While scam artists are getting better at hiding the truth, there are a few tell-tale signs that the perfect job post you saw might not be entirely trustworthy.
At best, you'll just be disappointed. At worst, you'll have wasted a good amount of money and, potentially, be the victim of identity theft (or worse).
So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at a couple of things you need to be aware of.
1. Generic email addresses
If an established company is advertising a vacancy, the email address is going to end with that company's domain. Don't know what that means? A personal, generic email address might look something like this:
careers@gmail.com
And that's certainly not what a company email address looks like. It should look something like this:
careers@careersportal.co.za
This isn't a hard and fast rule though; a small company that's just starting might only have a Gmail account. Just be aware and do your research.
2. High pay; few requirements
Sorry guys, SASSA isn't going to hire someone with only Grade 10 and pay them R20k a month. If a job listing is promising you a high salary but with very few requirements, it's probably too good to be true.
On that note, also beware of "Work from home" opportunities - they may promise a high earning potential but you're almost certainly going to be losing money on that deal.
3. Payment required
When applying for a job, you should never have to pay a fee while applying and nor should you be expected to pay anything upfront for uniform, training, etc.
If a job post tells you that you need to do any of the above, run far far away.
4. Dodgy premises
This one is a little harder to spot but a favourite tactic of scam artists is to rent out a boardroom in an office block and use that to conduct interviews.
This way, it looks as though they have actual offices when, in fact, they do not. Do a bit of research and see if the company looking to hire you actually has offices, a website, etc.
And there you have it! Hopefully now you know a little bit more about how to spot, and avoid, a fake job post. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!
