UK, NAPTIP warn Nigerians against fraudulent overseas job offers
The British High Commission and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have warned Nigerians against deceptive overseas job offers.
They issued the warning on Monday in Abuja at a joint survivor-centred event with the theme: “Confronting the Global Scam Centre Crisis: Perspectives of Nigerian Survivors.”
According to them, such job offers are being used to traffic unsuspecting victims into cyber-enabled scam centres across Southeast Asia.
They disclosed that survivors are usually lured abroad with promises of lucrative employment but end up being trafficked to Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand to carry out sophisticated cyber-fraud.
We are here to listen to survivors, who have shown remarkable bravery in sharing their experiences.
“Their courage will help prevent others from being harmed, and we stand firmly with Nigeria and our African Commonwealth partners in confronting this rapidly evolving threat,” she said.
Lever described the scam-centre phenomenon as a global security challenge.
“This is trafficking, whether it happens in a factory, a brothel or behind a computer screen, survivors are victims, not criminals,” she said.
She reaffirmed NAPTIP’s commitment to protecting Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event follows a recent trafficking incident, which involved some Nigerian trafficking victims in Thailand.
Several survivors recounted being held in guarded compounds; forced to work up to 18 hours daily on online dating and investment scams; and subjected to physical abuse and psychological trauma.
One survivor, who spoke to NAN at the event said victims were beaten, electrocuted and deprived of food, while another recounted the death of a fellow captive following repeated torture.
The report indicates that victims come from at least 66 countries, and that between 2020 and 2025, about 74 per cent of those trafficked into scam centres worldwide were promised high-paying jobs before being taken to the region.
The officials further called for stronger international cooperation, increased public awareness and a shift in public narratives to protect survivors and hold traffickers accountable.
NAN
The British High Commission and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have warned Nigerians against deceptive overseas job offers.
They issued the warning on Monday in Abuja at a joint survivor-centred event with the theme: “Confronting the Global Scam Centre Crisis: Perspectives of Nigerian Survivors.”
According to them, such job offers are being used to traffic unsuspecting victims into cyber-enabled scam centres across Southeast Asia.
They disclosed that survivors are usually lured abroad with promises of lucrative employment but end up being trafficked to Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand to carry out sophisticated cyber-fraud.
We are here to listen to survivors, who have shown remarkable bravery in sharing their experiences.
“Their courage will help prevent others from being harmed, and we stand firmly with Nigeria and our African Commonwealth partners in confronting this rapidly evolving threat,” she said.
Lever described the scam-centre phenomenon as a global security challenge.
“This is trafficking, whether it happens in a factory, a brothel or behind a computer screen, survivors are victims, not criminals,” she said.
She reaffirmed NAPTIP’s commitment to protecting Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event follows a recent trafficking incident, which involved some Nigerian trafficking victims in Thailand.
Several survivors recounted being held in guarded compounds; forced to work up to 18 hours daily on online dating and investment scams; and subjected to physical abuse and psychological trauma.
One survivor, who spoke to NAN at the event said victims were beaten, electrocuted and deprived of food, while another recounted the death of a fellow captive following repeated torture.
The report indicates that victims come from at least 66 countries, and that between 2020 and 2025, about 74 per cent of those trafficked into scam centres worldwide were promised high-paying jobs before being taken to the region.
The officials further called for stronger international cooperation, increased public awareness and a shift in public narratives to protect survivors and hold traffickers accountable.
NAN
