A syndicate of recruiting agents is prowling on desperate job seekers, fleecing them of their hard-earned cash through non-existing job promises.
The adverts are printed in bold black and white, listing what appear to be attractive packages for job seekers that include accommodation and a starting salary of between US$200 and US$300 for a post as a security guard or shop merchandiser.
Adverts are strategically placed across residential suburbs, waiting for the next catch on innocent victims who are made to pay an agent consultation fee of US$40 before they can be linked to the job.
23-year-old Hazvinei Foroma (not her real name) is among many lured into this web of fake promises.
“I got the number of the agent from a WhatsApp group and contacted them over a job that was said to be in a supermarket. He asked for US$40 but I told him I had US$20, which I paid on the agreement I was going to pay the balance after I got my first salary,” she said.
But there is no guarantee that after paying this fee, the job will be available.
“I was told to go and start work on a Monday, but when I got to the place, I was told a different story,” another victim said.
After hearing this story, the ZBC News placed a call to the agent.
The conversation with the agent seals the fears from a previous engagement with another recruiting agent.
He had demanded cash payment before he could provide details of the job.
The job adverts were not clear on the number of candidates needed for the vacancy, leaving the possibility of the agent collecting more money for a non-existing placement.
This is exactly what happened in the case of Hazvinei and other victims.
“When my friend and I saw the advert, I also wanted to pay the agent for the same job. My friend told me to wait and see if this was genuine. We then agreed that she would go first and if she gets the job, then I would also come through,” a victim said.
Their stories shed light on a syndicate that is preying on job seekers, taking advantage of their situation to fleece them of their hard-earned cash.
