Rosebank Killarney Gazette reader, Agnes Phamotse from Midrand said she was taken for a ride by a woman who pretended to be working for an employment agency.
Phamotse explained that she placed an advert as a job seeker in the classified section of the paper. Within a week of her advert appearing, she received a call from a woman claiming to be from Lekgoafane Recruitment. “When I answered my phone, the lady asked if I’m still looking for a job, I said I’m still looking,” Phamotse said.
According to Phamotse, she was offered a job as an office cleaner at the recruitment agency, and was told that she would earn R2 400 weekly. “I felt that my prayers had been answered,” she said.
Her excitement was short lived when the woman told her that she needed to pay R370 upfront for administration.
Things seemed dodgier when she was given a personal Post Bank account number to deposit the money into. “I asked why it was not a business account but the lady said their business was still in the process of being registered.”
Phamotse said she went to the bank on the same day to deposit the money. After depositing it, she called the said employer informing her that the deposit has been made.
“She told me that I needed to top up the money I deposited with R370 which was going to cover transport costs. I told her that I don’t have that amount of money and explained that I will arrange transport myself.”
Phamotse alleges that the bogus employer told her that their company runs things differently and prefers to pick up their staff in the morning and also drop them off in the afternoon after work.
Pick-up arrangements were made and Phamotse was at the agreed spot at the agreed time. She waited an hour then called the employer and her calls went unanswered – that’s when it hit her that she had actually been scammed.
Classified adverts sales manager, Cathy van Heerden, said job seekers must know that they do not need to pay any money in order to secure a job. She advised that should they be asked for money in order to get a job, they should immediately contact the nearest police station.
Norman Dawe, branch manager at Caxton Joburg North added, “You will never have to pay money in order to secure a job. Advertisers need to know that although their advert will be seen by many people who might be able to offer them a legitimate job, there will always be con artists who are looking for their next target.”
