Scammed Nigerian Player Promoted Same Scams to Kids at Home
Nigerian footballer Jerry Moses was lured to Serbia at 15 with false promises of a professional career. But before exposing his ordeal, he was tricked into promoting similar scams to kids back home.
Nigerian footballer Jerry Moses, 15, was scammed by a fake agent in 2022 to come to Serbia with false promises of a professional career. Two years later, after being beaten, Moses exposed his ordeal on Instagram.
But beforehand, Moses had posted videos on social media aimed at underage African footballers, detailing how they might catch the attention of European scouts. These posts appeared optimistic and aspirational, reflecting the same dreams that led to his exploitation.
Moses posted a desperate plea on Instagram on November 20, 2024. Now 17, he appeared with a bloody lip and told a familiar tale.
Like many promising African footballers, Moses was contacted by a fake agent. In 2022, he was brought to Serbia from his native Nigeria on false promises. He had been a bright young footballer at home playing for under-15 sides before moving to Serbia.
For the sum of 1,500 euros a month, paid by an unnamed sponsor, Moses would kickstart his footballing career in the Balkans.
While aspects of this story remain unconfirmed, going by Moses’ own Instagram page, there is strong evidence the transfer was illegal.
According to one of his posts, he was born on 18 October 2007, yet he was already in Serbia by October 23, 2022, making him just 15 years old at the time. Under FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, international transfers for minors under 18 are almost always prohibited unless strict exceptions are met—none of which applied in this case.
On TikTok, he can be seen celebrating his chance at going to Serbia, packing his suitcase, buying new football boots, and exchanging money. He played for at least part of his time in southwestern Serbia for FC Kiker Kraljevo, a youth team apparently without a senior squad.
Jerry’s Instagram post captured significant attention back home.
Jerry’s Instagram post was his cry for help. Advocacy groups, such as Taraba Youths in Diaspora (TYD), called for him to be rescued. As of late November, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had intervened and Moses was safe.
Jerry’s story is far from unique. A FIFPRO Africa survey revealed that 70% of professional players in seven African countries have been approached by fake agents. More than half never received the trials they were promised, and 44% failed to secure contracts.
African legend, Didier Drogba, has been leading a campaign for the last year trying to educate young footballing talents how to avoid such scams.
But this may prove to be tough when the very players being scammed are on social media advertising the services of fake agents.
Scams on Social Media
Prior to his post revealing his plight, Moses posted several videos to his social media accounts, explaining to underage African footballers how they could be noticed by European scouts at specific tournaments or by using certain apps.
On February 25, 2024, Moses posted to Instagram about one app used to connect agents and footballers. In what seemed to be a memorized script, Moses stated this app was specifically designed to avoid “false agents” but would help “aspiring players looking for a big break.”
It remains unclear whether Moses, his agent, or his club received compensation for this post, which did not include a disclaimer indicating a paid partnership. Given his age and status, it’s likely Moses was unaware of the implications of such promotions. However, Moses was just 16 at the time, an age at which transfers of African minors to European clubs almost always illegal.
In October 2024, mere weeks before revealing he had been scammed, Moses was on TikTok, encouraging minors to attend a football tournament in Nigeria and be scouted to come over to Europe.
“From this tournament, they will pick players from the age of maybe 15…not more than 18,” said Moses. “Where I am now, somebody is investing in me. That’s how it works. Through this programme, they will pick some young, young players, groom them, and before you know, you will travel out through an agency.”
There is no evidence that Moses posted these videos of his own accord or was knowingly trying to deceive anybody.
But with over 100,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, Moses became an unwitting influence. His posts are flooded with comments from boys asking how they too can reach Europe.