*WARNING* BestJobs.co.za is a breeding ground for identity thieves
by Stii
They may have the best jobs in South Africa, but you’ll be without your identity and a whole pile of crap richer if you respond to some of the jobs advertised on there!
A friend of mine in the recruitment business notified me of this scam running on there. He has tried in absolute vain to get BestJobs.co.za involved and to stop it, but they simply ignored his requests and they are unreachable by phone.
Here is what happens:
You see a jobs advertised by the scammer.
You apply for the job and an email are sent to the “recruiter” who advertised the job. Only the recruiter is a scammer and not a recruiter at all…
You receive 2 emails back immediately after your email reached theirs. These two emails are auto-responders.
The one is from a company called Mustangs:
Hello Name Surname,
We received a response from you regarding an advertised, vacant position.
We now need your full detailed CV, a copy of your ID document, reference letters, any certificates or documents that may verify your education as well as an introduction letter from yourself.
Please forward this to us at Fax: 0866591800
Try your best to forward this info to us, as soon as possible, because we will only be able to process your application after receipt of this information.
We look forward to hear from you, as soon as possible.
A very pleasant day to you, and..
Regards
From your Recruitment Team at
M u s t a n g s
Then you receive another from Aggies Recruitment Services:
From: hrrecruiting@aggies.com [mailto:hrrecruiting@aggies.com]
Sent: 10 January 2009 01:20 AM
To: Name Surname
Subject: Your application for vacant positionDear Jobseeker: Name Surname,
We have received a response from you regarding a vacant position that was advertised.
We want to thank you for this response!
We would like to process your application, but however need the documents, mentioned below, to enable us to do so.
Please send your CV, a good copy of your ID, as well as any other documents, such as certificates and / or reference letters, that can support your application.
On receipt of this documentation we will process your application.
If you are chosen as a shortlist candidate, our office will immediately inform you.We now await your documents at fax: 0866591791
Try your best to forward it within the next 2 days.
Very kind regards
Lucinda
Aggies Recruiting Service
So what happens is unsuspecting job seekers send them all this sensitive personal information, but never hear from them again. Ever. They now have a copy of your ID, know basically everything about you from your CV and have the perfect setup to run scams with your identity.
If you look closely at the second email, you will see it is sent from a domain called aggies.com. Therefore the name Aggies Recruitment Service. However if you go to aggies.com, you would find that it is just another free email account service. It does make the company Aggies Recruitment Service look legit in a way.
The sad thing is that BestJobs.co.za are not prepared to even respond to warnings about these scammers. They choose to ignore it. So let this be a warning to all job seekers:
Ahhh, that makes perfect sense! Go figure. So tell us, which domains and what company?
HI All
I have received four e-mails in the last four days from the following “agencies” all with a very similar message.
ORBIT Personnel
Entry HR Services
Recruitment Services (jobnetreponse@gmail.com)
Easy-Go Recruitment Services (directjobsresponses@gmail.com)
I am in Cape Town.
@Spud,
Same here, I ignored the initial e-mails I received on my old e-mail address which I do not even use on my resume.
This week alone, I received e-mails from the following:
United Appointments
The Work Network
H R Partners
Orbit Personnel
Entry HR
Hardwork Appointments
Careermagic
Jobsearch Direct
@ Danita
I quickly scanned the blog for the domains mentioned and did some detective work.
I.t.o the domains mentioned in Rudi’s post (10 Feb 2011)I was quite surprised that they had all disappeared (cancelled) and are now up to be re-allocated. In fact, a few had already been re-allocated on 13/2/2011. Would this be a coincidence, or did the scammer got wind of him being checked out and pro-actively wiped his trail? Hopefully someone very clever was the scammer one step ahead and made Print Screens.
I.t.o the fake recruiter domains – if you scan the job discussion forums, you will notice that quite a number of people had been scammed by one or more of these “recruiters”. All of them can’t be such idiots as to fake these experiences, can they?
I.t.o the domains mentioned in Jeanette’s post (16 Feb 2011)I learned that Webmail International (Pty) Ltd is an ISP, but also a supplier of free e-mail domains. These free e-mail domains are:
@thecricket; @exclusivemail; @executivemail; @homemail; @magicmail; @mailbox; @ravemail; @starmail; @thegolf; @thepub; @therugby; @websurfer and @workmail. Anyone can obtain one or more, or all of these free e-mail domains. Which means, a scammer can rotate between these domains and never be caught! For e.g. if he chooses to use the @homemail, he can change the name infront quite frequently. Today he may be valerie@homemail and tomorrow he can be cvlibrary@homemail. The options are endless – by changing the e-mail domain and changing the name infront.
So it is not the provider of the free e-mail domains, in this case, Webmail which is being implicated, or named and shamed, but the registrant (user) of the free e-mail domains.
Not all users of free e-mail addresses are scammers, but when you notice a trend of jobs listed by the same poster, using the same free e-mail addresses or the same 086- fax number, you have the right to be suspicious, because you may be dealing with a job scammer! And that I have ample proof of. Why would a recruitment agency with hundreds of job listings use a free e-mail domain and not have their own website with contact detail and links to their vacancies?
The last domain I noticed, is iface.co.za (Interface Media)which is a legit and reputable domain. But a scammer may use this domain for his fraudulant activities. So once again, it is not the company which owns the domain, but the user of that domain.
@ Jean – Great investigative work, thanks.
I believe the pressure needs to be put on the providers of the 0866 fax to email companies. They should be forced to take responsibility for running an ethical service.
