Nigeria Tax Agency Says Recruitment Advert Is Fake
NIGERIA · DOING BUSINESS
Key Facts
- —The country Nigeria, in West Africa, now collects its federal taxes through the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), a new national tax agency.
- —What happened On Monday 5 October 2026, the NRS called a job advert circulating online fraudulent and disowned it.
- —The catch The advert uses the name of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the agency the NRS replaced in early 2026.
- —What it asks for The fake notice wants CVs sent by email and lists ID documents, including the National Identification Number.
- —How to check Genuine Nigeria Revenue Service recruitment is announced on the agency’s official website and authorised channels.
- —Who may recruit Nobody else: the NRS says it has authorised no individual, agent, consultant or third party to hire for it.
- —What comes next The fake advert sets a 24 October 2026 deadline; the NRS urges the public to disregard it.
A Nigeria Revenue Service recruitment advert spreading online is fake, the country’s federal tax agency said on Monday 5 October 2026. The notice uses the agency’s old name, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The NRS posted its warning, titled “Fraudulent Recruitment Notice”, on its official X account. Genuine vacancies, it said, will be announced through its official website and authorised channels.
What the Fake Advert Says
The notice the NRS disowned is headlined “Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS Job Vacancy, Replacement”. It claims to offer jobs inside the tax agency and has circulated on social media and other platforms.
A copy the NRS shared, stamped “Disclaimer”, offers graduate jobs for a “2026/2027 session” with a deadline of 24 October 2026. Applicants are told to email a CV to an address that has no connection to the NRS.
The advert also asks for a birth certificate, an ID document such as a passport, and a National Identification Number (NIN). The NIN is Nigeria’s national identity number.
That number now matters for tax, too. For individuals, the NIN automatically serves as the tax ID, the tax agency said in December 2025.
What the NRS Said
The NRS said it wished “to state categorically that the notice is fraudulent and did not emanate from the Nigeria Revenue Service”. It added that it had not authorised or started the recruitment exercise in the advert.
It also said it had not appointed “any individual, agent, consultant or third party” to recruit on its behalf. People were told to disregard the notice and to be careful with recruitment messages and links.
The NRS reminded the public that FIRS has been succeeded by the NRS. “Any purported recruitment notice issued in the name of FIRS should be treated with caution and independently verified,” it said.
According to Nairametrics, the notice also told the public “not to make any payment” or share personal or financial information. Nor should anyone send certificates or ID documents in response, it said, and suspicious messages should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
How to Check a Real NRS Vacancy
The NRS gave a simple test for genuine Nigeria Revenue Service recruitment. Any legitimate exercise, it said, “will be formally communicated through the Service’s official website and authorised communication channels”.
In practice, that means looking for the vacancy on the agency’s website, nrs.gov.ng, and its official accounts, such as its X account. The NRS asks people to check any recruitment message there before taking any action.
Any job offer in the old FIRS name deserves caution and an independent check. Agents or consultants offering NRS jobs have no mandate, because the agency says it has authorised none to recruit for it.
Above all, send no money, certificates, ID documents or personal details in reply to an advert that cannot be found on those channels.
In November 2024, FIRS announced a tax officer intake on its own website, according to The Guardian Nigeria. Applications went through a careers portal on that site, firs.gov.ng/careers.
Even then, the agency warned candidates to be cautious of fraudulent recruitment. It told them to apply only through its official website.
A Familiar Trick in Nigeria
The NRS took over from FIRS at the start of 2026, under a law President Bola Tinubu signed in June 2025. The fake advert still carries the old FIRS name and logo.
Other federal bodies have faced the same problem. In August 2026, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) warned about people issuing fake recruitment and appointment letters in its name.
Nairametrics said the NRS warning comes amid rising cases of online recruitment scams in Nigeria. In such schemes, fraudsters pose as government agencies or companies to obtain money and personal information.
What It Means for US Readers
For readers in the US with relatives, staff or business contacts in Nigeria, the lesson is practical. Any Nigeria Revenue Service recruitment offer in the old FIRS name deserves caution and a check against the agency’s own channels.
The notice is about recruitment only. It says nothing about tax rates, filing deadlines or how taxes are paid.
Foreign firms and expats dealing with the agency can find the basics in Taxes in Nigeria for Expats Under the New Regime. A related change for taxpayers is explained in Nigeria Cuts Interest on Late Tax Bills to Central Bank Rate Plus 1 Point.
What Is Not Known
The NRS has not said how widely the advert spread, or whether anyone has sent money or documents. Nor has it said who controls the email address, or whether the police are involved.
It is also unclear where the agency’s real hiring stands. On 22 July 2026, a House of Representatives committee ordered the suspension of a recruitment exercise the NRS was carrying out, Daily Trust reported.
The committee cited rules meant to spread federal jobs fairly across Nigeria’s states. The 5 October notice does not say whether that exercise has resumed.
What Comes Next
The fake advert gives applicants until 24 October 2026 to apply. The NRS has urged the public to disregard it.
Any genuine Nigeria Revenue Service recruitment will be announced on the agency’s own website and authorised channels, it said. Until such a notice appears there, an offer in the FIRS name deserves a check before anyone shares documents.
More: Nigeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Is the FIRS job vacancy advert real?
No. The Nigeria Revenue Service said on 5 October 2026 that the notice is fraudulent and did not come from it. It has not authorised or started the recruitment exercise the advert describes.
What happened to FIRS?
The Federal Inland Revenue Service was replaced by the Nigeria Revenue Service at the start of 2026. The change followed a 2025 law signed by President Bola Tinubu.
How can I check a genuine NRS vacancy?
The NRS says any legitimate Nigeria Revenue Service recruitment will be announced on its official website, nrs.gov.ng, and its authorised channels. It has appointed no agent, consultant or third party to recruit for it.
Should I pay a fee or send my documents?
No. According to Nairametrics, the NRS told the public not to make any payment or share personal or financial information in response to this advert. It also said no certificates or ID documents should be sent.
Does the warning affect taxpayers or foreign companies?
No. It concerns a fake job advert only and does not change tax rates, deadlines or payment systems.
Sources: Nigeria Revenue Service (official website), 5 October 2026; Punch, 5 October 2026; Nairametrics, 5 October 2026; Daily Post, 5 October 2026; The Sun Nigeria, 5 October 2026; New Post Africa, 5 October 2026; Premium Times (NRS statement), 31 December 2025; Daily Post, 23 December 2025; The Guardian Nigeria, 1 November 2024; The Sun Nigeria, 25 August 2026; Daily Trust, 24 July 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief