Durban - Having unemployment at an all-time high, more desperate South Africans are becoming victims of crooks via job scams, both locally and internationally.
This can include detailed human trafficking plans through luring the naive and anguished.
After a South African man and woman fell prey to work scams and were stranded abroad, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) recently issued a warning to South African job-searchers who apply for positions abroad.
“Please warn young people in your circles not to fall for these scams. Contact Dirco before you accept overseas job offers. Human trafficking is real. I have alerted our Consular Services team to attend to the two cases,” said Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela.
The situation is more dire with the youth, as it seems job options are dwindling in the country every year, so they look overseas for work.
Job portal Pnet offered these tips to avoid getting scammed while looking for a job:
Research
Conduct extensive research on the company providing the job opportunity. Visit their official website to confirm their internet existence and legitimacy. Genuine employers leave a clear internet imprint.
References
If you are unsure about the authenticity of a job offer, obtain the contact information of current workers as references. Contacting them might give useful information about the company's reputation and legitimacy.
Upfront payments
When solicited for an advance payment, be cautious because real firms do not normally need financial donations from job-seekers.
Avoid any transaction that appears suspicious or incongruous with conventional hiring practises.
Professionalism
Assess the professionalism of potential employers’ communications. Throughout the employment process, legitimate firms maintain a high degree of professionalism. Unprofessional or badly written emails should be avoided, since they may signal a potential fraud.
Aggressive recruitment
Employers who use aggressive techniques such as constant phone calls and emails to drive job searchers into accepting offers quickly should be avoided.
Legitimate companies respect their employees' decision-making processes and give them adequate time to examine an offer.
“Too good to be true”
If a job offer looks to be too good to be true, be cautious. Exercise care if the remuneration, benefits, or terms appear overly appealing or disproportionate to the position or market norms. Trust your intuition and thoroughly evaluate the legitimacy of the offer.
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