I have no problem with the service, I have a problem when desperate candidates are taken advantage of by people misusing their service. I spent hours trying to report these numbers to the fax-to-email service provider, but they are making money from the service so really don’t want to know about it.
Danita Gannet and John Carrew sound like they are part of this scam to me.
Come on Danita! To quote you: “Stop hiding. Stop being anonymous.” Practice a little of what you preach! Tell us the domains and the company.
Just proof, I was right. Total idiots!! I worked for Webmail. Don’t anymore, but can’t stand it when people just talk a lot of rubbish and slander others.
Danita, in fact, you are slandering the IDIOTS using this blog. But no offence taken, as I really can’t understand your ridiculous attack. Like one of the posters explained – it is not the Company owning the free-email addresses, for example WEBMAIL, the Company you worked for, that is being implicated, but the USERS or REGISTRANTS of these addresses. Scammers hide behind free e-mail addresses because they can’t be traced easily and / or are being protected by the distribution Company’s privacy policy.
Now that you admitted working for Webmail, could you perhaps tell us how you ended up reading this blog?
I bet the scammers roam blogs and job discussion sections for info – people complain or report scammers and if they see what people are warned about, they can change their MO.
Danita, this idiot wants to know what exactly you are referring to as being rubbish. Maybe then we can understand your fury.
So the job scammer is still doing his thing. After Gumtree has successfully stopped him, as well as JobVine, he is now active on OLX, Jobisjob and some other free classifieds.
I’ve been reading this blog since I was scammed by this person too many times. Luckily I never sent off any docs, because it didn’t make sense to me to fax stuff which would eventually end up in the recipient’s inbox, same as an e-mail. Many of the scammer’s ads clearly state that, “for uniformity” only faxed docs will be accepted.
As per Rudi’s post above, the scammer used all the mentioned e-mail addresses to post his non-existent jobs every day. He alternated between the various addresses and 086 fax numbers. Since people started reporting his fraudulant ads, he subsequently got blocked and his ads removed. That explains why he cancelled all those domains and switched to using the free e-mails distributed by Webmail. His identity is being protected by Webmail, but what if a registrant is involved in fraudulant activities, such as job scams?
Danita, if you still don’t believe that we have proof of the scammer using the e-mail domains as listed by one of the posters above, I have news for you. I DO HAVE PROOF. For the last two weeks I’ve been noticing ads posted by @websurfer.co.za, @ravemail.co.za and @webmail.co.za and a couple more. I asked some of my friends to “apply” for the various jobs listed on OLX, all from different locations. We didn’t send off our CV’s and docs, but asked some questions pertaining to a particular job. At the end of the day we compared notes and we all got the same response.
I sent an enquiry for one job only, using the @ravemail.co.za address. I received 3 responses, from the “Recruiters” listed below:
Prime Appointments
primeappointments1@gmail.com
Fax 0865909734
Laboursolutions Recruitment Services
directjobresponses@gmail.com
Fax 0865923093
Dynamic Recruitment Services
jobnetresponse@gmail.com
Fax 0865611122
If this is not enough proof that we are dealing with the same scammer through all these years. He justs changes his modus operandi everytime his seat gets too hot for him.
And people are still falling for this and he is laughing all the way to the bank, because with a little work on his side everyday, innocent job seekers are filling his pockets!
The ONLY way that he will be stopped, is if we could figure out a way of catching him, or if job seekers stop faxing documents to an 086-number! If a person posts a job ad, he has an e-mail address where CV’s can be forwarded to.
@Stii
Maybe you should change the title of this thread to: OLX and other free job platforms a breeding ground for scammers.
I did a test and responded to a couple of jobs listed on OLX. The following e-mail addresses are currently used and following all the posts on this blog, these addresses belong to the same scammer who had been around for some time. The same MO of spamming my Inbox with 4 different e-mails from “Recruiters”, asking me to fax my CV to their 086-fax number. Even the fax numbers and the Recruiters’ names as mentioned by most of the posters above, are still the same! He is so confident that he will never be caught, that some of his info remained the same. He is clever in wiping his tracks by moving from one free-email distibutor to another, but not all people are stupid. All the warnings posted on the various job forums, resulted in job seekers being more cautious and google fax numbers and e-mail addresses before they send off their documents.
The scammer is alternating between the following at the moment. I bet he will now change the name infront of the domain, but at least people will be more careful when they notice one of the following domains:
connectstaff@thegolf.co.za
generalemployment@therugby.co.za
controlcv@exclusivemail.co.za
surecv@thecricket.co.za
cvassistant@magicmail.co.za
vacancytester@websurfer.co.za
textcv@webmail.co.za
I found that the e-mail addy’s listed below, belong to the same scammer, since he switched to another company offering free e-mail addresses.
I tested a few while my husband tested some others. His way of doing things is still the same – sending out e-mails from fake recruiters with only the 086 number to use in forwarding a CV and other documents. He is so confident in his operations that he doesn’t even bother to come up with new “Recruiter” names. Just every now and then he adds a new one, e.g. DYNAMIC RECRUITMENT SERVICES, jobnetresponse@gmail.com, Fax 0865611122.
