‘When you’re desperate, you fall for things easily’: the scam job ads on TikTok taking people’s money

WorldPath’s supposed partnership with the agency Undutchables did not exist, the latter said, calling the Kenyan firm’s recruitment effort a ‘scam’. Illustration: Getty Images/Guardian pictures

Lilian, a 35-year-old Kenyan living in Qatar, was scrolling on TikTok in April when she saw posts from a recruitment agency offering jobs overseas. The Kenya-based WorldPath House of Travel, with more than 20,000 followers on the social media platform, promised hassle-free work visas for jobs across Europe.

“They were showing work permits they’d received, envelopes, like: ‘We have Europe visas already,’” Lilian recalls.