Authorities and employers warn school leavers to verify job opportunities after fake ads spread on TikTok. Picture Credit: Linkedin
By Aisha Zardad
South Africa – Job seekers — particularly school leavers — have been warned against responding to job advertisements circulating on social media platforms like TikTok, after authorities said many of the posts are fraudulent and could lead to financial loss or identity theft.
The alert came from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and Eskom, which have both stated that several job promotions on TikTok claiming to offer positions with organisations such as JMPD, South African Airways (SAA), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Eskom and Transnet are fake. These posts often show people in uniforms affiliated with these entities appearing to encourage applications.
One TikTok promotion displayed what appeared to be JMPD officers and a vehicle, with a woman in a JMPD uniform urging job seekers to apply for assistant training posts in 2026 and asserting, “This year, all of us are going to be employed.” However, JMPD spokesman Superintendent Xolani Fihla said in a January 15 statement that the advertisement is a scam, emphasising that “the JMPD wishes to state categorically that this advertisement is a scam.” He stressed that the department does not have any open vacancies or training intakes for 2026 at this time and that legitimate vacancies are only posted on the official City of Johannesburg website.
Fihla cautioned that the scammers often seek to harvest personal information or to extort money by directing applicants to download application forms or submit details via platforms such as WhatsApp — sometimes making it impossible to access actual forms. He urged members of the public not to click on suspicious links or provide personal documents to unverified sources.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena echoed this warning, clarifying that Eskom does not advertise careers or learnership opportunities on TikTok and urging the public to verify all opportunities through the company’s official careers portal.
The Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation also warned that some fraudulent recruiters may ask for registration, training or background check fees before allowing job seekers to apply — a practice not used by legitimate employers. It emphasised that legitimate employers never charge applicants to be considered for jobs, and cautioned against sharing copies of IDs, bank statements or passwords with unverified sources.
Authorities urged anyone who believes they have been targeted or victimised by these scams to report the matter to law enforcement or the Anti-Fraud Hotline.