Job seekers, please be more vigilant and REPORT the ads which you experience as fraudulant,to the Support team of the particular job platform. Please also warn others about this on job discussion forums or blogs. Gumtree offers a wonderful forum where job related issues, such as job scamming is being discussed / reported.
connectstaff@thegolf.co.za
generalemployment@therugby.co.za
controlcv@exclusivemail.co.za
surecv@thecricket.co.za
cvassistant@magicmail.co.za
vacancytester@websurfer.co.za
textcv@webmail.co.za
Prime Appointments – primeappointments81@gmail.com,
Y2Work Recruiters – yworkrecruiters@gmail.com,
SOUTH RECRUITERS – southrecruiters99@gmail.com,
Go-direct Recruitment Services – directjobsresponses@gmail.com,
RECRUITMENT SERVICES- jobnetresponse@gmail.com.
Here are a couple of others that looks very suspicious. Same detials asked as above 12 FEB 2009
Wow too little too late I guess… I have sent my cv and copies of my ID to these “companies” (don’t know if they were good copies but hey there were copies non the less). I recently got an email from one of them requesting a head and shoulders photo of myself and that’s why I went to google the company and then stumbled on this site. Now how do I find out if I am married to a foreigner or have any extra debt I didn’t make?
Hi there.
Thanx a lot for your information. I’ve sent my cv and foto to southernrecruiters@gmail.com but received 3 emails saying that I must fax copies of of qualifications. I then googled to find more info about them before faxing, this is what I get from you guys. Hope nothing happens from now becaise the cv I’ve sent has my ID number on it. But I know God is there to protect us. We need job and they take an adventage from that.
Thanx again for your information about these scamers. I which everyone could search first before applying to any advertised post.
YOU OPENED MY EYES AND THANX AGAIN AND AGAIN, MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL THERE!!! *MWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*
HOw long can a scam like this go on? I am also jobhunting and according to my email, at 4am this morning, I got three emails from different “companies” requesting I fax them CV and “supporting documents” to 086 numbers. The companies are Laboursolutions recruitment services (0865923093), Dynamic Recruitment services (0865611122) and Yellow Jackets recruiting service (0866591791) – yellow jackets email was signed Linda. I am posting the names and numebrs so that any other unsuspecting applicants who google these “companies” may come across this before its too late!
Thanks for the heads up, I was actually just off to fax my CV and that when I came across this site.
I received replies from the same three ‘companies’ as another idiot from March 30, 2011 @ 7:44 am and almost ruined someone’s life by helping them find a job. I’ve noticed the address ‘tswanehrsolutions@gmail.com’ has been added.
Hi Everybody.
I am employed by a totally legitimate employment agency. We also, use free 086 fax numbers and no not publicly advertise any e-mail address. This is because we use a “fax receive server” with various 086 numbers to monitor the amount of CV’s we receive and which CV’s need to be allocated to which positions. Personally, I receive over 2500 CV’s every month and our company is receiving huge amounts per month. We go through every single CV in detail and place many of the candidates in good positions.
I have read through almost all of the previous comments and am now wondering, through this previous “scam” how many people are sceptical of sending their CV’s to our company and how much business are we losing because of this. I really don’t think that this was a scam at all – very often we do not get back to people that have sent their CV’s to us, mostly because they submitted their CV after the position had been filled or they are not “good enough” for the position.
No matter what free or account job portal is being used, you get huge feedback from any job opprtunity, I really doubt that a “scammer” who I’m sure is not very well educated, has got the resources, social networks, or time, to print and sell your ID’s and other documents (ie: I’m sure over 2500 of them per month) and I also highly doubt that any police station, financial institute, or department of home affairs will ever accept a faxed copy (no matter how clear) of an ID as proof of ID. I recently registered with Unisa, and even to study through Unisa you need origanl CERTIFIED copies of your ID and educational qualifications.
I don’t think anybody that has been “scammed” has to worry about getting married to a foreigner or anything like that. That is only the result of lost or stolen gree barcoded ID books.
@ Trevor
We are not arguing legit recruitment companies, placing job ads for existing vacancies. If you read the full blog, you will notice the same trend. This person (scammer) is not a legit recruiter, nor does he respond to any queries on the particular ad. The minute he gets hold of your e-mail address, he spams you with e-mails from all different fake recruiters with their own 086-fax number. It is clear that his only objective is to get the income generating from being a reseller of 086 numbers.
You mentioned that you don’t publicly advertise your e-mail address – do you at least have a website which reflects your company’s detail, or is the 086 number the ONLY info that job seekers deal with when applying for a job placed by you?
Legit recruitment companies don’t have to worry about “losing business” as a result of job seekers becoming more aware of possible scams, because they will enquire or read up about the company first and if the recruitment company does exist, they will send off their info, irrespective of the 086 fax number.
The bottom line is, that it is unfair to expect from job seekers to fax off their docs to the 086 number which is considerably higher in costs, ONLY to put money in a scammer’s pockets where there is NO REAL JOB involved!
I’m sorry to say this… Why are you covering the scammers?
i was scammed once at Home Choice(i’m not scared to mention Home Choice since they were not friendly during my investigation).
When i investigate, i found that you can open an accoount with them by posting information they need. Information like Certified copy of ID, your employer’s full details, your residential address or Postal and a ref of someone who know you.
All this personal information is morethan enough to get you in danger.
Thanks a lot for that warning,you know one never thinks of such things espescially when unemployed.Thank you again for the warning atleast now I’m aware of these scams.
Hi All…
I am so glad glad for the warning, THANK YOU! Below is anther so-called agency TO BE AVOIDED… This is what their e-mail looks like.
Thanks again!!!
Yellow-Jackets Recruiting Service to me
show details May 13 (3 days ago)
Dear Lora Jansen,
We have received a response from you regarding a vacant position that was advertised.
We want to thank you for this response!
We would like to process your application, but however need the documents, mentioned below, to enable us to do so.
