🇸🇹 Fake Job Offer and Work Permit Fee
⚡ Quick Answer
Fraudsters send fake job offers for Sao Tome and Principe, then ask applicants to pay for work permits, medicals, insurance, accommodation, courier fees, or document processing before the employer has been verified.
Scam alert for immigrants in São Tomé and Príncipe.
How this scam works
Fraudsters send fake job offers for Sao Tome and Principe, then ask applicants to pay for work permits, medicals, insurance, accommodation, courier fees, or document processing before the employer has been verified.
Red flags
- Job offer arrives without interview or skills screening
- Salary is much higher than market level
- Employer asks the worker to pay immigration or recruitment fees upfront
- Company website, address, or registration cannot be verified
How to protect yourself
Verify the employer through official company registries and contact details in Sao Tome and Principe. Do not pay recruitment or permit fees to personal accounts, and confirm whether the employer is legally allowed to sponsor foreign workers.
What to do if targeted
- - Stop communication and do not send more money or documents
- - Save messages, receipts, contracts, profile links, and phone numbers
- - Contact your bank or payment provider if money was sent
- - Report through official fraud, police, or immigration channels
Prevention tips
- - Only pay government fees through official portals
- - Do not trust guaranteed visa approvals or secret appointment slots
- - Verify employer, school, agent, or landlord identities independently
- - Avoid personal-account transfers and pressure tactics
Emergency & Reporting Contacts
If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services. If money was sent, contact your bank/payment provider and official fraud reporting channels.
Sources & References
- MigrantIQ scam alert record
Published 2026-05-07.
- São Tomé and Príncipe official reporting channels
Use official reporting channels if you were targeted or lost money.
Who is targeted
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Scam safety FAQ
Legitimate government fees are paid through official channels with receipts. Never wire cash to personal accounts for a “guaranteed” outcome.
Collect evidence (messages, contracts), then report through your destination country’s fraud or immigration reporting channels and warn your community.