GEORGE NEWS - Job seekers in George are once again warned about yet another employment scam doing the rounds.
According to information received by George Herald the scammers pretend to be either from a Johannesburg- or Cape Town-based company opening a new branch in George.
In two previous incidents they pretended to be from companies called Vector Logistics, looking for an assistant warehouse manager, or Woodside Care Centre looking for a laboratory assistant.
Both these companies confirmed that they are not opening branches in or near George and have no knowledge of interviews being conducted here.
Applicants are required to pay a certain amount, in the above cases R190 or R240, in order for the company to obtain a police clearance certificate. After the first interview and on confirmation that the applicant is a successful candidate, he or she is asked to pay another amount, in some cases up to R1 800 to take part in a second interview – an interview that never happens.
“These women have scammed a lot of people. At one interview there were about 80 people and another 40,” said one of the victims who was scammed out of more than R2 000.
“When we got here this morning [for the second interview] there was no one here and their phones are also off. We have definitely been scammed. Many people came back for the second interview, so that means all of us paid R1 800,” said the victim.
The scammers have been renting boardrooms in George to conduct the interviews with the applicants.
In one such case, St John’s Place in Dormehls Drift was used. After the interviews were conducted earlier this week, the “successful candidates” were asked to pay an amount of R1 800 (10% of their prospective monthly salary) and come back to St John’s Place for a medical assessment this morning, Wednesday 22 March.
The owner of the establishment said she had absolutely no idea what the scammers were up to, but she became a little suspicious at some stage. “They were supposed to come back today and conduct further interviews, but they didn’t. We’ve had a lot of people arriving here today who they made appointments with,” she said.
Another establishment in Erica Road in Heatherlands was apparently also used for interviews.
A victim who went for his initial interview at the house in Erica Road, told George Herald that he saw a job advertised by Vector Logistics on the employment website, Indeed. He applied for the job and they contacted him for the interview.
He too had to pay R190 for a police clearance and the following day was asked to pay another R240 for police clearance for another position they have available. He realised that something was wrong and went to speak to them at St John’s Place to get his money back.
Job opportunities in George are hard to come by, but job seekers are reminded to be vigilant at all times. Be mindful when being asked to make payments to a future employer. If something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
Anyone who has fallen victim to such a scam is asked to please report the matter to the nearest police station.
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