2 September 2026 · 6 min read
How to tell a real job advert from a fake one
A genuine employer pays you. If an advert asks for a training fee, a uniform deposit or your bank PIN, it is not a job.
Job adverts attract the most desperate applicants, which is exactly why fraudsters use them. The single rule that filters out almost every fake: money flows from the employer to you, never the other way.
Automatic disqualifiers
- A registration, training, uniform or medical fee payable before you start.
- A request for your bank PIN, full card number, or an OTP code.
- An offer made without any interview, sometimes within minutes of applying.
- A salary far above the market rate for the stated skills.
- Communication only through a messaging app, from a personal number, with no company email.
Check the employer exists
Search the company name plus the word 'reviews' or 'complaints'. Look for a website with a physical address, a phone number that answers, and staff with real professional profiles. A company that recruits for an office job but has no verifiable address is not a company.
Be especially careful with adverts that name a well-known brand. Fraudsters borrow reputable names constantly. Confirm the vacancy exists by contacting the brand through its own official channels.
Protect yourself at the interview stage
- Interview at the employer's premises during working hours, or on a video call — not in a private residence or a hotel room.
- Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
- Do not hand over original certificates or your ID document; bring copies.
- Read the contract fully before signing and keep your own signed copy.
If you have already paid
Contact your bank or mobile money provider immediately — fast reporting occasionally recovers funds. Report the advert on Obilli so we can remove it and block the account, and report it to your local police or consumer protection body. Sharing what happened publicly also protects the next applicant.