People, young and old, are in danger of falling victim to job scams. With the festive season approaching, people look to make extra income and often fall victim to illicit opportunities.
Illegal companies are known to frequent job sites that are otherwise legitimate. It is always good to do your research before applying for a job.
Springs SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Themba Tshabalala warns of some signs to be wary of when questioning the legitimacy of jobs.
• Find out if the company is registered.
Many firms parade as registered companies but are not. The best way is to go to Google and search for the company. If it has a website, call the HR department and confirm if the post exists.
• Look for irregularities in the communication.
Scammers overlook the technical terms and phrases used in professional communications. Spelling and grammar mistakes are usually a sign of scammers at work. Email addresses not originating from the company should also raise concerns.
An email with @gmail.com or @yahoo.com instead of the company email is a red flag.
Scammers will ask applicants to pay for services like training and new uniforms or to run criminal background checks on them.
• The offer sounds too good to be true.
Watch out if the job promises to pay too much or offers benefits that do not align with the job title or description. Jobs that usually require no experience and offer an amount that is decent for the type of work are something to be aware of.
“Last but not least, there are no jobs for sale. We caution citizens not to buy into the scam of getting a job by paying someone.
“We caution people to be vigilant when looking for jobs because now is the time desperate job-seekers are taken advantage of,” he said.
