The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has warned members of the public and citizens about fraudsters using online job advertisement websites in the name of the organisation to obtain personal information from unsuspecting job seekers.
The Commission has noted various advertisements doing the rounds on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
Some advertisements claim that the Electoral Commission is recruiting for the forthcoming 2024 National and Provincial Elections, and ask interested persons to provide their personal information. Other fake advertisements purport to advertise the Electoral Commission’s recruitment portal.
“Scammers are using fake job postings to take advantage of unsuspecting applicants. No sooner have we had one site shut down, and then we receive reports of others.
“I wish to stress that the Electoral Commission only advertises its job opportunities on its official social media channels – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and on its recruitment portal on the official website – www.elections.org.za.
"Any post, message or website that asks you to fill in your personal details as part of an application process or directs you to any other website is a potential phishing site,” Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission, Sy Mamabolo, said on Wednesday.
In this instance, phishing takes place as the fraudsters masquerade as the Electoral Commission, and use the promise of jobs in their communication as clickbait to deceive people into revealing sensitive personal information.
“We appeal to job seekers to protect themselves by applying for our jobs on our website only. Please share this message with family and friends, and do not let fraudsters take advantage of you.
“If you’re unsure whether a job advertisement is legitimate, please contact us on one of our social media pages or email info@elections.org.za,” Mamabolo said.
The Electoral Commission is in the process of taking legal action against the entities involved in this fraudulent practice.
To register on the Electoral Commission’s jobs portal and apply for available positions, please visit the secure link https://www.elections.org.za/pw/About-Us/BrowseJobs. - SAnews.gov.za
