Cash-for-jobs con man caught
A 45-year-old man was arrested at Rob Ferreira Hospital after allegedly scamming three women from KaBokweni out of R4 500 in exchange for permanent employment at the hospital.
MBOMBELA – The alleged job scammer was nabbed by security guards after they were tipped off by two men who had accompanied the victims that morning.
According to them, the man usually came to their workplace, a hardware store where he purchased building material and other items several times.
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A few weeks ago, he told them he could secure them general worker positions at Rob Ferreira, as he was close with one of the MECs who had influence in the human resources department.
“We know the guy as a businessman who would flash his cash and often told us he owned guesthouses. We regarded him as a loyal customer, we respected him. When he told us about the jobs, we believed him until he started pestering us for the balances,” said one of them.
They claim he demanded R6 500 from each one of them, but they only paid R1 500 last Friday. They agreed the day to pay the remaining balance was on Monday, where they came up with a plan to corner him as they suspected it was a scam. He allegedly told them they would meet a particular MEC, who would also give them their employment contracts.
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However, a day before they met, the alleged scammer continuously called one of the women, demanding that the cash is given to him in order for them to be shortlisted.
One of the women had already informed her boyfriend about the matter and it was decided he and a friend would accompany them to the hospital.
“On arrival, he was in the parking lot and the car he was using did not have a registration plate. He took our CVs and IDs to scan and instructed us to get the money ready. When he returned with our documents, he asked for the money and we told him we did not have it at hand as we were scared to carry R15 000 with us. We even asked for our contracts before giving him anything and said he would return shortly.
“About 20 minutes went by when my boyfriend called and told me the guy was in his car and about to leave. We quickly ran to the guards at the gate to inform them not to let him out. His car was speeding towards the exit, but he was stopped and left the car and started running. Fortunately, he did not get far.”
The provincial health spokesperson, Mr Dumisani Malamule urged the public to be cautious, especially of people who pose as government officials who have job connections.
