TRANSNET National Ports Authority (TNPA), a division of state-owned logistics company Transnet SOC, is once again warning the public against scams promising employment with the company in exchange for payment.
Job seekers are still paying money to fraudsters in the belief that they will be employed by Transnet. They are being scammed by unknown persons, using information from legitimate Transnet vacancy ads and requesting payment to secure the advertised positions.
Ngqura port manager, Tandi Lebakeng, said, “Transnet undertook regular campaigns in the media, on social media and across its operating divisions to try to warn against these scams.
“We empathise with the latest victims and have encouraged them to report these matters urgently to SAPS. We will also lodge a case with the police because the safety and security of one of our own recruiters have now been threatened.
“However, we state categorically that it is external fraudsters taking money and this had nothing to do with Transnet,” said Lebakeng.
She further said there were recurring scams that occurred in various forms and Transnet is not the only major company to be preyed upon. The SAPS will investigate these incidents.
“Very often these victims are desperate jobseekers who truly believe that they are securing employment with us, which is unfortunate.
“However, we are quite clear in urging the public to practise caution and to familiarise themselves with the correct procedures. No bona fide Transnet vacancy will ever require payment of any kind from a jobseeker,” she said.
The modus operandi of the scammers over the years has included using the names of actual Transnet personnel, which are easily obtained from legitimate Transnet advertisements.
Other scammers set up false social media profiles in the name of senior Transnet representatives with the aim of extorting money.
A number of external websites and social media pages often advertise positions extracted from the Transnet portal on their own channels.
The safest method of obtaining information about Transnet jobs is to refer to the Transnet careers portal (http://www.transnet.net/Career/Pages/Career.aspx) or advertisements in recognised national print publications.
The following tips will also help you to avoid becoming a victim:
1. Know that Transnet only advertises vacancies via its official online career portal, recruitment agencies, in national print media/newspapers and official Transnet company pages on LinkedIn only.
2. Application forms can only be found on the Transnet website or can be collected from an official Transnet human resources department, not from anywhere else.
3. Transnet does not under any circumstances request payment from job applicants.
4. All Transnet email addresses must end with @transnet.net
5. No Transnet recruiter will ever share their cell number.
6. All Transnet employment adverts should include grade levels (A, B, C, etc) and reference numbers for ease of tracking on the website.
7. No official Transnet job ad will ever include a salary scale.
8. Application forms will never be pre-completed on an application form.
9. All applicants must provide the vacancy reference number as it appears on the advertisement when responding.
10. All due diligence is followed by Transnet’s human resources departments when positions are advertised.
Members of the public are requested to report any fraudulent activity on Transnet’s toll-free fraud hotline on 0800 003 056, email to transnet@tip-offs.com or fax to 0800 00 77 88.
They may also contact SAPS.
