Why job scams thrive
Jul 26, 2009
PERSPIRATION and anxiety grips their faces as they sit silently in the corridors waiting for results for the interview they did last week. Suddenly, a man emerges from a room and hands each of them a brown envelope. They walk away, anxious to see the con
By Roderick Ahimbazwe
PERSPIRATION and anxiety grips their faces as they sit silently in the corridors waiting for results for the interview they did last week. Suddenly, a man emerges from a room and hands each of them a brown envelope. They walk away, anxious to see the contents of the envelope, silently praying: “I hope I have got the job.â€
When each of them opens the envelope, they stare in frustration at the letter that reads: “We are sorry to tell you that you did not pass the interview, but we shall call you if need arises.â€
What the eight crestfallen people don’t know is that they all received the same letter, meaning that no one got the job so it was a scam.
Many people have walked the same corridors after having been lured by advertisements in the media and notices all over town. Who wouldn’t be tempted by an advert that reads, “Customer care personnel needed, no experience needed. Should be willing to work for sh300,000 a month.â€
As many of the job-seekers flock the office, little do they know that they have to part with sh30,000 for the application forms for a job they will never get.
For the quack job agency, it is a quick means of earning money off the desperate job-seekers. Imagine the amount collected from 20 job seekers a week, with each paying sh30,000 for the application forms.
Although job scams are becoming more frequent and highly-publicised, people still fall into the trap and part with their hard-earned, sometimes borrowed money, all in the name of looking for employment.
Most of the scammers capitalise on people’s desperation to get the jobs, making them do ‘anything’ under the sun in order to get employment. The high unemployment rate also plays to the advantage of the quack job agencies.
Patrick Emojong, a counsellor, says most job scams are so attractive that many people apply for them. “Imagine applying for a job of sh300,000 per month that requires no experience and minimal qualifications?†he asks.
Emojong says each scam has its own unique enticing traps and most of the scammers have mastered the art of the game. “Most of these job adverts ask for as little as sh10,000 as registration fees. It might seem little but imagine getting sh10,000 from about 700 people each month? †he asks.
Emojong says people have to be careful when looking for jobs. “Any genuine employer does not ask for registration or interview fees. People should be skeptical about those asking for fees.â€
He says most Ugandans are learning slowly and painfully that if something looks cheap in the beginning, it will end up being costly. “It’s like buying a used car cheaply and thinking that you have saved money yet you end up using a lot as a result of the frequent trips to the garage.â€
He says people end up using a lot of transport and airtime in trying to find out if they passed the interview.
Emojong says people should look out for job vacancies that have reachable addresses. “How does someone in his right mind apply for a job whose employers can only be reached on phone?†he asks.
In addition to the fake job agencies, there are individuals who specialise in ripping people of their money.
Normally, the person works alone and claims to know many high-profile people. Such an individual will ask for transport fees and commission to help you search for a job.
Such people are usually friends or relatives of the job-seeker and will not mind taking advantage of the victim’s desperation for a job.
This individual’s pick-up lines will always begin like: “I know of a vacancy in the other bank but I need to grease somebody’s hands, so get me sh100,000 plus your CV and everything will be fine.â€
In this case, the person trusts the scammer and it is only when the job seeking process goes on for a long time that the job-seeker realises they have been conned.
Judith Nabakooba, the public relations officer of the Police, says people should always avoid vacancies that require one to pay money for interviews or registration. “People should report such characters and we investigate them because no one should part with money when applying for a genuine job,†Nabakooba asserts.
She says the culprits will be charged with obtaining money by fraudulent means. “It is a crime for people to get money from others claiming they will acquire jobs for them,†she says.
Nabakooba also tells people not to be taken up by job offers that look attractive, yet they have some suspicious elements about them.
PERSPIRATION and anxiety grips their faces as they sit silently in the corridors waiting for results for the interview they did last week. Suddenly, a man emerges from a room and hands each of them a brown envelope. They walk away, anxious to see the contents of the envelope, silently praying: “I hope I have got the job.â€
When each of them opens the envelope, they stare in frustration at the letter that reads: “We are sorry to tell you that you did not pass the interview, but we shall call you if need arises.â€
What the eight crestfallen people don’t know is that they all received the same letter, meaning that no one got the job so it was a scam.
Many people have walked the same corridors after having been lured by advertisements in the media and notices all over town. Who wouldn’t be tempted by an advert that reads, “Customer care personnel needed, no experience needed. Should be willing to work for sh300,000 a month.â€
As many of the job-seekers flock the office, little do they know that they have to part with sh30,000 for the application forms for a job they will never get.
For the quack job agency, it is a quick means of earning money off the desperate job-seekers. Imagine the amount collected from 20 job seekers a week, with each paying sh30,000 for the application forms.
Although job scams are becoming more frequent and highly-publicised, people still fall into the trap and part with their hard-earned, sometimes borrowed money, all in the name of looking for employment.
Most of the scammers capitalise on people’s desperation to get the jobs, making them do ‘anything’ under the sun in order to get employment. The high unemployment rate also plays to the advantage of the quack job agencies.
Patrick Emojong, a counsellor, says most job scams are so attractive that many people apply for them. “Imagine applying for a job of sh300,000 per month that requires no experience and minimal qualifications?†he asks.
Emojong says each scam has its own unique enticing traps and most of the scammers have mastered the art of the game. “Most of these job adverts ask for as little as sh10,000 as registration fees. It might seem little but imagine getting sh10,000 from about 700 people each month? †he asks.
Emojong says people have to be careful when looking for jobs. “Any genuine employer does not ask for registration or interview fees. People should be skeptical about those asking for fees.â€
He says most Ugandans are learning slowly and painfully that if something looks cheap in the beginning, it will end up being costly. “It’s like buying a used car cheaply and thinking that you have saved money yet you end up using a lot as a result of the frequent trips to the garage.â€
He says people end up using a lot of transport and airtime in trying to find out if they passed the interview.
Emojong says people should look out for job vacancies that have reachable addresses. “How does someone in his right mind apply for a job whose employers can only be reached on phone?†he asks.
In addition to the fake job agencies, there are individuals who specialise in ripping people of their money.
Normally, the person works alone and claims to know many high-profile people. Such an individual will ask for transport fees and commission to help you search for a job.
Such people are usually friends or relatives of the job-seeker and will not mind taking advantage of the victim’s desperation for a job.
This individual’s pick-up lines will always begin like: “I know of a vacancy in the other bank but I need to grease somebody’s hands, so get me sh100,000 plus your CV and everything will be fine.â€
In this case, the person trusts the scammer and it is only when the job seeking process goes on for a long time that the job-seeker realises they have been conned.
Judith Nabakooba, the public relations officer of the Police, says people should always avoid vacancies that require one to pay money for interviews or registration. “People should report such characters and we investigate them because no one should part with money when applying for a genuine job,†Nabakooba asserts.
She says the culprits will be charged with obtaining money by fraudulent means. “It is a crime for people to get money from others claiming they will acquire jobs for them,†she says.
Nabakooba also tells people not to be taken up by job offers that look attractive, yet they have some suspicious elements about them.