News

Job scam at two hospitals

A woman, hopeful of securing employment at the Life Midmed Hospital after applying to an online advertisement, fears that it has all been a scam

May 30, 2018

Jana Boshoff 2 minutes read

A woman, hopeful of securing employment at the Life Midmed Hospital after applying to an online advertisement, fears that it has all been a scam.

Cyndy Williams sent her CV to the fax-to-email number supplied in an online advertisement for nurses at Midmed Hospital and made contact with a Mr Mdluli whose number appeared on the ad.
Mr Mdluli notified Mrs Williams that her application was successful and asked her to pay R500 for a nurses outfit so she could start working the next day. She replied that because she is unemployed, she does not have the R500 he wanted and asked if she could pay it once she received her first salary.

In an SMS message, Mr Mdluli asked her ‘why you white people want things for mahala’ before writing ‘totsiens white girl’.

The name Dilokong Hospital also shows up on the ad and the landline provided belongs to the hospital, situated near Burgersfort at the Dilokong Mine in Limpopo. Scammers have changed the last two numbers around. A simple Google search revealed the tiny mistake.

The nursing manager at Dilokong Hospital said that it is definitely a scam. She received hundreds of calls from hopefuls over the past three months.

The Human Resources Department at Life Healthcare has released a press release regarding the issue.
They say that the issue has been reoccurring since January 2017. They have people keeping an eye on internet ad sites, looking for suspicious advertisements.

The cellphone numbers used in these advertisements are never RICCA’ed, making it nearly impossible to trace the culprit. There is also no personal contact between the scammer and the victim, so there is no opportunity to arrange for a sting operation.

Look out for the following danger signs when searching for job opportunities online:

• A cellphone number instead of a landline. Where a landline is given, it is ‘currently out of order’.
• A fax number as the only contact method.
• Payment required. Often the payment should be sent to a cellphone number.
• No need for an interview.

Life Healthcare says that applicants should be aware of the legitimate process that is followed when applying for a job. Applicants will never be asked to pay money when applying for a job at Life Healthcare and will be subjected to at least one interview.

• A www.mobserver.co.za journalist posed as an applicant and spoke to Mr Mdluli on the phone. He said that the hospital was conducting interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday and wanted to know how soon a CV could be faxed through.

Mr Mdluli asked for the journalist’s identity number so he “can open a file” and add her to the list for interviews. He said that the interviews will be conducted at Midmed Hospital in Middelburg. When confronted about his scam, Mr Mdluli laughed and said “Okay. Thank you” before cutting the call.