How youth can spot online job scams

RECENTLY, there has been much furor around the rise of online work opportunity scams, especially those targeting youth. These scams often appear on social media and range from so-called “pay-for-job” schemes and bogus learnerships or internships, to fake interview venues and nonexistent work-from-home jobs that claim you can earn in foreign currency.

- NKOSINATHI MAHLANGU

With youth unemployment levels at record highs, many young job seekers are falling prey to scammers promising lucrative job opportunities. While some have become disillusioned and stopped looking for work altogether, others are chasing every opportunity that comes their way, which is both understandable and commendable. But it is exactly this hunger for inclusion and progress that scammers are exploiting, luring job seekers into dangerous activities disguised as legitimate jobs.

This is no small matter. Human trafficking has been on the rise, with kidnappings frequently reported in South Africa. The Deputy Minister of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Steve Letsike, recently raised the alarm about fake foreign job offers circulating online, deliberately targeting South African youth. The promise of high salaries, accommodation, or international travel is enticing, but it can end in devastating outcomes.