By: The Nature Newspaper
Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has issued a strong warning to the public over a fraudulent recruitment portal and misleading messages circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms in connection with the 2026 Population and Housing Census. The alert comes as public interest in census-related jobs runs high, with Stats SL officially inviting qualified Sierra Leoneans to apply for field positions ahead of the census. The institution has stressed that the only legitimate application platform is its official portal, recruit.statistics.sl, and that applicants should rely solely on information published through official channels. Stats SL specifically cautioned against a fake link identified in recent reporting as sutlnk.ink/Recruit-Statistics-Sl which it says has no connection to the institution. Citizens have been urged not to click, share or submit personal information through the fraudulent platform. According to the official recruitment notice dated 18 September 2026, qualified Sierra Leoneans are invited to apply for field assignments, with successful applicants required to undergo mandatory training and assessment before deployment. The application deadline is Friday, 2 October 2026.
A major concern, the agency noted, is the risk of fraudsters exploiting unemployed young people and other job seekers. Stats SL emphasized that the official recruitment process is entirely free of charge applicants are never required to pay for application, shortlisting, training or deployment. The institution also warned against messages instructing applicants to forward recruitment links to WhatsApp groups or friends before completing an application, describing such demands as clear signs of a scam. Because the genuine process requires sensitive details including a National Identification Number (NIN), contact information and educational qualifications applicants are urged to confirm they are on the authentic Stats SL platform before submitting anything. Citizens should be especially wary of websites that request payment, ask for unnecessary information, demand the sharing of recruitment messages, or promise guaranteed employment.
Stats SL outlined several precautions for the public: verify that any announcement appears on the official Statistics Sierra Leone website; confirm the portal is genuine before entering personal data; never pay anyone claiming to guarantee a job; be suspicious of “share-to-apply” instructions; avoid links from unknown individuals or unofficial accounts; and report suspicious messages to the relevant authorities rather than forwarding them. The warning arrives amid ongoing preparations for the census, which is scheduled to begin on 2 December 2026, with Census Night on 1 December 2026, when citizens will be counted according to where they sleep. Preparatory work, including cartographic mapping to identify structures and capture geographical data, is already underway. This is not the first such incident. In February 2025, a fake Stats SL recruitment link circulated widely on WhatsApp, prompting a similar public clarification.
The recurrence, officials say, underscores the need for continued vigilance against online recruitment scams. The institution’s message is clear: census recruitment is a genuine national exercise, but not every link circulating online is authentic. Citizens are encouraged to remain alert, protect their personal information, avoid fraudulent payment requests, and verify every recruitment announcement before applying. As Sierra Leone prepares for the December 2026 census, public cooperation and vigilance will be essential both to the success of the exercise and to keeping fraudsters from exploiting citizens through fake job offers.
