Job-seekers must be vigilant
Baagi Ba warns about employment scams that can get you behind bars.
Unemployment is a growing issue in South Africa and youngsters are at risk of being conned, warned Baagi Ba South Africa.
Glory Matipile, the General Secretary and founder of Baagi Ba South Africa said there are multiple scams involving jobs doing the rounds and that South Africans, even Randfonteiners, run the risk of being arrested and exploited.
“The name of the forum means ‘Builders of South Africa’. Our youths are the builders and future leaders of our country but they are also the ones who are easily manipulated. We advocate for South Africans who get exploited by their employers and sometimes end up behind bars,” she said.
Young men and women who apply for jobs that seem too good to be true usually get into trouble. Potential employers convince them to do their dirty work for them by manipulating them with expensive clothes, shiny cars and big parties with celebrities.
“There are a few open cases around the world involving South Africans and we are communicating with authorities to try to get them back to their home country. There’s one girl who got arrested in Brazil for trafficking drugs after her employer sent her there. Another girl from the West Rand is being exploited for pornography in another foreign country. These girls were desperate for an income and it got the better of them.”
According to Glory, people younger than 27 years old that come from a poor family are targeted most by these scammers. She advised that when people are applying for a job that sounds sketchy, they should do thorough research about the company. Bogus job offers online are also a big problem, because that’s how scammers recruit their victims.
One of the committee members of Baagi Ba, 27-year-old Ofenste Motha, was almost scammed when he was looking for a job. “I applied for the job and was hired without an interview. When I started to do research about the company, I realised that it was bogus because all their numbers and email addresses suddenly didn’t work,” he said. “I’m lucky I realised that it was a scam before it was too late and now I’m able to warn other people about these scams.”
Glory said that she is scared that if more young women and men fall prey to these scammers, there won’t be a future for South Africa.
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