Johannesburg – The MEC of Education in KwaZulu-Natal, Mbali Frazer, is expected to take legal action against scammers on social media.
This comes after unknown individuals created several social media accounts using her name illegally to scam people's money in hopes that they would be employed.
The department also said the criminals responsible for fabricating these fake accounts were deceitfully trying to extract money from unsuspecting individuals by falsely promising non-existent positions within the provincial education department.
Frazer said it was disheartening to witness and learn that the community still harbours unscrupulous individuals who would stoop so low as to exploit job seekers in such a manner.
“First and foremost, we are dealing with a clear case of identity theft, as these individuals are impersonating me. Moreover, they are shamelessly attempting to defraud unsuspecting job seekers, which is an additional criminal offence," she said.
The MEC urged the public to stay away from the scammers and pay no cent for a job application in the department. “You don’t have to pay a cent to apply for a job in the Department of Education,” she maintained.
She stated that the department has an established system for advertising vacant positions, which is accessible to all, free of charge.
Furthermore, she intended to seek legal counsel regarding the appropriate actions to be taken against the perpetrators who are behind the despicable act.
Earlier this year, the department warned the public and applicants who had applied for the National school nutrition programmer tender to be on the lookout for scammers who would ask them to submit their information through certain individuals.
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