ABUJA — The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has warned Nigerians against falling victim to a recruitment scam involving fake and artificial intelligence-generated employment letters purportedly issued by the Commission.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Eniola Akinkuotu, Head of Media and Corporate Communications, NUPRC. The Commission said it had received reports of criminal elements using fake employment offers to extort money from unsuspecting members of the public.
According to the Commission, the fraudulent letters bear the names of people unknown to the NUPRC and are being circulated as genuine employment documents.
The NUPRC said it had reported the activities of the alleged scammers to law enforcement agencies and was awaiting the outcome of investigations.
The Commission stressed that there is currently no ongoing recruitment exercise at the NUPRC.
It urged members of the public to exercise caution and avoid making payments to individuals claiming they can secure employment at the Commission.
The regulator said any future recruitment exercise would be conducted strictly in accordance with existing laws and government regulations.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over the use of artificial intelligence and other digital tools to produce convincing fraudulent documents and impersonate public institutions.
The NUPRC advised members of the public to verify any employment offer purportedly issued in its name through official channels before taking further action or making any payment.
The Commission reiterated that members of the public should remain vigilant and report suspicious recruitment-related approaches to the appropriate authorities.
