SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS - After an incident in which the South African government rescued a 24-year-old girl from human trafficking in Malaysia, the Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, has urged the nation to be very vigilant when using social media, as scammers use it to lure their victims.
Mbalula spoke to journalists at a media briefing on Sunday 30 July at OR Tambo International Airport after the rescue of Princess Mahlangu, who was lured to Malaysia for a modelling competition she entered on Facebook.
She was kept there against her will together with 14 other women. Mbalula made a public appeal to men and women to be vigilant when exposed to online encounters, "Be circumspect and reduce trust on the internet." Mahlangu, who is from Bloemfontein, was duped in a fake online modelling competition to go to Malaysia.
Idinga wants to make our readers aware of the international phenomenon of human trafficking which is rearing its ugly head in our country.
Human traffickers are using social media to contact vulnerable women and teenagers and sell them as sex workers, and in some cases for body parts.
They are using popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and offer modelling and job opportunities overseas.
The old saying which warns: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" must always be in your mind when assessing opportunities online and you should double and even triple check whatever you apply for online.
The following are some Dos and Don'ts to help you make a sound judgement when determining if something is a scam or not.
Do
• Learn all you can about what human trafficking is;
• Protect yourself by prevention;
• Save a hotline number on your phone;
• Be alert when travelling;
• Add safety precautions to social media accounts.
Don't
• Share content with strangers;
• Follow dubious online entries without consent from parents;
• Go alone to suspect places.
To report human trafficking, call the national hotline on 080 022 2777. All calls from South Africa are free.
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