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The short answer
The job scams that reach Nigerians already living abroad fall into three groups: recruiters who charge you to get a job or a visa, employers who overpay you with a cheque and ask for the difference back, and roles that ask you to receive and forward money. The US Federal Trade Commission's rule of thumb applies everywhere: honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job, and a real employer will never ask you to send part of a cheque back.
Why newcomers are a target
Scammers aim at people who need work quickly and do not yet know how hiring works locally. A Nigerian who has just arrived on a student visa, a dependant visa or a work permit tied to one employer often fits that description: rent is due, family at home expects support, and the visa may limit which jobs can be taken. Offers arrive through community WhatsApp groups, LinkedIn messages, job boards and friends of friends. Many look professional, use the name of a real company and move fast, because speed stops you checking.
None of the three patterns below is new, but each has a version tuned for migrants. Knowing how each one makes its money is the quickest way to spot it.
Pattern 1: the recruiter who charges you
The first pattern is a fee before the job. It may be called a placement fee, a visa sponsorship fee, a training course, a background check, a uniform or a starter kit. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says plainly that honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job, that placement firms are normally paid by employers, and that paid starter kits and certifications sold this way are useless (FTC job scams page, modified 13 Aug 2026).
For migrants the bait is often sponsorship. An agent promises a job that comes with a visa or a permit switch, if you pay first. Sponsorship is run by the employer and the immigration authority in your country of residence. If anyone asks you to buy it, treat the offer as a scam until the employer itself, contacted through its own published details, confirms the role exists.
Pattern 2: the overpayment cheque
In the second pattern you are hired, often after a chat-only interview, and sent a cheque to buy equipment or to cover your first weeks. The cheque is for more than expected, and you are asked to send the extra back or pass it to a "supplier", often by gift card, crypto or transfer. Days later the cheque bounces. The FTC and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) both warn that when a fake cheque is returned, you may owe the bank the full amount.
Pattern 3: receive and forward
The third pattern is a job whose real purpose is to move money. Titles include payment processor, finance agent, transfer officer or administrative assistant. You receive funds into your own account and pass them on, keeping a small commission. The CAFC says that taking such a role makes you a money mule and that you could be arrested for money laundering; the FBI says moving illegally acquired money for someone else is illegal and punishable even if you are not aware of it. Reshipping parcels from home is a close cousin, and the FTC says reshipping is never a real job. Our guide to money mule offers to Nigerian students covers the consequences in detail.
Signs common to all three
- The offer arrives unasked, or after you posted a CV publicly.
- The interview happens only by chat or text, with no video call or office.
- You are asked to pay something, or to move money through your own account.
- The employer uses a free email address rather than the company's domain.
- There is pressure to decide today, or to keep the offer secret from family.
Checks to run before you accept
- Find the company's own website and phone number yourself, not from the message, and ask whether the role and the recruiter are real.
- Never pay a fee to be hired, sponsored or trained by someone you have not met.
- Do not deposit a cheque from an employer you have never worked for and then send money on.
- Refuse any role that uses your personal bank account to receive or pass on other people's money.
- Ask someone you trust locally, such as a university careers office or a community organisation, to look at the offer before you sign.
If the offer comes from a company in Nigeria for remote work, our guide on checking a remote job offer from a Nigerian company lists the CAC and contact checks to run. Housing scams use the same pressure tactics; see fake landlord scams aimed at newcomers.
If you have already paid or passed money on
Stop all contact and do not send anything more, even if you are told it will release a refund. Call your bank or payment app at once using the number on its own app or card, explain what happened and ask whether the payment can be stopped or recalled. Then report it:
- United States
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general, as the FTC page advises.
- Canada
- Your local police and the CAFC on 1-888-495-8501 or through its online reporting system.
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040, which replaced Action Fraud from 4 Dec 2025 (City of London Police). In Scotland, Police Scotland on 101.
- Elsewhere
- Your local police and your bank, keeping every message, receipt and account number.
Keep records of the job advert, chats, payment receipts and any account details you were given. If money went to an account in Nigeria, our Nigeria library explains money transfer scams aimed at the diaspora and how to report them at home.
Where Pryme fits
No genuine job requires access to your bank or app account. Pryme sign-in uses an authenticator app rather than SMS codes, and payments need your transaction PIN (security), so never share either with an employer or recruiter.
Questions people ask
Is it normal to pay for a job abroad?
No. The FTC says honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job, and placement agencies are normally paid by employers.
An employer sent me a cheque and asked me to send some back. Is that a scam?
Yes, that is the fake cheque pattern. If the cheque bounces you may owe your bank the full amount, so do not send money on.
Can someone sell me visa sponsorship?
Sponsorship comes from a real employer through the immigration system of your country. Anyone selling it to you for a fee should be treated as a scammer until the employer confirms the role directly.
Where do I report a job scam in the UK?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101. Tell your bank straight away too.
Sources
- FTC Consumer Advice: Job scams (modified 13 Aug 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Job scams (modified 16 Jan 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- FBI: Money mules (modified 19 Aug 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- City of London Police: Report Fraud service goes live (4 Dec 2025) · 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.