Job hunting in South Africa is very easy with the use of the internet. There are so many recruitment agencies out there offering genuine jobs.

    And there are so many job scams on the internet hard to even count.

    When you’re job hunting, please be wary of companies that claim to offer legit work but in fact scams.

    Job scammers take advantage of your desperation of getting employment. But you can easily spot a fake job post with the following simple tips.

    Let’s dive right in…

    1. Spelling errors on the job post

    A poorly written advert could be a red flag for you to know it’s a scam. The moment you see typos and grammatical errors, run away from that ad post – IT’S A SCAM!

    Companies have or hire professional copyrighters to publish job ads on their behalf. The ad will be properly written including all the requirements of the position.

    I’m sure you’re aware that hiring managers would not take your CV seriously when it has typo and grammar errors – right?

    2. Paying to be placed for the job

    According to South African law, applicants aren’t supposed to pay to be placed for any job position. No company should charge you for giving you a job – red flag – IT’S A JOB SCAM!

    Criminals use this strategy on unsuspecting job applicants.

    It wouldn’t make sense to pay while you’re looking for a job. We’ve seen a lot of reports where scammers publish non-existing jobs just so they can collect money from job seekers.

    Avoid this kind of job post and save your money for transport to genuine career opportunities.

    3. Give us your banking details

    Companies and hiring managers are prohibited by the law to ask for your financial details.

    Job scammers and criminals would ask for your banking details, claiming to do a credit or reference check on you. You must know that this is completely illegal.

    You must never give anyone your banking details, not until you’ve signed the employment contract at the company premises.

    4. No experience required job scam

    The reason you’re unemployed today could be mainly because you don’t have any kind of work experience in your resume. Employers love applicants with experience in the field they’re hiring for.

    Now,

    When you come across an ad with “no experience required”, just know it’s a job scam. A scammer is waiting for you to react so they can make cash from your misfortune.

    5. Emails from non-business addresses

    So you’ve applied for a job at “CoMoney” and suddenly you receive an email from a Gmail account. Don’t even read the mail, move that to a spam folder immediately and carry on with your life.

    Avoid being ignorant and protect yourself from job scammers.

    Companies like to keep all communications professional for legal purposes. This will also help you (job seeker) with proof should anything go wrong.

    6. Jobs abroad – Outside of South Africa

    This has become a common practice among criminals to smuggle and traffic people abroad.

    They usually target young adults, promising them modeling contracts and so on.

    Avoid such ad posts– they’re mostly job scams.

    Don’t get me wrong, it is possible to get a job outside South Africa. You can do it through a registered and well-established company.

    Avoid these, human trafficking is a huge problem in the country as it is.

    Report job scams and fraudsters

    There’s already a platform that helps job seekers with tips to identify fake jobs.

    www.scambuster.co.za

    They also help people share their scam experiences. This helps you be very cautious with your next job application.

    Remember when it seems too good to be true, it definitely is.

    Share.

    Disclaimer: CoMoney is an information website that aims at making your personal finance decisions a success.

    Content in this website are intended for general informational purposes and must not be used as financial advise to address individual circumstances. It’s not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in our website is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

    We are not a credit intermediary or broker of the consumer loans or the other financial product. We do not sell any financial product, provide consumer loans or financial advice. We are neither a bank nor a credit company. We also do not arrange or mediate the conclusion of any contract. We compare the loan offers and credits. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the provided information.

    © 2024 CoMoney. All Rights Reserved.