Please send your CV as well as any other documents, such as certificates and / or reference letters that can support your application.
Please do not forward your ID document to us.
Only if your application is successful your new employer may request your ID document directly.
On receipt of this documentation we will process your application.
If you are chosen as a shortlist candidate, our office will immediately inform you.
We now await your documents at fax: 0866591791
Try your best to forward it within the next 2 days.
Very kind regards
Linda
Yellow-Jackets Recruiting Service
What I find interesting is that this WARNING was posted in February 2009… Theses scammers are still getting away with this… It sounds to me that they use a similar method of gaining money from unsuspecting applicants as they do for entering sms competitions for example. The competition holders make up to 50% of the cost of the sms you send to enter – imagine how much is to be made from all these job applicants… It’s big business these days – easy business. I guess we have to be extremely alert and discerning about everything with todays technology out there…. If you have a hunch or any doubt at all, stay away. Research these companies; go to the websites of the recruitment agency or the company advertising the position, call the number, ask if the particular position you’re applying for is actually available. If you get stuck finding the answers you need why waste your time wondering if they’re legit or not? Give out the least personal information you can and remember no company should ask you for ANYTHING that makes you feel uncomfortable. If they’re an upstanding, legitimate business, they should already have that kind of etiquette. Last thought… these reply e-mails don’t at all refer to the position you’re applying to – isn’t that a tad strange too?
Best wishes to all the job hunters, may success be yours! Lora
Prime Appointments – primeappointments81@gmail.com,
Y2Work Recruiters – yworkrecruiters@gmail.com,
SOUTH RECRUITERS – southrecruiters99@gmail.com,
Go-direct Recruitment Services – directjobsresponses@gmail.com,
RECRUITMENT SERVICES- jobnetresponse@gmail.com.
Here are a couple of others that looks very suspicious. Same detials asked as above 12 FEB 2009
I am SO glad I investigated before doing anything. Actually, I was quite annoyed when I got 3 emails in one day requesting all my personal info. I thought if it is such a run around just to apply how will the rest of the process be. Thank goodness I didn’t send any info.
What ticks me off is that I get at least 2 or 3 emails from some of the above addresses every day.
After reading all your replies I have come to realise asking them to remove my details from their database won’t help.
These people should really be shot. Jobseekers are often desperate and will go to any lengths to apply for jobs only to have their lives stolen.
Good luck to all the job hunters out there. I trust that you will be successful!
They are now USHAKA PERSONNEL on JobSpace. Using the same fax numbers!!!
i have spent R246 already.damn these people how can then take advantage of us like that.anyway its okay now that i know it just wont be happening again.
Thanks guys for sharing all that info. I recently applied for only one post as a Project Manager, and guess what? I was replied to fax my docs by three different Recruiters! These guys must burn in hell!!! Thank you guys and i have not faxed my docs
They are using the following names: Prime appointments, Y2work Recruiters, South Recruiters and oh!! just recieved the fourth one, Universal Appointments
Thanx a lot 4 ur information/warnings: I applied for one Post but I received response from different Recruiters with 086 numbers: Documents expected from you are the same :
ID copy,CV,photo & educational qualifications only 2b send via Fax.
Prime Appointments – 0865909734
Progressive Job Solutions – 0866920608
South Recruiters – 0865909046
Y2work Recruiters – 0865909555
Go-direct Recruiters – 0865923093
Recruitment Services – 086511122
thanks a lot about this informantion, I was about to apply, but i decided to google :
Prime Appointments – 0865909734
Progressive Job Solutions – 0866920608
South Recruiters – 0865909046
Y2work Recruiters – 0865909555
Go-direct Recruiters – 0865923093
Recruitment Services – 086511122
and others , so i am really scared .
Ok my weekend I kept on getting this emails. When I got the 1st one I ws happy n thot ok I’ll do it later but then when the rest of them came the whole entire weekend that’s when I started suspecting that something is wrong. So I google and stumbled on this blog.
Well I wii confirm this fake sites too
1.Prime recruiters
2.Universal recruiters
3.South recruiters
4.Progressive recruiters
5.Y2work recruiters
This is very sad that we look for jobs with broken hearts then we stumble across such misfortunes.
Good luck to everyone
Let’s spread the word!
Hi guys, i received this email;
“Dear Applicant
To formally apply for the vacant position you are interested in,
please send an intro-letter clearly stating the vacancy you are
applying for, to fax: 0865909734
Please also attached the following documents to your introduction letter.
1) Detailed full CV
2) All relevant supporting documents, such as reference letters and
documentation confirming your education.
3) Head and shoulders photo of yourself
Please keep in mind that we receive sometimes hundreds of applications
per vacancy, and therefore it is practically only possible to
correspond with applicants that are chosen as shortlist candidates.
So if you do not get a response from us within 15 business days, after
sending in your fax, please assume that your application was
unfortunately not successfull this time.
However please feel welcome to apply for as many vacancies, as you may want to.
We wish you a pleasant day and hope that you will find your ideal
position, very soon.
Your PRIME team at:
Prime Appointments”
The email address it came from is primeappointments81@gmail.com.
This sure seems pretty suspicious!!
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for responding to our advertised vacancy.
To apply please forward your application to our fax: 0865923093
Please send your full detailed CV, a photo of yourself, and all
relevant supporting documents you have in your possession.
When we receive the requested information your application will be
entered into the screening process and will, as soon as possible, be
personally reviewed by a Recruitment team member.
