You have probably heard the stories. A business owner needs a new website, finds a developer on WhatsApp, and pays a 50% deposit. Then the developer stops answering calls. Or worse, they deliver a broken template, refuse to hand over the passwords, and demand more money.
In Nigeria, the barrier to entry for web development is zero. Anyone with a laptop and a pirated WordPress theme can set up an Instagram page and call themselves an agency.
If you are nervous about paying a deposit to someone you just met online, you should be. But you can protect yourself. Most bad developers run the exact same playbooks.
Here are the specific patterns to watch out for, how to spot them before you transfer any money, and what to do if you are already caught in one.
The fake portfolio scam
This is the most common trick. A developer sends you a link to five beautiful, complex websites and claims they built them. You are impressed, so you hire them. Weeks later, what they deliver looks like it was built in 2005.
What actually happened is they sent you links to websites built by real agencies. They just copied the URLs.
How to spot it before paying: Do not just look at screenshots. Open the links they send you. Scroll to the very bottom of the website (the footer). Professional agencies usually leave a small "Built by [Agency Name]" link there. If the name in the footer does not match the person you are talking to, ask them why.
You can also ask them to explain a specific feature on the site. Ask, "How did you build the custom checkout flow on this e-commerce site?" A real developer will give you a technical but clear answer about Paystack APIs or database structure. A scammer will give a vague answer or dodge the question entirely.
What to do if it already happened: If you have already paid a deposit based on a fake portfolio and they are failing to deliver, cut your losses immediately. Do not pay the balance hoping they will improve. Take whatever files they have created and hire a professional to audit what is actually usable. You can view our case studies to see how we document real client outcomes.
The domain hostage situation
This scam rarely happens on day one. It happens a year later, when your domain name (like yourbusiness.com.ng) is due for renewal.
The developer offers to buy the domain name on your behalf. But instead of registering it in your name, they register it in their own name using their own email address. Legally, they now own your brand's digital address.
When you want to move to a new developer, or when it is time to renew, they demand an extortionate fee to hand over the login details. If you refuse, they take the site offline.
How to spot it before paying: Ask this exact question: "Who will the domain name be registered to?" Ensure your contract explicitly states that you are the legal registrant. When they buy the domain, tell them to use your company's email address for the admin contact, not their Gmail address. (We wrote a deeper guide on who actually owns your website to help with this).
What to do if it already happened:
If it is a .com.ng or .ng domain, you can contact NiRA (the Nigerian Internet Registration Association) and initiate a domain dispute. If you can prove you own the trademark or registered business name matching the domain, they can intervene. For .com domains, it is much harder, and you may need legal counsel.
The "finished" unedited template
You pay a developer to build a custom website. Two days later, they send you a link and say it is finished.
When you look at it, the site is full of Latin placeholder text ("Lorem ipsum"), the stock photos feature foreign models that do not match your Nigerian audience, and the contact form does not actually send emails anywhere.
They did not build you a website. They bought a $50 template, installed it, and want to collect their final payment without doing the actual work of customising it to your business.
How to spot it before paying: Ask about their process. A real developer will ask you for your brand colours, logo files, copywriting, and product photos before they start building. If a developer agrees to start without asking you for any materials, they are just installing a template.
What to do if it already happened: Refuse to pay the final balance until the site reflects your actual business. Provide them with the exact text and images you want used. If they refuse to implement them or demand extra money to "add content," refer to your initial agreement.
Full payment demanded upfront
No professional web development agency in Nigeria operates on a 100% upfront payment model. The industry standard is milestone-based billing.
If a developer insists that you must pay the entire project fee before they write a single line of code, walk away. Once they have all your money, they have zero financial incentive to finish the project on time, or at all.
How to spot it before paying: Simply ask for their payment terms. You want to see a structure like 50% upfront, and 50% upon final delivery. For large software projects, it might be 30% to start, 30% after design, 30% after development, and 10% at launch.
What to do if it already happened: If you have already paid in full and the developer is not responding, document every WhatsApp message, email, and bank transfer receipt. Send a formal final deadline. If they miss it, your only real options are public pressure or legal action.
Quoting a low price, then adding compulsory extras
A developer quotes you ₦150,000 for an e-commerce website. You think you found a great deal.
Halfway through the project, they call you. "The site is done, but if you want customers to actually be able to pay with their ATM cards, you have to pay another ₦100,000 for the Paystack integration module." Then it is another fee for mobile responsiveness. Then another fee to launch it.
They intentionally quoted an impossibly low base price to win the job, knowing they would hold the project ransom for the features you actually need.
How to spot it before paying: Do not accept a one-line invoice. Ask for a detailed proposal that lists exactly what is included. Does it include mobile optimisation? Does it include integrating a payment gateway? Does it include basic on-page SEO? If it is not in writing, assume it is an extra charge.
What to do if it already happened: Stop paying the incremental fees. Demand a final, comprehensive list of what it will cost to get the site live. If the new total exceeds what a reputable agency would have charged in the first place, you might be better off pausing the project and reassessing your options.
What we actually do about this
At TideRelay, we believe that hiring a technical partner should not feel like a gamble. We do not hold domains hostage—you retain full legal ownership of your digital assets from day one. We do not use bait-and-switch pricing, and we never ask for 100% upfront.
Because transparency is the only way to build trust, we publish our base rates publicly. You can see exactly what different types of projects cost on our pricing page before we ever get on a call.
If you want a website or software platform built properly, with a clear contract and reliable communication, contact our team today. We will give you a straight answer on what it takes to build it right.
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