Nigeria, July 30 -- The Federal Ministry of Finance has warned job seekers and newly recruited staff to disregard a fraudulent message demanding the payment of a N50,000 administrative fee as a condition for resuming duty.

The ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, described the notice as the handiwork of fraudsters attempting to exploit unsuspecting applicants by falsely claiming to act on behalf of the ministry.

According to the ministry, the fake notice, titled "Administrative Update and Compliance Notice for Newly Recruited Staff," falsely instructed successful applicants to pay a non-refundable administrative fee before assuming duty.

The ministry said it did not issue the directive and distanced itself from the message.

"It is i...