Every month, job seekers in Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe and the towns between lose 20, 50 or 500 dollars to people who sell jobs that do not exist. The scams change their names but not their shape: someone you did not apply to offers you a job, then asks for money before you can start. Here are the forms they take.
- The WhatsApp shortlist: “Congratulations, you have been shortlisted by [a real NGO]. Pay 25 USD registration to confirm your interview slot.” The number is personal, and the NGO has never heard of you.
- The fake offer letter: a PDF with a real organisation's logo, a signature and a stamp, offering 1,500 dollars a month, followed by a request for a “medical examination fee” or a “training fee” to a mobile money number.
- The equipment deposit: “A laptop and a motorbike will be issued; pay a 100 USD security deposit, refundable on your first pay day.”
- The visa agent: someone who promises a job in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Europe for a “processing fee” of 500 to 3,000 dollars, often collected in instalments, sometimes with a fake visa to show for it.
- The exam fee: “Your written test is on Sunday; the test centre charges 10 USD.” Real employers pay for their own tests.
Congratulations! You have been SHORTLISTED for the position of Field Officer with [International NGO] Hargeisa Office, salary 1,200 USD. To confirm your interview slot on Sunday, send 25 USD registration fee to 063 4XX XXXX (HR Manager). Slots are limited. Reply URGENT.Dear Ms Sahra Yusuf,
Thank you for applying for the Field Officer post (ref. FO/HRG/2026-14). You are invited to a written test and interview on Sunday 12 October at 9:00 at our office on Road No. 1, Hargeisa. Please bring your ID and original certificates. There is no cost to attend.
Kind regards,
HR Department · hr@organisation-name.org- 1Do not pay, not even a small amount “to see if it is real”. Small payments are how they choose whom to ask for large ones.
- 2Do not reply with documents. Find the organisation's official number or email on its own website, contact it, and ask whether the vacancy and the person exist.
- 3Save the message, the number and any letter as screenshots. Report the number to WhatsApp and tell the real organisation; many publish scam warnings because candidates told them.
- 4Tell your family and friends what the message looked like. The next target is someone you know.