Job scam: I learnt the hard way

By Ivy Chibanda

I never saw myself being a victim of job scams, well, I thought I was too clever. I would think, ‘how wouldn’t you know that this is a scam.’ Well, I proved myself wrong when a few days ago, I became a victim.

Like any other unemployed person who is in desperate need of a job, every few hours, I check the job sites, and try my luck by applying for as many jobs as possible, even those I know I am not qualified for.

One day, I saw a vacancy for a loan clerk trainee, there weren’t much specifications and I decided to try my luck, I told  myself since I would be a trainee, they would teach me whatever it was that needed to be done, so I applied.

Two weeks later, on this particular Saturday, while on my way to town, a day after our new President’s inauguration and just a few hours after I had been to an all night prayer, I received a text that read, ” ..you are wanted for work check your email and phone urgently..” (sic). My heart leapt with joy! Indeed it was the dawn of a new era and God had heard my prayers. I didn’t have data and I quickly looked for a Netone agent so I could buy my one fusion card. I quickly recharged my phone and checked my mail. It was the Loan Clerk Trainee job! I couldn’t believe it.

The email said management had decided to take me up for the job and it had some information about the company. It was a lot to comprehend. When I was reading the mail…. there was a part that read “Please urgently text your current address to 0737774614 and express your willingness to join us by sending your induction listing fee of 9 dollars. Please call or text 0778667353 talk to Eddie who will list your name as you have to complete an agreement form on email soon after sending your listing payment, after which we will send important employment documents to you by swift delivery services.” Ahh, at that point I began to doubt the authenticity of this job. But then I really needed the job so I waited for my friend and asked for his opinion, he said it was worth risking because it could be true.

I called them back and the Eddy guy instructed me to send $9 via ecocash immediately so that he could send the documents before 1pm so that I would receive them Monday morning and immediately start training. I sent the money, thereafter I received another email which had a form that I had to fill in and I had to choose the country I would like to work from after 3 months among, Dubai, Poland, Cyprus, Ukraine, Kenya, Canada and United Kingdom, lol! The other part of the email instructed me to scan back the application form after a payment of 27 dollars, that’s when I realized I had been duped.

This Eddy guy had told me the 9 dollars was refundable so the following day I called him and asked for my money back then he told me to phone later as he was in church. I phoned later and he told me to call again on a Monday when the ‘bosses’ would be around. Monday came, and I called again and he gave me another number. I then received an email which had 69 other people who had been copied instructed to call for a refund. I wasn’t the only victim.

Thank God for One fusion! I called the number and spoke to a man whom I explained to I was no longer interested and I couldn’t pay the 27 dollars, I didn’t have that kind of money. He then seemed to be sympathetic and he offered to pay 24 dollars for me and begged me to send just 3 dollars so that I could continue with the program, I told him I was no longer interested and he told me he would call again. Ladies and gentlemen, up to now he hasn’t called.

I know most of you will call me dumb, just as I thought about other people who had been scammed, but desperation is what causes this. Maybe it will end in this new era or it could actually get worse where people will believe all of a sudden jobs will be readily available because of the new government. Be warned fellow countrymen, there are people out there busy scheming new ways to get your money. My dad then told me, anyone who wants to employ you will ever ask for money from you, that’s a lesson I have learnt and thought of sharing with you.