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Johannesburg - Fraudsters have turned to online classifieds website Gumtree in a bid to lure unsuspecting victims into ‘Telkom Internship’ scams.
Telecoms company Telkom warned on Tuesday that the recruitment scam has promised successful candidates a paid ‘internship’ at the company upon payment of a ‘fee’ of R90.
Telkom said the scam’s ‘adverts’ have targeted candidates in Bloemfontein, the Free State and Limpopo.
Meanwhile, the fraudsters also promise job seekers a monthly salary of R9 894.
“We are appalled that these scamsters are taking advantage of people who are simply seeking honest employment. Of course, it is also very worrying that these con men are using the Telkom brand to conduct their criminal activities,” said Telkom’s Managing Executive for Group Communication, Jacqui O’Sullivan, in a statement.
“We would like to reassure the public that we have launched an investigation into this fraud and will pursue the investigation in close consultation with the SAPS (South African Police Service).
“We would like to warn people to be cautious when pursuing offers online and hope that our efforts to expose this scam will shield the public from further fraud of this nature,” said O’Sullivan.
Gumtree responds
Spokesperson for Gumtree, Estelle Nagel, told Fin24 that her company has taken the Telkom scam advert off the classifieds website.
"The ads have been removed and the user’s IP (internet protocol), machine ID and email has been blocked. I’ve contacted Telkom who put us in touch with their internal investigator who first reported the scam, and we are awaiting further details so that we can pass details along to law enforcement," Nagel said.
Nagel also explained to Fin24 as to how Gumtree deals with scam alerts.
"We give the complainant the benefit of the doubt and would ban the advertiser in question. He or she does have the opportunity to appeal the decision if they feel that it was unfair, but the onus is on them to prove the legitimacy of the ad. In scenarios like this one, we would pass information to our own contacts with SAPS to aid their investigation. We urge all users to flag suspicious ads immediately and to err on the side of caution," she said.
Nagel has also said that users of Gumtree must be "wary of job adverts that require you to pay a fee upfront, or are posted from a free email address (such as Yahoo or Gmail)".
"Professional companies would not require you to pay them, or to submit sensitive details such as your credit card information and banking details. Research the company – Google them, look for a street address, a landline number. Do not attend interviews in private homes – always meet in public or at a registered office during business hours. Always tell someone where you are going," Nagel said.
Gumtree's Nagel also said that if online classified site users suspect that they have been scammed, they should:
• Report the incident to the classified site immediately, sending them as much information as possible about the ad in question as possible. They can retrieve and store information to pass on to the police.
• Report the incident to your local police station so that they can open a case. Send the details of the investigating officer to the classifieds, along with your case number.
• If you haven’t fallen victim to the scam, but you suspect that someone was attempting to scam you, report it immediately to the classified in question. They can investigate and take steps to prevent that person from carrying through with their plans