As you will no doubt appreciate, we receive a very high volume of CVs
from candidates every day. If your profile meets our current
requirements, we will contact you to start the interview process.
If you however do not hear from us within the next 3 to 4 weeks,
please assume that your application has unfortunately not been
successful on this occasion.
We appreciate your patience and thank you for your interest in our services.
Kind regards,
Go-direct Recruitment Services
hey thanks for the heads up i received the exact same email,phew!!!!!my gudness thank you!!!!
This is is the second one I am receiving today…..
Dear Applicant
Earlier today I’ve received a forwarded email response from you
relating to a vacancy that was recently advertised via one of our
affiliated Human Resource Network Partner Companies.
In order to apply for this vacancy please forward the following
documents, at your earliest convenience, to me:
1. Intro letter (maximum 3 pages)
2. Detailed CV
3. Supporting documents and certificates
Because we are aware that not everybody has access to scan facilities
we request that you fax all the requested documentation, in one batch,
to us at fax number: 0866920608
On receipt of the required documentation, we will enter your
information into our database to allow you to be considered for the
vacancy.
Please be aware that the mere applying for a position does not
quarantee success, and please understand that if you do not hear from
us within 2 weeks after applying, that you unfortunately were not
considered as a shortlist candidate for this vacancy.
Better luck next time, because remember there is work out there for all of us!
Awaiting your application.
Yours truly,
Susan Dreyer
Progressive Job Solutions
Thank you all for this warning.I’ve applied to a post on the jobspace website and received 5 follow up e-mails requesting me to fax my CV,supporting document and a photo of myself to different 086 numbers. I found this odd s I was receiving mails at 11PM at night.Therfore decided to google on off the names of the recruitment companies the mail came from and came accross this site.Thanks for this info saved me from faxing my cv through.
Here’s a list of addresses I got mailed from
Go direct recriutments
Recruitment services
Y2Work Recruiters
Universal Appointments
I applied for a job on bestjobs.co.za and got replies from:
prime appointments -0865909734
y2work recruiters-0865909555
universal appointments-0866915016
south recruiters-0865909046
recruitment services-0865611122
go direct recruitment services-0865923093
i unfortunately sent my cv to recruitment services.
ALL THE AGENCIES LISTED ABOVE WHEN YOU READ THIS, MAY U HAVE ALL THE BAD LUCK IN THE WORLD AND BURN IN HELL(U DESERVE IT)-WE ARE HONEST PEOPLE MAKING AN HONEST LIVING, THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL PROGRESS IN LIFE IS TO WORK AND EARN YOUR LIVING
OMW!!! i faxed my doc yesterday.. I hope they burn in hell for this
Having been the victim of this scammer myself, I chatted to a friend of mine in the IT business. According to him, it would be easy to trace this scammer if we could list all the 086 (free e-mail-to-fax numbers) which he is using in his job ads and then ascertain whom this service belongs to. Each reseller of 086 fax numbers gets a certain range of numbers allocated to him and if all these numbers as mentioned above for the fake recruiters are from the same reseller, for example faxnetsa.com, the owner has to be able to explain all the e-mails sent from the group of 086 numbers under his “ownership”.
What we have established, is that this person is a very sly, unscrupulous person who certainly must be in the IT field himself, to cover his tracks with all the free e-mail addresses he’s been using and he is happily continuing his evil scamming by creating new addresses every minute.
Based on all the complaints from job seekers, he is quite busy doing only this, because he gets a constant income from all the faxes sent to one of his 086-fax numbers. It seems that he is active on every job website in every city or town, listing fake job ads which job seekers still apply to, without checking the e-mail address or fax number out before they fax off their stuff.
The company behind these 0866 numbers is a company called BM Net (I believe they have recently been renamed to Grey. Telecom).
The people involved are Juri Nysschen (082 4675356) and Antoinette Davidtzs (0114750300).
They could stop these scammers but they won’t because they are making money off of them. I don’t know if there is anything we can do about it.
The above company’s website is http://www.greydotelecom.com/ – could this be another scam in the making?
@Llewelyn
Maybe you shouldn’t name people here, unless you are 100% sure that they are behind ALL the 0866 numbers. I believe that there are hundreds of these free fax to e-mail companies. They pop up like weed and almost operate like a pyramid scheme in the sense that I can get an 086 number from you, who act as a reseller for e.g. fax2email, who in turn got his 086 number licence from someone else, etc etc. etc.
So anyone can start an 086 number reselling franchise (if you can call it that). When people get a number from a specific reseller, that number remains registered for generating income for that reseller and the more numbers he gives out, or allocate to himself, the more his income. That is why we assume that all these job scammers with only an 086 fax number as contact detail and nothing else (no website, contact number or legit name) belong to the same reseller, or maybe a group of resellers who operate together.
In order to lure job seekers, they first list hundreds of fake job ads on all the job platforms in every free classifieds and in every single town or city (from Bisho to Phalaborwa). They create a lot of fake recruiter names, using a spesific group of free e-mail addresses to place these ads. As soon as a job seeker responds, it triggers a bunch of e-mails from all the “recruiters” which get send to the same person on a daily basis, every day an e-mail from a different source. One thing which is always visible in all these e-mails, is the 086 fax number which is being given to forward CV’s, certificates and reference letters. No further contact info, and no traceable website or legit name!
People who received these e-mails, should not only block the senders, but keep them as evidence. Somehow there must be a way to expose these scammers.
