How to spot a fake job scam before it costs you

Let us be very clear from the start: a real employer will never ask you to pay money to get a job. Not for an application fee. Not for training. Not for a uniform, a medical, a police clearance, a "registration fee", or a bus ticket to the interview.

If anyone asks you for money to get a job, it is a scam. Every single time. Stop talking to them.

Job scams are everywhere in South Africa, and they target people who are desperate for work. The scammers are organised, their adverts look real, and they know exactly what to say. This guide will help you catch them.

The biggest red flags

1. They ask you for money

This is the number one sign. It can sound reasonable: "R350 for your uniform", "R500 for the training course, refundable after your first salary", "pay the admin fee to secure your spot". It is all the same trick. Once you pay, they ask for more, or disappear.

This includes being told to pay a specific "doctor" for a medical, or a specific "agent" to process your contract. Real companies pay for their own recruitment costs.

2. Everything happens on WhatsApp

Plenty of real recruiters use WhatsApp to confirm times. But if there is no company email address, no office address, no landline, no interview, and the "recruiter" only ever chats to you on WhatsApp, be very careful.

Be extra suspicious of messages you never asked for, like "Congratulations, your CV was selected for a position at [big company], reply YES to continue".

3. The pay is too good to be true

R15,000 a week for packing boxes from home. R25,000 a month for a general worker with no experience. "Earn R3,000 a day liking videos". If the pay is far above what that job normally pays, it is bait.

4. You got the job without an interview

Real employers want to meet you or at least speak to you properly. If you are "hired" immediately, without them checking anything, ask yourself why.

5. They want too much personal information too early

Your ID number, a selfie holding your ID, your bank card details, your banking app PIN or one-time PIN (OTP). A real employer only needs your banking details once you have actually signed a contract, and no one legitimate ever needs your PIN, password or OTP.

Scammers use these to open accounts in your name, take loans, or empty your account.

6. Pressure and urgency

"Only three spots left, pay by 5pm today." "If you do not reply in one hour we will give the job to someone else." Pressure is used so you do not stop and think.

7. Bad details

Email addresses from free services pretending to be big companies (like a well-known retailer using a Gmail address). Spelling mistakes. Company names spelled slightly wrong. An interview "venue" that is a house, a hotel room or a car park.

8. You are asked to receive or move money

"Money transfer agent", "payment processor", "receive funds into your account and send them on". This is how criminals launder money, and you could be the one who gets arrested. Never let anyone use your bank account.

How to check if a company and a job are real

Search the company name. Look for a real website, a physical address and reviews. Add the word "scam" to your search and see what comes up.
Check the company registration. South African companies are registered with the CIPC (Companies and Intellectual Property Commission). You can search for a company on the CIPC's official services to see if it exists and is active. A company that cannot be found at all is a warning sign.
Contact the company yourself. Find the official number from the company's real website, not from the advert or the message, and call to ask if the job exists.
Check the careers page. Big companies list their real vacancies on their own websites. If the job is not there, ask why.
Check the email address. Real company emails usually end in the company's own web address.
Ask someone you trust. Scammers want you to act alone and fast. A second opinion slows things down.

Government and learnership scams

Scammers love to pretend to be government departments, the police, the army, SASSA, or SETAs, because these jobs and programmes are in high demand.

Government departments do not charge fees to apply, and they do not sell jobs. Nobody can "buy" you a post, a learnership, or a spot at a training college. Anyone offering is a criminal, and paying them can get you into trouble too.

What to do if you think it is a scam

Stop. Do not pay. Do not send more documents. Do not click more links.
Screenshot everything: the advert, the messages, the phone numbers, the bank details they gave you.
Block and report the number on WhatsApp.
Report it to the platform where you saw the advert, including How2Apply if it was on our site.

What to do if you have already paid or shared details

Do not be ashamed. These people are professionals and they fool clever people every day. Act fast:

Call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card or on the bank's official website. Tell them it is fraud. Ask them to block your card, stop or reverse the payment if possible, and secure your account.
Change your passwords and PINs for your banking app and email.
Open a case at your nearest SAPS police station. Take your screenshots and proof of payment. Ask for a case number.
Report the fraud to SABRIC (the South African Banking Risk Information Centre) or through your bank, which works with SABRIC to track banking fraud.
If you gave them your ID number or a copy of your ID, you can apply for protective registration with the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service, and check your credit report for accounts you did not open.

One rule to remember

If you remember nothing else from this page, remember this: you should get paid for working, not pay to get work. Share this with anyone you know who is looking for a job. It could save them their last R500.

More guides

Browse Jobs