A Facebook page called “Government Jobs Application Page” has shared a number of adverts for jobs at different South African government departments, such as home affairs, correctional services and the South African Police Service.
The page has over 700,000 followers. But none of these people will find a job through it – the page is a scam.
Facebook transparency records show that the page was created in August 2015 and was originally called “Government Jobs, Learnership, Internships & Bursaries SA”. Its name has changed a number of times over the years.
Although the page uses South Africa’s national coat of arms as a profile picture, it includes no links to any of the government’s official social media pages or websites.
Each post includes a link Facebook users can supposedly use to apply for a job. But the link does not take you to an official employment portal or government website. Instead, you are taken to a basic-looking website called NEWS95.CO.ZA.
There is no real way to apply for a job from here. The site is filled with colourful banners and pop-up ads. It is likely that the website owner is earning money from this. Read our in-depth investigation into how this works here.
Some posts also ask Facebook users to comment “YES” to express their interest in a job or to say which of South Africa’s nine provinces they live in.
These are examples of engagement bait – asking users to like, comment and share content on social media. The more people that do this, the further the content spreads.
If you’re asked to share or comment on a job ad before you can be considered for employment, it is a red flag that the ad is fake. – Africa Check
The page has over 700,000 followers. But none of these people will find a job through it – the page is a scam.
No links to official government pages
Facebook transparency records show that the page was created in August 2015 and was originally called “Government Jobs, Learnership, Internships & Bursaries SA”. Its name has changed a number of times over the years.
Although the page uses South Africa’s national coat of arms as a profile picture, it includes no links to any of the government’s official social media pages or websites.
Engagement bait
Each post includes a link Facebook users can supposedly use to apply for a job. But the link does not take you to an official employment portal or government website. Instead, you are taken to a basic-looking website called NEWS95.CO.ZA.
There is no real way to apply for a job from here. The site is filled with colourful banners and pop-up ads. It is likely that the website owner is earning money from this. Read our in-depth investigation into how this works here.
Some posts also ask Facebook users to comment “YES” to express their interest in a job or to say which of South Africa’s nine provinces they live in.
These are examples of engagement bait – asking users to like, comment and share content on social media. The more people that do this, the further the content spreads.
If you’re asked to share or comment on a job ad before you can be considered for employment, it is a red flag that the ad is fake. – Africa Check
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