Job Scams In Kenya. What Job Seekers Need To Know

By Selipha Kihagi

If you have been watching the news or reading the newspapers this week, then you know about the NGO that allegedly scammed over 20,000 Kenyans. The number could even be higher as not all were presented with their “confirmation letters” from the said NGO – SSASP International.

While some job seekers were keen enough to query if the NGO jobs were genuine, some were quick to rush to their defense saying the jobs were indeed real. Why? Some gave the reason that the organization had a running website and they appeared to follow up on applications.

However, the organization and the jobs have already been labeled a hoax and the people behind it have been arrested.

Why Do Job Seekers Keep Falling Prey To Job Scams?

In an interview with Citizen TV, Perminus Wainaina, a Recruitment Consultant and CEO at Corporate Staffing Services says Kenyans are becoming more and more desperate to get jobs, which becomes a base for these job scams and professions with the large numbers are even more affected.

“Scammers will go for professions with a lot of job seekers, such as NGOs, Admin and Accounts because they know they will capitalize on the numbers.

They will also use the same channels genuine recruitment firms and companies use to advertise jobs, that is newspapers, websites and social media pages so job seekers need to be very careful, says Perminus, also noting that churches are another platform that job scams will be propagated to reach a large number of job seekers.

Kenyans have also developed and adopted the culture that you have to pay a certain amount of money or have to know someone to get a job, which has also contributed to the increased number of job scams in the market.

So, what can job seekers look out for to identify job scams?

1. Job scams will always ask for money

If you come across a job advert or after making an application you are asked to part with a certain amount of money, however little, know that that is an outright scam. No genuine company or recruitment firm should ask for money from the job seeker so they can hire you or get you insurance cover or have a badge ready for you, all this should be on the employer’s budget.

2. If the deal is too good to be true, be wary

Sometimes you will find a job opening that is promising to offer a large salary package, yet requirements are zero experience. If you come across this, do not be quick to make applications without confirming how genuine it is, chances are it’s among job scams.

“If someone is calling you for an internship and are telling you the internship will pay KSh 75,000, that is definitely not realistic”.

3. Take note of the source

While job scams will be advertised on the same channels that real jobs will, there are some sources that should raise eyebrows. To be on the safe side here, always confirm with the hiring company or identify the genuine recruitment firms in Kenya and consult them whenever you have a doubt about a certain job. More often than not, they will take the initiative to investigate and let you know.

4. Always use Google in your job search

If you come across a job that looks suspicious and are not sure how to proceed, maybe because you don’t have contacts, always Google the company and the job to see what people are saying about it.

The SSASP jobs had been trending for almost a month on the internet before it became a national concern, with job seekers raising questions if they are real or not. If someone is asking questions, more often than not they are job scams and you can avoid being a victim.

While it may be frustrating that you are not finding opportunities or your applications are not bearing any fruit, don’t choose to go the easy way out. If someone is asking you for money promising to give you a job, something is definitely wrong.

Consult with genuine recruitment firms on the issues you are having in your job search and what you can do to better your chances for jobs. Stay vigilant and avoid being a victim of job scams.

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