How to Verify a Job Offer Before Sending Your Documents

Receiving a job offer can be exciting, especially when you have been searching for work for a long time. But before you send your passport, national identity document, BVN, bank details or other personal information, confirm that the offer is genuine.

Scammers often use attractive salaries, urgent deadlines and fake company identities to collect money or steal personal information. A legitimate employer may request documents at a certain stage of recruitment, but you should understand who is asking, why the document is needed and how it will be protected.

This guide explains a practical way for jobseekers in Nigeria and Nigerians applying for jobs abroad to check an offer before taking the next step.

Start with the offer itself

Read the message carefully instead of responding immediately. A genuine offer should normally provide enough information for you to understand the role and the organisation.

Check whether it includes:

• The employer’s full legal or trading name
• The job title and main responsibilities
• The work location or remote-work arrangement
• The proposed salary, payment currency and payment schedule
• The expected start date
• The name and position of the person who sent it
• A clear explanation of the next steps

A short message saying “You have been selected” without an interview, application reference, job description or identifiable recruiter deserves additional caution. It is not proof of fraud by itself, but it gives you very little to verify.

Check the sender’s identity

Look closely at the email address, phone number and messaging account used by the recruiter. Scammers may create addresses that look similar to a real company’s domain, using small spelling changes, extra words or free email accounts.

Do not rely only on a logo, email signature or profile photograph. These can be copied easily. Instead, find the organisation’s official website through an independent search or a source you already trust. Use the contact details published there to ask whether the recruiter, vacancy and offer are genuine.

Do not use only the phone number or email address in the suspicious message. If the message is fraudulent, the person who sent it may simply confirm their own story.

Confirm that the vacancy exists

Search for the same role on the employer’s official careers page or verified professional profile. Compare the job title, location, responsibilities and application instructions.

If the offer concerns a foreign employer, international placement or travel-related role, be especially careful. A job offer is not the same thing as a work visa, residence permit or guaranteed entry into another country. Any immigration process should be checked through the relevant government or official authority, not through a recruiter’s promise alone.

If you cannot find the vacancy, ask the organisation to explain why. Some employers recruit privately, so an unlisted position is not automatically fake. However, the employer should still be willing to verify the role through an official channel.

Review the recruitment process

Consider what happened before the offer arrived. Did you apply through a recognised channel? Was there an interview or assessment? Did the recruiter ask questions related to the work?

Many legitimate employers use different processes, and some may contact candidates directly. Still, a job offer that appears without any meaningful assessment should be treated carefully, particularly when it comes with a demand for immediate payment or sensitive documents.

Warning signs include:

• You are told to accept within a few hours or lose the opportunity.
• The recruiter refuses to answer basic questions about the role.
• The offer contains copied text, unusual grammar or inconsistent company details.
• The salary is far higher than expected for the work, with no credible explanation.
• You are told not to contact the company directly.
• The recruiter asks you to communicate only through a private messaging account.

Understand which documents are reasonable

Different stages of recruitment may require different information. A CV may be appropriate early in the process, while identity or payment documents may only be needed after the employer has verified your appointment and explained its onboarding process.

Before sending any document, ask:

• Why is this document needed?
• Is it required by the employer, a payroll provider or a government process?
• Who will receive it?
• How long will it be stored?
• Can I provide a redacted copy or submit it through a secure portal?

Be cautious about sending a full passport, national identity document, BVN, NIN, bank statement or proof of address to an unverified contact. Never send your ATM PIN, password, one-time password, card security code or recovery phrase to a recruiter. These are security credentials, not normal recruitment documents.

If a document must be shared, consider whether unnecessary information can be covered. For example, a copy used only to confirm identity may not need to display every detail for every recipient. However, do not alter a document in a way that makes it misleading or unusable for a legitimate legal process.

Check requests for money

A request for payment is one of the strongest warning signs in fake recruitment. Scammers may describe the payment as a registration fee, training fee, equipment charge, visa fee, security deposit or refundable processing cost.

Do not assume a request is safe because the amount is small or because the person promises a refund after you start work. Verify every charge independently. If the payment is supposedly for immigration, certification or a background check, confirm the fee and payment route with the responsible official organisation.

Never send money to a personal bank account, cryptocurrency wallet or mobile-money account simply because someone claims to represent an employer. A professional-looking invoice does not prove that the request is genuine.

Use a simple verification workflow

You can reduce mistakes by separating verification from communication. Follow this sequence:

1. Save the evidence. Keep the email, offer letter, phone numbers, links, payment instructions and attachments. Do not edit the original message.
2. Write down the claims. Note the company name, job title, salary, location, recruiter’s identity and requested documents.
3. Find independent contact details. Locate the organisation’s official website or trusted public profile separately from the message.
4. Ask for confirmation. Contact the employer’s human resources or official support channel and provide the recruiter’s details.
5. Verify the next step. Confirm whether the offer letter and document request came from the organisation.
6. Share only what is necessary. Use a secure, verified submission method and avoid sending security credentials.

If any important detail remains unclear, pause. A genuine employer should understand that you need to protect your identity and confirm an offer.

What to do if you already sent documents

Act quickly, but do not panic. Stop communicating with the suspicious contact until you understand the risk. Save all messages and receipts, then contact the organisation through an independent channel.

If you shared banking information, contact your bank through its official customer-service channel and explain what happened. Change passwords that may have been exposed, enable multi-factor authentication where available and monitor your accounts for unusual activity.

If you sent identity documents, watch for unexpected account-opening messages, loan applications or requests made in your name. Report suspected fraud to the appropriate service provider and relevant authorities. Avoid sending more documents to “cancel” or “reverse” the supposed application.

The safest decision is often to wait

Urgency is a common feature of recruitment scams because it prevents careful checking. You do not have to reject every unfamiliar opportunity, but you should never allow excitement or pressure to replace verification.

For jobseekers using online platforms, practical safety matters as much as finding opportunities. Confirm the employer, vacancy, recruiter and payment request independently before sharing sensitive information. A real opportunity can withstand reasonable questions; a fraudulent one often depends on keeping you rushed, confused or isolated.