', and in October 2026 the Nigeria Revenue Service told the public 'not to make any payment' for recruitment it had not announced. Check the company on the CAC search and contact it through its own website before going anywhere.
The fee is the giveaway
Job scams in Nigeria come in many costumes, but they share one feature: at some point you are asked to pay. The amount is chosen to feel small next to the promised salary. The fee may be called training, accreditation, a starter pack, form fee, medical test, ID card, uniform, accommodation deposit, or 'processing' for a role abroad.
The FTC's job-scam guidance is plain: 'Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job.' It adds that starter kits, training and certifications sold this way are useless, and that reshipping goods 'is never a real job'.
The common fronts
The 'interview venue' that is a sales pitch
You receive a text or call saying your CV was shortlisted, often for a job you never applied for, and you are invited to an interview at a hotel hall or office. The venue is full of other applicants. The 'interview' turns into a presentation about a network marketing or 'business opportunity' scheme: you have been hired, but must buy a product pack or pay for training to start, and your income will come from recruiting others. Some network marketing companies are lawful businesses; a recruiter who disguises a sales pitch as a job interview, and makes you pay to start, is not offering employment.
Government and big-company recruitment
Fake adverts use the names of agencies, the armed forces, oil companies and banks, with a link to a form and a fee. In October 2026 the NRS, which replaced FIRS, warned about a fake recruitment exercise in its name, said genuine recruitment would be 'formally communicated through the Service's official website and authorised communication channels', and told the public 'not to make any payment', according to Nairametrics. See army, police and NNPC recruitment form scams.
Online and remote jobs
Messages offering pay for liking videos or rating products, or 'data entry' that needs a deposit, are task scams; see 'earn by liking videos' scams. Remote roles for foreign companies exist, but a real one does not ask you to buy equipment from a supplier it names or to cash a cheque and send part on. The FTC describes that fake-cheque pattern and says a legitimate employer 'will never ask you to do that'.
Jobs abroad
Offers of work in another country that require you to pay for a visa, flight or 'placement' through the recruiter, or to surrender your passport, carry the added risk of trafficking. Verify the employer independently and speak to the embassy of the destination country before paying anything.
How to check a company
- Search the company's exact name on the CAC public search at search.cac.gov.ng. It is free, needs no account, and shows the registration number, type, date and status, according to a September 2026 Legit.ng guide.
- Find the company's website yourself and check its careers page lists the role. Call the main switchboard, not the number in the message.
- Check the email address. A big employer recruiting from a free email account is a warning.
- Look up the interview address on a map. A hotel hall or residential flat for a corporate interview is a reason for caution.
- Search the company name with words like 'scam' or 'fake recruitment' to see if others have been warned.
- Ask the recruiter in writing whether any payment will be required at any stage. A real employer will say no.
Red flags in the offer
- Unsolicited
- Offer for a job you never applied for
- Too easy
- Hired without a real interview or test
- Salary
- Well above the market for the role and your experience
- Payment
- Any fee, deposit or purchase before you start
- Pressure
- 'Pay today, slots are limited'
- Details
- No contract, no office address, no named manager
Worked example
Example only: an offer promises ₦250,000 a month and asks for a ₦15,000 'training fee' and ₦10,000 for an ID card. Paying both costs ₦25,000. If 400 applicants pay the same, the organiser collects 400 × ₦25,000 = ₦10,000,000 without employing anyone. That is why the fees are kept low enough to seem harmless.
A final check is the money flow. On a real job, money flows from the employer to you. If, at any point, the flow reverses, so that you are paying the employer, a 'consultant' or a supplier they name, the offer is not a job.
If you have already paid
Call your bank's fraud desk quickly with the transfer details, keep the messages and receipts, and report to the police; see how to report fraud to the police and EFCC. Warn your WhatsApp groups too, because these adverts spread through forwards. If someone asked you to receive and forward money as part of the 'job', stop at once and read what happens when your account is used as a mule.
Questions people ask
Do real companies ask for a training fee in Nigeria?
No genuine employer charges you to get a job. A fee for training, forms, ID cards or medicals before you start is a sign of a scam.
How do I know a job offer is real?
Check the company on search.cac.gov.ng, find the role on its own website, and call the company on a number you find yourself.
Is the interview at a hotel a scam?
Not always, but many fake 'interviews' at hotel halls are recruitment pitches for paid schemes. Ask in advance whether any payment is required.
Do government agencies sell recruitment forms?
Treat any fee for a government recruitment form with suspicion. The NRS, for example, told the public not to make any payment for a recruitment exercise it said was fake.
Sources
- FTC: Job scams (modified Aug 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Nairametrics: Nigeria Revenue Service raises alarm over fake recruitment exercise (5 Oct 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Legit.ng: How to verify a CAC certificate online (11 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.