Fraudsters masquerading as government employment agents have conned thousands of desperate job seekers into divulging their personal details, which they use to commit crimes.
Since last August more than 200,000 people have subscribed to the "Government Jobs Application Page" on Facebook offering jobs in the SA Police Service, departments of home affairs, health and education, the SA Social Security Agency, Transnet and the Treasury, among others.
Desperate job seekers have been posting their personal details on the bogus page and sending their CVs to the fraudulent e-mail address provided on the page.
Transnet said it was aware of the job scam and was working closely with the police to track down those running the scam. It is running an extensive media awareness campaign on the scams.
"Transnet never asks for a fee from job seekers, any such requests are fraudulent. Transnet does not use social media to advertise employment opportunities," said spokesman Molatwane Likhethe.
Major-General Vuyisile Ngesi said the SAPS was aware of the fake job offers online but could not comment on investigations in other departments.
Source: The Times via I-Net Bridge