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Beware of US army recruitment scam on Facebook

An amateur-looking website titled “USA ARMY RECRIUTMENT PROGRAMME 2022” has been shared widely on Facebook.

A long Facebook post with a link to the website reads: “Online Applications Now Open Forieghners/Africans. USA Army has released Application Forms and Successful applicants will start training next month.”

The site’s home page shows a photo of soldiers.

“The United State Of America Army has set up a programme for Youthful Foreigners to serve for a two-year trainership programme because of its Military Skills Development Programme. This Programme will cover Meals and accommodation,” it reads.

“Applicants will also be paid allowance for their practical work., all the more explicitly jobless matriculants. The Rising unemployment and the COVID-19 pandemic are all impacting the ability of Youths to find work,” it adds.

It says applicants will be paid a monthly stipend of US$8,000 to $20,000.

People are invited to fill out a form to apply.

But is the recruitment and the site legit? 

Recruitment_Scam

Engagement bait scam

Facebook posts advertising the site, and the site itself, are full of grammatical errors. This is often a sign that you are dealing with a scam.

Once the application form has been filled in, the website instructs users to share it with 15 contacts or five groups on WhatsApp. This is also common with scams.

And at the end of the process, users are told they have been approved to join a South African traineeship programme, not the US army.

This is an engagement bait scam, where people are asked to interact by liking, commenting or sharing. The more people interact with a post, the greater its reach. There is usually no reward for that.

It may also be an attempt to steal valuable personal information.

Africa Check has previously debunked similar scams. To protect yourself against online fraudsters, read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.

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