How to Identify Fake Job Advertisements
Fake vacancies are designed to collect money or personal information from job seekers. A professional logo or WhatsApp profile does not prove that an advert is genuine.
Warning signs
- You are asked to pay an application, administration, training, uniform or placement fee.
- The recruiter promises employment without an interview or proper assessment.
- The salary is unusually high for basic duties and little experience.
- The message creates extreme urgency and pressures you to act immediately.
- The email comes from a free or misspelled address instead of the employer’s recognised domain.
- The advert contains no traceable company address, reference number or official contact channel.
- You are asked for an OTP, banking PIN, password or card details.
- The recruiter wants the conversation moved only to WhatsApp or Telegram.
How to verify a vacancy
- Find the organisation’s official website independently; do not rely only on links in the message.
- Look for the same vacancy on the organisation’s careers page.
- Check the job title, location, reference number and closing date.
- Call the organisation using a number published on its official website, not a number supplied by the suspected recruiter.
- For public-service vacancies, compare the advert with the relevant department or official vacancy publication.
- Search the recruiter’s name and contact details, but remember that scammers may impersonate genuine employees.
Protecting your documents
A CV normally contains contact and employment information, but avoid placing unnecessary sensitive details on it. Do not include banking details, account passwords or copies of cards. Only send identity and qualification documents when the verified recruitment process requires them, and consider marking copies for the intended purpose.
If you suspect a scam
Stop communicating, keep screenshots and payment records, and report the advert to the platform where it appeared. Contact your bank immediately if money or banking information was involved. Report suspected fraud through appropriate South African law-enforcement or fraud-reporting channels.