Hi Rudi
I understand your concern, and I would not like to name and shame the wrong people or companies. I don’t believe that DM Net (ie Juri or Antoinette) are actually the scammers, but I do believe and have it on good authority that DM Net – http://www.dmnet.co.za (Juri is the owner) are behind these numbers (I called some of the other fax 2 email providers and they all pointed me to DM Net). They surely could do something about it if they wanted to, but they make money off of every fax sent via their system. So hopefully naming and shaming may force them to do something about this – people have been speaking about it on this blog since January 2009 – isn’t it time someone did something more than talk?.
I challenge you to call DM Net (0114750300) and ask them if any of the numbers listed on the above posts are part of their number range.
So I’ve received more than 10 emails from these scammers, how do I stop the emails though? They just keep coming *sigh*
@ christa
Same here – every single day I receive these e-mails on both my private and public e-mail address. Once you have responded to an “innocent, legit looking ad”, they got your address and keep on spamming you – they keep on creating more and more fake recruiter names and e-mail addies. But when you want to respond directly to one of these addies, they bounce back, because the e-mails are set as such – a no-reply function. There is no further contact detail anywhere – no website. Only the 086 fax number which they try to lure people to fax their docs to and in the process help them to earn a very nice income.
The only thing that you can do, is to keep on blocking them (I have about 50 addresses in my blocked senders’ list – all from these fake recruiters). However, if they send you e-mails from a gmail addy, you can report them. Google how to report a gmail abuser and report them. If more people do this, gmail can trace the scammer via their IP address, or machine number, even the geographical info.
The permanent solution though, is to never respond to e-mail addresses which you haven’t checked out – google the 086 number or e-mail address. If the same poster lists lots of job ads on all platforms and in every single town or city and he is not a reputable recruiter, you are dealing with the same scammer or a syndicate. Resellers of 086 numbers have now targeted the job seekers market and con innocent people who are already struggling, out of their last money by requesting them to fax their docs to the 086 number which is considerably higher in costs and a portion of that money lands in their pockets.
If Telkom is the underwriter of all 086 numbers, maybe we must start listing all the scam 086 numbers and report them to Telkom. Being a reseller or user of 086 fax to e-mail numbers is not a crime, but when you use it to scam people, it is considered as a crime or fraud and should be reported and the user(s) exposed!
Block the sender, they are very arrgg…
I have reported this story to Carte Blanche in the hope that they will do something about it. I guess the more of us who report it (show interest) to them the more likely it is that they will investigate the matter. So please take a few moments and tell them about it.
This is the link : http://beta.mnet.co.za/carteblanche/StorySubmission.aspx?ShowId=1
Hope we can stop this.
It is really astonishing to see how far some people will go to discredit others.
One of the fax numbers mentioned in this blog as a so called scammer belongs to me. It is also being used for years already, and yes I do use it for business purposes, and what is wrong with it. Isn’t that the idea.
My business is legit, and no funny stuff. Perhaps you guys must get your facts in order before slandering others. There are thousands of companies using fax2email numbers for business purposes, and yes I assume someone must make some money by supplying these numbers and service. This service is great and I can recommend it. Why are there always certain people that always see the negative in everything, and does not want the sun to shine on others.
It is not right that the writers on this blog try to discredit others without knowing the facts.
I use fax to email daily for business, and because I am in recruitment we handle a lot of documents daily, to eliminate this we try to go the electronic route as far as possible. F2E is a great service, it replaces the physical fax and paper, but that is not the main reason why we use it. We mainly use it because most people do not have scan facilities, and therefore cannot email their documents to us. So rather than faxing it to a physical machine we ask our clients to rather fax to our f2e service.
By using this service we are helping ourselves, but also our clients and the environment.
So please stop being so negative, and always seeing the negative side of everything.
You have named and tried to shame me on this blog, but by doing this you guys have just showed how uninformed you really are.
I know the internet does not ever forget, so this negative nonsense will most probably be displayed here for ever, but please your allegations border on slander. So please stop this nonsense.
I’ve read through some of this blog and also saw others trying to defend themselves against the negative ones on this blog. But my question is… why do we need to defend ourselves against this untruths and slander.
The writers on this blog are quick to accuse people, but without real facts.
AND.. I have just proof that you are wrong in my case. I am not a scammer, I am not trying to trick anyone. I am supplying a legit service to my fellow man. Please stop wasting your time on trying to discredit others and rather try and educate yourself better not to make the same mistakes again.
You cannot be allowed to keep on accusing people that are using a legit service, which by the way is in use by thousands of companies and individuals. Rather praise these people for being in business and trying to add something positive to the business community, and are creating work for thousands of others.
I also know a lot of others in the recruitment industry that are using this service for the same reasons we are.
People,….. you must remember that currently in South Africa there are not enough job opportunities for all the millions of unemployed people out there. We and the others in the recruitment industry receive thousands of applications on a daily basis, sometimes for just one vacancy. Please understand that just one person can get a specific job, even though sometimes more than two thousand apply for the same vacancy.
So if the writers on this blog were unsuccessful in there search for a job so far, please do not take it out on the recruiters. It is not us that decide at the end of the day, it is our client. And… yes there are just not enough jobs out there at the moment.
Please people you are barking up the wrong tree here. In the beginning of this blog I read that the writers were accusing the recruiters of identity theft, even the subject of this blog mentions that. Then later on the writers changed there tune to something else. People you cannot do this. You are very wrong. You cannot accuse people of wrong doing because you are unhappy and perhaps hungry because you do not have a job. My heart goes out to you, but please stop this silliness.
I also saw people complain about receiving several responses after applying for a job.
