The Sunday News
CRIMINALS have invaded the job market with most of them posting fake jobs in the mainstream and social media amid reports some had launched overseas company websites to lure and defraud desperate job seekers.
According to a local career coach who spoke on condition of anonymity, most of these fake applications that require people to pay processing fees were fake.
“Jobseekers are asked to pay processing fees or bribes to get jobs locally or overseas. Some people might even be called for an interview in hotels or at town offices of brief case companies, once these dubious companies interview you they will ask for bribes ranging from $500 to get the job,” said the career coach.
He said a number of people had fallen prey to these criminals because they were using mainstream media like placing advertisements in newspapers.
An advert that has been appearing in local newspapers from a company named Rawland Enterprises and Hotels Limited Employment Service has been identified as a scam meant to rob graduates. Part of the advert reads, “OFFER. TRAINEE PLACEMENT {AREA OF QUALIFICATION}”.
One recent graduate from the National University of Science and Technology who received a response from this company said she was advised that her qualifications were suitable for placement as a trainee before being placed at a relevant post.
The email from the company to the trainee read:
“Be advised that it’s on the job training, as such you are to come here in Inyanga for international induction training on salary for four months after which you shall have the option of transfer or alternate between Zimbabwe and either South Africa, Kenya or Dubai. Be advised that accommodation, food, and other living expenses whilst here for the first month are provided, but you will have to send your contribution of 187 dollars which includes medical insurance, registration with relevant authorities, key deposit for your hotel accommodation, International clearance and training travel expenses.
“Make sure you make this payment soonest as we have to pre-arrange for your induction before we send your invitation letters, which can only be sent to you after receiving your urgent payment. You can call Madam Agnes Pritchard on 0776344720 for payment arrangements, as you can arrange an immediate instalment for you to receive the agreement form on email.”
The graduate said upon sending the money in last month, she was told she would get an agreement form and would start the job training in Inyanga the following week.
She was then given a different cellphone number belonging to one Stanley (0776344646) who would advise on the arrangements.
“After I spoke to Marshall and he gave me Stanley’s number, I was told not to call him anymore but wait for Stanley to call me back with details and he never got back to me. During the day the phone does not go through and if you try calling after hours, the person who answers tells you to call during working hours,” she said.
This is one of the fake jobs listed on the Zimbabwejobs and jobszimbabwe.co.zw as a warning to prospective job seekers.
The career coach said some of the criminals require applicants to pay through mobile phone transfers and in most cases it would be difficult to trace the culprits.
Another person who was duped said that he responded to a driver vacancy on the internet and was told that the job was in Victoria Falls hence they had to call Sunshine coaches to book and pay for the trip.
“I called him and he said I should pay for the ticket through Ecocash which I did into an Econet line for one Washington Chikonye. He texted me back with a seat number and a ticket number. I went to the Harare showgrounds Coca-Cola gate but the bus was nowhere to be found and there were several people who were duped the same way,” he said.
The high unemployment rate has been seen as one of the reasons that jobseekers are being duped easily.
Mr Kipson Gundani, an economist said unemployment could be measured by those actively seeking employment but were failing to get the jobs and this figure was over 80 percent.
“A lot of people are unemployed and are desperate for jobs, even those in the informal sector make up the unemployment rate. Desperation manifests itself in different forms and this is one of them,” said Mr Gundani.
A number of companies have started advertising advising people of these fraudsters as some of them have the temerity to purport to be from these companies.
