• How scammers lure jobseekers into danger
By Abubakar Yakubu, Abuja
Some job seekers in Abuja appear to have come to terms with the popular saying that ‘all that glitters is not gold.’
This is due to the disappointments they have faced while looking for jobs after going through the numerous ‘vacancies’ posters placed in strategic places in Abuja, Such strategic places include street corners, bus stops, market squares, community town hall walls, outside private buildings, fences, outside churches or mosques and other places where people pass or gather in large numbers.
The majority of such posters sighted by our reporter do not carry the names or addresses of the organisation advertising the vacancies. What they contain are the positions and remunerations attached to each position as well as a contact phone number.
For example, one of the posters advertising for people to work in a hotel had the following contents: ‘Needed workers, Cleaners- N50, 000; Receptionists- N80, 000; Cashiers- N70, 000; Store Keepers- N60, 000.
The poster had a contact phone number, which our reporter called. The other party that picked the call asked the reporter to text his full name and place of residence through SMS.
Five of the contacts contacted for information about their advertised vacancies had similar methods. A female would pick the call made by the reporter, and she would ask the reporter to text his full name and the area he resided in to the advertised number.
Seven of them said the vacancies were only meant for female applicants and declined to comment further.
As at press time, only one of the contacts replied and asked the reporter to meet him at a popular garden in the Jikwoyi area of Abuja at a particular time.
When the reporter arrived in the garden and got in touch with the contact by phone, he demanded to know what shirt he was wearing. Immediately, the reporter replied, the contact’s line went dead, and there was no way to communicate further with him.
A businesswoman, Mrs Ego Isiogu, said the vacancies posters appear to be scams by certain persons to lure innocent applicants, especially ladies, so that they (the posters) could perfect whatever evil plans they had on such unlucky ladies.
She said she had observed several tattered persons pasting the vacancies posters in her area and wondered whether, in case such positions actually existed, those pasting the posters wouldn’t have rushed for the positions first.
“I am sometimes amazed to see them fix a salary of between N80,000 to N100,000 for house help and wonder if those seeking such helps were all staff members of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The money they fix as remunerations to each position is not realistic in today’s economic hardship, and if those behind the adverts actually have such vacancies, they should fix their family members first so that they benefit,” she stated.
Mrs Isiogu gave an example of a neighbour’s daughter who came across such posters and called the contact.
She said the contact directed the girl to an address at Apo in Abuja for the interview.
“The girl told us that when she entered the premises for the interview, she saw other applicants waiting, but her spirit urged her to leave the place.
“The girl said the fence around the compound was very high, and the gate was shut behind her by a security man stationed at the gatehouse,” she disclosed.
She said the girl narrated further that she took the opportunity to run out of the place when a car was entering the compound, and the security man opened the gate. The businesswoman said other applicants have complained that after calling the contacts, the location for the interview venue was not properly described. She described such posters as fake and advised applicants to think twice before allowing themselves to be deceived in such scams.
George Obi, a computer operator whose experience is almost similar to Mrs Isiogu’s neighbour, said several years ago he came across such a poster, called the contact number, and was directed to a place at Karmo in the FCT.
“When I got to the place, I observed that the building was in an isolated area. When I knocked on the gate, the gateman allowed me to enter the premises after I told him I was there for the interview. and on entering the reception hall I saw other applicants but noticed that the employees in the place wore stone faces,” he explained.
He said his mind began to disturb him to leave the place, and that when he approached the gateman to allow him go out, he was informed to go back and collect a pass to be allowed to go out.
“As God will have it, someone knocked and the gateman opened the gate, which gave me the opportunity to rush out of the place,” he said.
He advised applicants to apply for vacancies only from posters in front of the organisations advertising for those positions and to shun those on the streets with only contact numbers. Lukman Musa, a businessman, said some of his relatives who had fallen prey to such scams were assembled at a garden and lectured on how to network certain products.
He said some ladies who went for other similar interviews complained of being lured to brothels.
Daniel Yakubu, an applicant, who recently secured a job, said during the period he was job hunting, he got in touch with some of such contacts, who told him that the vacant positions had been occupied, except for those of marketing executives.
“They will give you products to dance with and sell on the streets, and you will be paid only by commission, which at times is very low,” he said.
Yakubu advised jobless people to beware of such posters and read the daily newspapers for vacancies.
When contacted, a police officer at the FCT Police Command advised applicants to be very wary of such notices.The officer who pleaded anonymity said such posters can sometimes be used to recruit unsuspecting applicants for cybercrime jobs.