Treat payment requests as a serious warning
South Africa’s Department of Employment and Labour warns work seekers about recruitment scams and requests for employment-related payments. If someone asks you to pay for access to a vacancy, shortlisting or a promised appointment, stop and verify the request before doing anything else.
Do not let a deadline or a claim that a position is reserved for you replace verification. Be particularly cautious when payment is requested to a personal account or through an unusual method. A familiar logo on a document is not evidence that the person sending it represents the organisation.
Verify the people and the opportunity independently
Find the organisation’s official website yourself and compare its contact information with the message. Contact the business through an independently verified channel to ask whether the recruiter and vacancy are genuine. Check the exact spelling of the email domain; a small change can be easy to miss.
Look for a coherent explanation of the role, location and selection process. Be cautious about a job offer that arrives without a meaningful discussion of your suitability. Even when a vacancy appears on a known platform, verify unusual follow-up requests rather than assuming every later message is authentic.
Limit exposure while you check
Do not send identity documents, banking information, passwords or verification codes to an unverified contact. Ask why a document is required, who will receive it and which secure process is used. A legitimate later-stage check should have a clear purpose and an identifiable recipient.
If you suspect a scam, preserve the messages and payment instructions without continuing the conversation unnecessarily. Report the account to the platform and contact the impersonated organisation through its official channel. If money or sensitive information has already been shared, contact the relevant bank or service provider promptly and seek appropriate reporting guidance.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
A copied logo is not a verification step
A message says you have been shortlisted and must pay an urgent processing charge. Rather than replying to the same sender for reassurance, locate the company’s official contact independently and ask whether the request came from them. Do not send more documents while waiting for an answer.
Your practical checklist
- Pause at payment requests or guaranteed appointments.
- Check the sender and vacancy through an independent channel.
- Keep passwords and verification codes private.
- Preserve suspicious messages for reporting.
Take it forward
Urgency is a reason to slow down and verify. Protect your money and information before responding to an opportunity that has not been independently confirmed.
