Job scams are ever increasing, with scammers preying on desperate people to extract money or personal information. Most recently Potchefstroom Hospital had to issue a public warning after a job scam was circulated on social media using the facility’s name. Potchefstroom Hospital is often falsely associated in social media job advertisements, allegedly seeking to employ various staff members or offer learnership opportunities. These claims appear online and entice applicants to follow an unusual application process. The Deputy Director: Corporate Services, Stuart Mathoma says the advertisements or messages claiming that Potchefstroom Hospital is seeking to interview general workers are not true. 

According to Mathoma, the hospital’s name is being fraudulently used in these scam advertisements. Applicants are asked to send payment with their application, with a promise of employment at the hospital, but are then defrauded of their money. Mathoma explained that the hospital does not recruit or advertise jobs, learnerships and internships in such a manner and urges the public to be vigilant about any such offers. “We strongly recommend that those individuals who have been scammed take up their cases with the police. We strongly caution job seekers not to make any payment to secure employment, a job interview, learnership, or internship where the name of Potchefstroom Hospital is used,” Mathoma said. It is important to note that Potchefstroom Hospital would never require a job applicant to make a payment as part of the application process. Common points that may indicate the advertised post may be a scam: – Request for upfront payment or banking details as part of employment application – Contact numbers are cellular numbers as landlines are ‘out of order’ – Lack of interview as part of the employment application process – Legitimate sounding names that resemble the company name (e.g. Potchefstroom Hospital) – Use of dated or multiple company logos on official looking letterheads If an applicant is unsure of the validity of an advertised position, they are urged to contact Potchefstroom Hospital on 018 293 4420 or the relevant Human Resource Management for more information.