Job seekers beware of police recruitment scam

A BOGUS police officer attempted to scam several job seekers around Durban by promising them permanent recruitment.

A 34-year-old unemployed victim approached Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) on Thursday morning for help.

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RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram said the victim reported that the suspect, identifying himself as Gumede, had made telephonic contact with him and requested R5 000 for a permanent job in the police service.

“The victim alleges that the conversation lasted two days, and Gumede instructed him to meet at various locations in the Verulam CBD with the cash. For a deposit of R2 000, Gumede allegedly promised his victim documents, medicals and answers to a psychometric test.

“And that when the balance of R3 000 is paid, he would receive sets of uniforms and report for duty as a police officer next Monday. The victim became suspicious when the location changed hourly, and the suspect then asked for the money to be sent from a store via a cash transaction at a pay point.

“He was then given a reference number to use so his job would be secured immediately. The suspect terminated the conversation when the victim began to question the transaction. RUSA officers learnt that a female working at a local bottle store in eThekwini was also scammed out of R2 000 by the same suspect,” said Balram.

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