IOL News reports that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Education has issued a warning to unemployed teachers about the rising threat of job scams in the education sector.
This was after three unemployed teachers from Verulam fell victim to a fraudulent scheme and lost about R30,000 in total in their desperate search for employment. Prem Balram of Reaction Unit SA said he received requests of assistance from unemployed educators, who claimed they were defrauded of substantial amounts of money with the promise of employment. “The three complainants were teachers seeking employment in primary and secondary schools. They received WhatsApp messages from different individuals known in the teaching fraternity, with the name, profile picture, and status updates appearing genuine. The message indicated that a teaching post was available and a payment of R3,000 would secure the job,” said Balram. After the initial payments, the perpetrator requested additional funds from the victims. Eventually, the victims paid about R10,000 each, believing they would be employed by the KZN education department. The victims noted that during WhatsApp conversations, the scammer had comprehensive knowledge of their qualifications, institutions attended, and degree completion dates.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Yoshini Perumal at IOL News
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