The Kenya Railways Corporation has flagged as fake a job advertisement notice that alleged that the corporation was offering over 450 job opportunities.
In a public notice on Monday, December 29, the corporation confirmed that no jobs are available at the moment, as it warned Kenyans against falling for what was a clear fraud scheme.
Members of the public have since been urged to disregard a letter doing the rounds on social media, which highlights several jobs up for grabs.
"We wish to alert members of the public about a fake job advertisement doing the rounds on various social media platforms. We strongly advise job seekers to be cautious and verify any job adverts through our website," the notice read.
The fake letter contained all the markings of a legitimate notice, including the Kenya Railways logo and a suspicious email address.
Among the jobs advertised in the fake posting were Sales and marketing managers, passenger service managers, record keepers, Data entry clerks, cleaners, drivers, receptionists, store managers, and legal service managers.
But in a rejoinder, the corporation clarified that job openings are only advertised through its official website or a published Gazette notice.
In the recent past, there has been an increase in fraudsters impersonating government agencies and corporations to defraud the public.
Just last month, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) warned the public against a fake job offer letter that was circulating under the agency's name.
In a statement on Wednesday, November 18, the board said that anyone who received the letter should report to the police or to the board.
One of the most obvious indicators of a fake posting is the presence of grammatical errors within the memo or advertisement. Typically, official statements from state agencies undergo rigorous vetting across various departments, making errors highly unlikely. Memos with glaring mistakes are, therefore, most likely to originate from unreliable sources.
Another key indicator is the use of unofficial language in the text, especially in matters involving the state.
Memos and circulars that are rigged with informal lingo are more likely to be fake since the state announcements take a specific language that is likely to appeal to everyone.
Further, Fake job adverts tend to have emails comprised of a personal domain, not a corporate one.
