The Covid-19 pandemic has seen numerous Kenyans lose their sources of income in one way or another; with lay-offs, redundancies, business closures and wage cuts being the order of the day.
This has left many Kenyans engaged in job searches as they look to provide for themselves and their families.
Pouncing on an opportunity, fraudsters have managed to swindle several job-seekers through elaborate schemes disguised as legitimate job opportunities.
One scam that has gained notoriety in recent weeks has seen Kenyans part with various sums for non-existent Covid-19 tests after being invited to supposed job interviews.
The scam begins with what appears to be normal job advertisements posted on reputable career websites and job forums, welcoming interested applicants.
Job-seekers are congratulated soon after applying and notified that they have qualified for the next stage, a physical job interview. An e-mail seen by Kenyans.co.ke informed the applicants that they would be interviewed at a high-end city hotel on a particular date.
They were, however, also informed that they were required to part with Ksh500 to facilitate sample collection for a mandatory Covid-19 test, claiming they had partnered with a leading hospital to undertake the tests. Applicants were urged to send the cash via mobile money ahead of the interview.
It is important to note that the average cost of Covid-19 testing at private health facilities in Kenya runs well into the thousands, casting doubts on the supposed Ksh500 tests for job-seekers.
In the professionally crafted message to unsuspecting job seekers, the fraudsters further informed applicants that if they passed the interview, they would be hired regardless of their test results as the organization would cater for their treatment.
While fraudsters have gotten creative with new scams amidst a global pandemic, job scams in the country are nothing new.
A key trend in many job scams in the country, however, is that applicants are asked to part with certain amounts of money. Genuine firms and recruitment companies rarely ask applicants to part with any fees, however little, before being given the job.
Collins, a freelance writer based in Nairobi, told Kenyans.co.ke how he fell victim to one such scam.
"I saw an ad on one of the job sites so I applied and they called me two days later. They said they liked my CV and invited me to their offices the next week.
"But I was also asked to send Ksh1,500 for them to be able to make my badge and make arrangements for insurance cover. Once I sent the money they blocked me and I later found out that their offices don't exist at the building they told me," he stated.
A common red flag for job scams in Kenya is adverts promising high salary packages while requiring little to no experience.
Fraudsters also tend to target fields perceived to have a lot of job-seekers, such as Administration, Accounts and Finance.
In some cases, job-seekers receive offers via phone or e-mail without interviews after applying for various jobs. Genuine organizations rarely hire solely off the strength of applicants' resumes. In many cases where applicants are offered jobs without being interviewed, they are being swindled.
To avoid falling victim to such scams, it is important to undertake proper research using tools at your disposal before applying for any opportunity.
A quick google search can help you realize that the supposed hiring organization is non-existent. Other pointers include being able to identify discrepancies such as personal emails being used to send corporate messages. Many organizations have their own email domains as opposed to run-of-the-mill Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail accounts.
