The fake job ad directed users to an information-mining website. Photo: iStock
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is warning South Africans of a new recruitment scam doing the rounds.
A post shared on social media claims the agency is looking for 200 unemployed ‘youth; for a 12-month contract with a stipend of R4 800 per month.
As per the advert, South African citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 were eligible to apply, if they had a clear criminal record.
Even though the fake post included what appears to be an official Sassa email, the real catch here was a bit.ly link.
Bitly (one of the most popular link shortening services) in itself isn’t harmful but can be used by scammers in nefarious ways.
Sassa said all real vacancies will be advertised in national newspapers or the agency’s website.
The link in the fake Sassa job post redirected to a ‘Jobs SA’ recruitment website which was registered in South Africa in November 2020:
The fake advert was likely created in an attempt to boost the recruitment site’s online traffic.
On Monday, another fake post claimed Sassa is looking for 160 000 workers between the ages of 16 and 35.
The fake programme allegedly also included a uniform, ‘working tools’, transport to working areas and a basic salary.
The shortened link in the fake ad directed users to a site called Vacancy Available Jobs. No job listings are listed on the site; only a contact form set up to mine visitors’ information.
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Earlier this year, Sassa warned of a food parcel voucher scam doing the rounds online after several beneficiaries were duped by posts on social media.
The posts reportedly contained a link for clients in KwaZulu-Natal to click on in order to register for the free food voucher.
However, the spokesperson for Sassa operations in the province, Sandy Godlwana, says the organisation will only communicate directly with clients, and not via links shared on social media.
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