Job Scams Seen On FaceBook

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It is beginning to feel like every second job posted on Facebook these days is a scam. And it is sad to think that the only reason these scammers are posting fake jobs is because there are people falling for them.

As many of you will know one of my missions is to expose these scammers and their techniques, to hopefully keep you guys as safe as possible. In this post, I want to expose one scam that I came across on Facebook and another one that was advertised on Gumtree. I will also give you guys a few links to other articles that I have written on the subject which I highly suggest you check out.

Job Scammers in South Africa.

Right so as I mentioned here are a few other articles that you should definitely read after this:

1. Job Scams! How to avoid becoming a victim
2. 8 warning signs of a job scam
3. 3 Job scams you may already have seen
4. Potential job scammers in South Africa

Job scam posted on Facebook

Right, so the first scam that I came across was posted on many Facebook groups, including two groups that I Admin. As soon as I saw the post I became suspicious and decided to do some digging.

The post featured the image below. No email was given, only a number which applicants are asked to Whatsapp.

So was Global recruitment a scam? I really wanted to find out.

I sent a message to the number as requested and received a reply asking me to submit my CV to the same number for a job at the Glenalmond Hotel and Restaurant in Sandton. I immediately asked for an E-Mail address to send my CV to, to which they simply replied “just send it here.”

At this point, I was fairly confident that this was a scam. So I sent a message explaining that I was an Admin on a number of Facebook groups and due to the high number of scams taking place I had to remove their post from my groups until further notice. At this point, they did decide to supply an email address, an Email address that did not exist.

I quickly popped onto google and found the Glenalmond Hotel in Sandton. At this point, I started doubting myself, if the hotel did exist then maybe I had made a mistake. I clicked on the website for the Glenalmond Hotel and found that the domain has been taken over by a Chinese mining company.

What was going on?

I saw the address listed on Google was 130 Daisy Ave, Sandown. That sort of checked out to what the person was telling me, but I am not that trusting so I jumped into Google street view and had a look at the place. Now I really started to doubt myself, because on the pavement at 130 Daisy Street is a sign for the Glenalmond Hotel.

At this point, I was about to apologise to the person and ask them to repost the advert on my groups. But then I had one last thought, let me check Tripadvisor. I popped onto Tripadvisor, found the listing, and read the last review posted. This is what it said:

I was having my wedding in Johannesburg and Glenalmond hotel was conveniently located near my home, so i had family members who flew from abroad stay there.

After the 2nd night, they receive a memo from a team member that the hotel is closing down and that they should leave.

This was shocking news as it happened right before the wedding. I don’t know how this hotel took our reservations and is still taking them online and on 3rd party sites

.

Please beware if you’re looking at Glenalmond for your next stay. As no one will help you sort this out, you will have to do it yourself

That last review was back in March 2019.

So the Hotel has closed down, this explained the hijacked domain name by the Chinese company. Just to confirm I tried to call the landline for the Hotel listed on Google, but it did not exist. Enough proof for me, so I confronted the little scammer with these facts and was promptly blocked on Whatsapp.

It seems that some silly scammer has decided to use this closed Hotel as an opportunity to trick innocent job seekers. I am not sure what the scam would have been, I suspect that after sending my CV I would have been told that my application is successful I only now need to pay R300 for a clearance certificate or something.

If you have come across this particular scam and you know what they want please let the rest of us know in the comments below.

The Scam from Gumtree

This scam is a very common one. In fact, it is pretty much a replica of one of the scams I discussed in my article “3 job scams you may already have seen.” Remember to check out the link at the start of this article.

I won’t go into too much detail here but basically, I sent an application to a job that I suspected was a scam and received the following reply.

Good day,

 

We received your application regarding the Administrative Assistant Position and this email serves to confirm that your application has been approved via our executive recruitment program.

 

This full time position is available within a successful car dealership company and your appointment is on Friday 11th December 2020 but you will be joining the company on Monday 11th January 2021 at a starting salary of R12000 per month plus benefits.

 

We’re now busy finalizing the entire application process but your employers now require a full background check and screening on your profile prior to the final job offer as this is now compulsory.

 

Kindly note that as an agency, we do not provide this service.

 

There are a few companies that are assisting with the background checks and if you’re willing to do it yourself, kindly do it and send the report of your background checks to admin@therecruitmentprogram by Friday 4th December 2020.

 

However, we would recommend DTI Pro South Africa to assist with this process as they’re professionals,reliable & affordable.

If you want them to assist you, please send an email to: frontdesk@dtiprosouthafrica.co.za or dtiprosouthafrica@gmail.com requesting their background checks detailed information, duration and service fees. You can also visit www.dtipro.co.za

Once we receive the report on your background checks and screening and everything is in order, we will then finalize the entire application process and we will contact you with detailed & final information regarding your new job.

 

NB: ONLY A POLICE CLEARANCE IS NOT A PROOF OF THE BACKGROUND CHECKS ON YOUR PROFILE AS IT DOES NOT INCLUDE EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT & REFERENCES CHECKS.

 

Any other information will be provided thereafter.

 

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS IT’S NOT MONITORED.

 

Kind Regards

Kimberly Vosloo

Clerical / Administrative Department

The Recruitment Program

Conclusion

Guys please, please, please do not ever pay for credit checks, police clearances, or ANYTHING ELSE for that matter. If you are ever in doubt, please rather just pop me an E-Mail and let’s have a look at it together.

Well, that is it for today. Stay safe, stay positive, and remember that you are absolutely awesome!