Durban - A social media “predator”, who is using his possibly bogus government title to lure attractive, unemployed women on multiple media platforms, is being sought by the Department of Transport.
According to the man’s victims, he uses a fake Facebook profile and lists himself as a senior administrative assistant in the department in a bid to manipulate them into sending him compromising photographs of themselves.
He is said to befriend women on Facebook before using hiring tactics to coerce them into divulging personal details.
He later messages the young women on WhatsApp and steers the conversation elsewhere.
A recent victim, 26-year-old BCom graduate Kerisha Bridgenath, drew attention to the alleged scam when she vented her anger on social media about her experience last Friday.
Screen shots of WhatsApp conversations taken by Kerisha Bridgenath.
In her post, the Chatsworth resident detailed the conversation between herself and the alleged fake official.
She also uploaded screenshots of their chats. Speaking about what happened, Bridgenath said she received a friend request from the man a while ago.
“I didn’t think anything of it, as we had mutual friends, most of whom are dear to me.”
After she accepted his request, he sent her a message on Facebook Messenger saying he worked at the department, which had vacant public relations positions available.
“Since I didn’t have Messenger on my phone, I only saw his message when I logged in on my monitor. I had been applying for jobs at the time and put my CV on government websites, so it didn’t come as a surprise when he asked for my CV.”
Screen shots of WhatsApp conversations taken by Kerisha Bridgenath.
She asked for his e-mail address and, despite giving her a private Gmail account, it did not raise alarm bells.
“He told me that since it was hard to get into government, he wanted to help ‘his’ people as much as he could. So when he gave me his private e-mail, I felt no reason to question it.”
However, when the man requested a picture of her, she knew something was wrong.
“He added me on WhatsApp and told me that his boss, Trinesh, the area manager, needed a PA and wanted a picture of me. I told him to refer to my CV but he responded saying the boss, who was with him, wanted a pretty PA. I consented and sent through a professional picture,” she said.
“He told me his boss liked what he saw and would like to meet me. He handed the phone over to his boss, who began ‘speaking’ in a manner that raised red flags for me.”
In the screenshots, the man’s ‘boss’ asks to take her to lunch and to his boardroom, which she turned down.
Bridgenath said she believed the man pretended to be the boss. He spoke rudely to her until she blocked him from WhatsApp.
She “named and shamed” him, she said, to prevent other innocent women falling prey.
Other women, who read the posts, said they had similar experiences. One said: “I’ve also had *** contact me. Same bull**** story about needing a PA.”
Another posted: “Hey something exactly like that happened to me. A guy named *** inboxed me on Facebook wanting a PA, then later invited me on WhatsApp. He wanted to meet privately for lunch to discuss my salary. I blocked him as I knew something was wrong.”
A third women said: “Same thing happened to me with this guy”
Bridgenath said men who preyed on women needed to be exposed.
“Beware and don’t fall for the bait. Trust your intuition. Parents should also not send their daughters out on interviews alone.”
The POST attempted to contact the alleged con artist but all calls to his number went unanswered.
He did respond to a WhatsApp, however, saying he had been merely trying to help Bridgenath find a job but was instead defamed for his efforts.
He maintained he was an employee of the department.
“This psycho girl is writing stuff about me. This is so annoying when you try to help someone and they defame your character. She has caused a major problem with my friends and family. It is not fair that she has done this. My attorney will be handling this matter going forward.”
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport said no person by the name given was employed at their offices.
The department’s national spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, said they distanced themselves from the imposter.
“It is unquestionably a scam. We are unaware of such a person nor did we commission any form of head hunting on social media,” he said.
“There is a proper process to follow when it comes to applying for vacancies at the department. All jobs are advertised publicly. Interested candidates are to fill out a Z83 form that is available on our website. The form must then be submitted via post or be dropped off at our head office.”
He said the department would investigate.
“Acts of such nature must not and will not be condoned. As a governmental department we will seek to find the person responsible and bring him to book.
“I also urge job seekers to be wary of falling prey to individuals, who try to take advantage of the vulnerable. If you suspect you are a victim of a scam, report the matter to (the) police immediately.”
The national department had yet to confirm if the man was employed elsewhere.