City warns against job scams
A scammer has been defrauding members of the public and extorting R2 500 from people to supposedly secure an interview, and another R2 500 on receiving an appointment letter.
FOLLOWING recent reports of an employment scam involving the City of uMhlathuze, the municipality this week issued a warning urging members of the public to be wary of white-collar criminals.
‘The City of uMhlathuze issues a stern warning to everyone not to fall for job opportunity scams making rounds, claiming to be from City officials. Members of the public are promised jobs in exchange for money by someone who calls himself Robert Mkhize, via a fake personal Facebook account that claims he works for the City in the Human Resources section,’ said municipal communication manager Mdu Ncalane.
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Ncalane stated that the scammer has been defrauding members of the public and extorting R2 500 from people to supposedly secure an interview, and another R2 500 on receiving an appointment letter.
‘The City has no employee with the name Robert Mkhize working in Human Resources.
‘Some scammers have even gone so far as to impersonate authentic officials to loot vulnerable members of the public who are in desperate need of jobs.’ Ncalane says, ‘We urge community members to be wary of white-collar criminals who claim to work in the City’s HR and Water and Sanitation sections. ‘Some use fake social media accounts and advertise fake jobs.
‘Community members are discouraged from paying bribes to anyone for any job. Our job opportunities are advertised on our website, newspapers as well as on our social media pages, with contact details that are traceable and available on our website.’
The City encourages any community member who has been scammed in such a way to report these incidents to the police.