This is also very possible, because we as recruiters work together, just as estate agents for example, in order to place people, or to exchange vacancies to compare against our jobseeker databases. So again there is nothing funny about receiving more than one response or even several responses from different recruiters. Sometimes we even link with more than one network, so it is not funny at all that someone can get a few responses from several different companies. Rather than complain about it, you are suppose to applaud us and our fellow recruiters trying our best to place jobseekers and assisting our employers.
Please people….We are not trying to trick anyone, we are really just trying to make life a bit easier for everyone.
It is really laughable that you want to contact Carteblance in this regard.
I am very sure MNet also use fax2email, and most probably got it from the same service provider.
Shame on you!
OK Susan, as a legit and above-board recruitment agency, I am sure you are registered with the Department of Labor. (as required by law) So how about some proof?
Also, I find it quite strange that your ‘business’ has no website, contact numbers or web domains. Why is it that a legit company uses Gmail and other free email services that ANYONE can register for, and block it so people cannot reply to you?
You have some nerve coming on here and attacking people looking for honest work, but are getting dead-end ‘offers’. If you are as legitimate and outraged as you say, why not give us some supporting evidence that you are in fact not a scammer.
Shame on us? SHAME ON YOU!
Wayne
I even see now that a few other very well known recruiters in South Africa are mentioned on this page. You must really be carefull of what you say on this blog, because some of these guys are big boys and when they become aware of this blog…. I am sure they will not just leave it.
The owner of this website must definitely start to scrutinize the word use on this page, because he can also be held responsible for allowing these untruths and slander.
Just thought I need to warn you.
Kind regards
Susan
Please put your money where your mouth is and tell us which of the “big boys” are mentioned in this blog.
I hate you susan
Susan from Progressive just informed me of this blog, and that our business is also mentioned in a negative light on this blog.
I see this in a very serious light and need to make contact with the people that are accusing us of wrong doing.
Can the owner of this blog please supply his contact details so that I can immediately make contact with him.
STFU.. in this country we use a term called freedom of
Speech. Excuse my language but i have to say this
YOU FUCKEN ASSHOLES..YOU RUINED MY LIFE..
and please dont make me marry someone poor
@ Susan and Howard
Please provide your websites – legit recruiters have websites with contact details. If you read all the comments on this blog, you will see that they don’t argue the 086 numbers being used for legit business, where there is also an alternative way of contacting the business, e.g. a landline or mobile number, or at least a legit e-mail address. But the fact is, where people scam job seekers by listing non-existing jobs and then expect them to fax documents to their 086 number which they generate an income from, that is fraud.
I have lots of the same e-mails from different recruiters in my blocked senders’ list which I checked out and the one thing which is evident in all of those, there is NO WEBSITE! No further trace of these so-called recruitment companies.
Do you see anyone referring to a legit recruitment company which can be traced easily, because they exist and have a reputable name! Everyone complains about the same recruiters who spam their inboxes on a daily basis.
If these e-mails were from legit recruiters, why would they keep on sending follow-up e-mails, reminding the job seeker of a post he was interested in – not even mentioning the specific post!
If you are part of a network, please provide more detail, like I said, a website or contact name with a contact number. All the e-mails I saw, are signed by a name, which I also can be fake, but with no contact detail.
So before you throw around threats, please revert to this blog and give some answers and provide us with the details of your recruitment agency, as you mentioned that you had been mentioned in a negative light.
My biggest concern is that, when I started receiving those e-mails years ago, I wanted to let those recruiters know that I wasnt interested in a job, as I was permanently employed, I learned that they are using no-reply addresses. In other words, no further contact, other than an 086 fax number.
Susan and Howard – your views on this please. I want to understand the reason why reputable recruiters would go to the extend that these mentioned recruiters do, to get job seekers to “apply” for a position which in the first place they did not even apply for.
I wanted to ascertain whether a listed post was legit and I enquired to the mentioned e-mail address (one of those free ones) and I asked specific questions about that job. Needless to say, I received no response from the e-mail sender, but instead I received 7 e-mails from recruiters, vaguely referring to my interest in a post that they advertised, and asked me to fax documents, certificates, cv and referrals.
Is this just co-incidence?
Well put Michael.
If Susan and Howard are in fact running a legitimate recruitment agency, then no problem. I am sure the owner of this blog would be happy to remove their fax numbers from the list.
Please don’t forget however that it is a legal requirement to be registered with the Department of Labour if you are running a recruitment agency (See Sec 24(3)a of Skills Dev Act 97 of 1998). Please provide us with your registration number and I will be happy to check and publish here if you are legit.
The reason I got involved in this blog is that I kept receiving these emails requesting my CV etc. I run my own company so have definitely never applied anywhere. They must have picked up my email from somewhere.
Can you imagine how this could hurt someone who is employed if their boss saw that they kept getting emails every day from different agencies. It would really damage their careers. Don’t think that no one can get hurt from this practice.
And I don’t agree with Susan. I think Carte Blanche is quite willing to take on a fight when someone is being abused. That’s what they do.
It seems that the buzz on every discussion forum or job platform is the spam e-mails received from non-existing recruiters. The same MO – no legit websites, contact details or legit contact people.
They only operate on free classifieds where they don’t have to give their recruiting agency’s details.
I stumbled upon this blog:
http://www.jobmail.co.za/blog/beware-of-the-new-fax-ploy/
One thing I noticed, is that, since the last couple of posts, I haven’t received any further e-mails from these fake recruiters!
I also noticed that neither Susan nor Howard (are these their real names) has anything further to say.
