Job offer on WhatsApp or Telegram: the "task" scam

Job offer on WhatsApp or Telegram: the "task" scam

"Hello, I'm a recruiter. We have a part-time online job: like YouTube videos or rate hotels and earn ₦20,000 to ₦50,000 daily. No experience needed." The message arrives on WhatsApp or Telegram from a number you do not know, sometimes with a foreign code. With so many people looking for extra income, it lands at the right moment. This is the task scam, and it follows a precise script: first they pay you small amounts so you trust them, then they ask you to deposit money to "unlock" bigger tasks, and that money never comes back.

How does the "task" scam work?

The steps rarely change:

1. The approach. A friendly "HR manager" or "recruiter" claims to work for a real-sounding agency or even a well-known brand. The job is simple: liking videos, following accounts, rating products, "boosting" app downloads or writing reviews.
2. The first payments. You do a few tasks and receive small, real payments into your account: ₦1,500, ₦3,000. This is the hook. It proves to you that "it works".
3. The group. You are added to a Telegram or WhatsApp group full of "colleagues" posting screenshots of big earnings. Most of them are part of the scam.
4. The "prepaid" or "merchant" tasks. Now, to earn more, you must deposit your own money to complete "combination tasks" or "VIP levels", with the promise of getting it back with commission.
5. The trap closes. Your balance on the platform grows, but when you try to withdraw there is always another condition: a "tax", a "withdrawal fee", a "credit score" to repair, another deposit to "complete the set". Every payment generates the next.
6. The disappearance. When you stop paying, the platform blocks your account, the recruiter vanishes and the group is deleted.

Some variants also ask for your NIN, BVN, a selfie with your ID card or your bank login "for payroll". That can lead to identity fraud, or to your account being used to receive stolen money, which can drag you into an investigation.

What are the warning signs?

• You did not apply for anything and a stranger messages you with a job offer.
• Very high pay for very simple tasks. Nobody pays ₦30,000 a day for liking videos.
• Communication only on WhatsApp or Telegram, with no interview, contract or verifiable company address.
• You have to pay to work: deposits, "upgrades", "activation fees", "training fees" or "levels".
• Your earnings only exist on a website or app they control, and you cannot withdraw them.
• Pressure and time limits: "complete the task within 30 minutes or you lose everything".
• Requests for ID documents, BVN or bank logins before any formal hiring.
• Payments to personal accounts or crypto wallets in different names each time.

What should I do if they just messaged me?

1. Do not reply, or reply only to say no. You do not need to explain.
2. Do not click links or download any app they send.
3. Do not send documents, BVN, NIN or bank details.
4. Check the company yourself. Look for its official website and contact details on your own and ask whether the offer is genuine. Real companies recruit through formal channels, with interviews and contracts, and do not ask you to pay to work.
5. Block and report the number in WhatsApp or Telegram (both let you report a chat), and in the spam numbers directory.

What if I've already paid or sent my details?

Do not blame yourself: the first real payments are designed precisely to silence your doubts. What matters is to stop now:

1. Stop paying. No "last deposit" will unlock your balance. The balance on the screen is not real money.
2. Call your bank on the official number on your card or in its app. Report the transfers as fraud, ask them to try to recall them and flag the receiving accounts.
3. If you gave your bank login or OTP, change your passwords from a device you trust and ask the bank to block your internet banking if needed.
4. If you sent copies of your ID, NIN or BVN, stay alert for loans or accounts opened in your name.
5. If money from strangers passed through your account as part of the "job", tell your bank and the police straight away. Explaining it early protects you.
6. Keep evidence: screenshots of chats, the group, the platform, usernames, account numbers and receipts.

If the bank does not resolve your complaint, you can escalate it to the Central Bank of Nigeria's consumer protection department.

Where do I report it?

• The police, at a station or through the Nigeria Police Force's National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) e-reporting portal, with all the evidence.
• The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which takes reports of financial fraud.
• If the "job" turned into an investment scheme promising returns on deposits, you can also alert the Securities and Exchange Commission Nigeria (SEC).
• WhatsApp or Telegram, reporting the chat and the group.
• NoCall, reporting the number in the spam numbers directory.

Frequently asked questions

They really paid me at first. Doesn't that make it legitimate? No. The first payments are the bait. They give you a little so you trust them with a lot more.

The recruiter used the name of a real company. Is it real then? Using a real brand's name is easy. Check with the company directly, through contact details you find yourself.

Can I get the money back? Sometimes, if you act fast and the bank can flag the receiving account. Be very wary of anyone who offers to "recover" your money for a fee: that is a second scam.

What if they threaten me when I stop paying? Do not give in. Keep the threats as evidence, block them and include them in your report.

In short

A job that finds you on WhatsApp, pays you for liking videos and then asks you to deposit money is not a job: it is the task scam. Do not pay to work, do not send documents or codes, and if you have already paid, stop, call your bank and report it to the police and the EFCC. And report the number in the NoCall spam numbers directory: your warning could save another job seeker.