Cape Town - The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has warned the public about fraudsters using online job advertisement websites in the name of the organisation to obtain personal information from unsuspecting job seekers.
The IEC has warned that various advertisements are currently doing the rounds on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
Some advertisements claim that the IEC 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,” IEC chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo, said.
Mamabolo, cautions that while the IEC is indeed recruiting for the forthcoming elections, these phishing sites are not legitimate advertisements.
“Scammers are using fake job postings to take advantage of unsuspecting applicants. No sooner have we had one site shut down, then we receive reports of others.
“I wish to stress that the IEC only advertises its job opportunities on its official social media channels such as 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,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo further added that in this instance, phishing takes place as the fraudsters masquerade as the IEC, 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 don't let fraudsters take advantage of you,” he further appealed.
“If you’re unsure whether a job advertisement is legitimate, please contact us on one of our social media pages or email [email protected],” he said.
Mamabolo alluded that the IEC is in the process of taking legal action against the entities involved in this fraudulent practice.
IOL