As thousands of South Africans find themselves without employment, there are nefarious fiends taking advantage of the economic climate.
With preparations underway for a number of Municipal By-Elections and the local government elections set to take place in the upcoming year, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has been hit with a massive scam—fraudsters hiding behind the IEC’s name to target unsuspecting jobseekers.
The IEC is warning the public about the scam, whereby con artists are using an online job advertisement, under the guise of the organisation. This advert is being used, so the perpetrators can obtain personal information from people searching for employment.
The Commission warns that the advertisement is currently doing its rounds on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
The fraudulent advert states that an ‘Election Committee’ has announced 50 000 vacancies for young people. Furthermore, it encourages people to submit their personal information to complete the application process.
The IEC further elaborates, “The email address and logo used in the message is not the Commission’s address and logo. However, unsuspecting job seekers may easily mistake the advert as legitimate and fall for the scam.”
The Electoral Commission explains it only advertises notices of jobs and vacancies on its official website www.elections.org.za
People are encouraged to practice caution when searching for jobs, ensuring they do not fall victim to scammers.
Author: Quinton Boucher
Edited: Calvin Swemmer