If the network business they belong to, was above board and legit, they had the chance to put things in perspective by giving us the answers we are looking for, as mentioned in the posts above.
Something’s telling me that they are behind all these pesty e-mails hundreds of us have / are still receiving.
and yet they are still at it…..
Dear Breytenbach,
We’ve received an email from you regarding a vacant position that was advertised.
We would like to process your application, but however need the documents, mentioned below.
Your CV as well as any other documents, such as certificates and / or reference letters that can support your application.
Please do not forward your ID document to us.
Only if your application is successful your new employer may request your ID document directly.
On receipt of this documentation we will process your application.
If you are chosen as a shortlist candidate, our office will immediately inform you.
We now await your documents at fax: 0866915429
Try your best to forward it within the next 24 hours.
Very kind regards
Linda G.
Careerwork Genie
**********************************************************************************************
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for responding to our advertised vacancy.
To apply please forward your application to our fax: 0865923093
Please send your full detailed CV, a photo of yourself, and all
relevant supporting documents you have in your possession.
When we receive the requested information your application will be
entered into the screening process and will, as soon as possible, be
personally reviewed by a Recruitment team member.
As you will no doubt appreciate, we receive a very high volume of CVs
from candidates every day. If your profile meets our current
requirements, we will contact you to start the interview process.
If you however do not hear from us within the next 3 to 4 weeks,
please assume that your application has unfortunately not been
successful on this occasion.
We appreciate your patience and thank you for your interest in our services.
Kind regards,
Go-direct Recruitment Services
***********************************************************************************************
Good day Breytenbach,
RE: Recently advertised vacancy
We still are awaiting your recently updated CV, certificates and reference letters to support your application.
A recent head and shoulders photo of yourself, will also be highly appreciated.
(Do not forward your ID document yet)
Please send all above requested documents as soon as possible to fax: 0866915319
Kind regards
Marinda
Employment Solutions
*********************************************************************************************
From: Orbit Personnel [mailto:nobodyreply@opersonnel.com]
Sent: 22 November 2011 11:14 AM
To: Llewelyn
Subject: Advertised vacancy
Dear Jobseeker
You responded to the advertised vacancy.
First of all we would like to thank you for showing interest in the vacancy.
By emailing us we assume you are keen to apply for this position.
In order to assist you in this regard we will, for now, need the following from you.
Firstly, your full detailed, and recently updated CV.
Secondly, a short note introducing yourself, and stating the vacancy you are applying for, and the reasons why you think your are the ideal candidate.
Thirdly, you can also forward supporting documents, like recommendation letters and documentation confirming education and past employment.
Fourthly, a recent photo of yourself (head and shoulders only).
Please forward all the above in one batch to us at fax: 0862253233
Please allow approximately 3 weeks for any positive feedback.
However if you do not hear from us during this period, please assume that your application was unsuccessful.
Unfortunately we cannot notify all unsuccessful jobseekers.
Looking forward to hear from you again.
Warmest regards
ORBIT Personnel
Looks like it started again. See above.
Good day
Hope you are doing well.
Just following up regarding the requested documents
Please fax us the following info so that your application can be processed:
- Short one page introduction letter (telling us about yourself and why you want to apply for this position)
- Your full detailed CV
- Any supporting documentation that can confirm education and work history
Please forward all these documents to us at fax: 0862252147
Awaiting your prompt response.
Kind regards
Entry HR Services
The scam mail continues we received another one also from ORBIT Personnel and he is the format:
‘—————————-
——Original Message——
From: Orbit Personnel
To: ################
ReplyTo: nobodyreply@server1.response4free.com
Subject: Advertised vacancy
Sent: Nov 27, 2011 11:44 PM
Dear MyName & Surname
You responded to the advertised vacancy.
First of all we would like to thank you for showing interest in the vacancy.
By emailing us we assume you are keen to apply for this position.
In order to assist you in this regard we will, for now, need the following from you.
Firstly, your full detailed, and recently updated CV.
Secondly, a short note introducing yourself, and stating the vacancy you are applying for, and the reasons why you think your are the ideal candidate.
Thirdly, you can also forward supporting documents, like recommendation letters and documentation confirming education and past employment.
Fourthly, a recent photo of yourself (head and shoulders only).
Please forward all the above in one batch to us at fax: 0862253233
Please allow approximately 3 weeks for any positive feedback.
However if you do not hear from us during this period, please assume that your application was unsuccessful.
Unfortunately we cannot notify all unsuccessful jobseekers.
Looking forward to hear from you again.
Warmest regards
ORBIT Personnel
‘———————————-
I can’t believe i actually forwarded my personal information to a free based email address. Guess i’m one of the unlucky one. What i would like to know is whats going to happen to us(the idiots who replied to the fax numbers). I did a little bite of research and came across a website called fraud.org, i think it might help catch or stop these people from making our lifes even more difficult.
One of my email addresses, has been getting these messages from different recruiters asking to fax my CV, ID etc, four or five times a week.
I have no idea how my email address got on their database. I certainly have never registered for a job anywhere. I run my own business.
What worries me is that some poor person who’s email has been added to this database, gets fired from their current job because their boss finds these emails and thinks they are looking for another job. How unfair would that be!
Im one of those poor people.. i just want to know whats going to happen to me.. i am really worried, would some please answer my question.
I couldnt even sleep after reading this blog
ketch construction and phare hotel camaroon be aware this is a scam thay even send you a contract to fill in and return but the bucks thay offer is a bit much check it out or totally just ignor these dogs remember guys if thay want you thay pay