Fake recruitment company scams dozens of job seekers at Sekondi.
Fake recruitment company scams dozens of job seekers.
Dozens of desperate job seekers have fallen victim to a well-coordinated employment scam perpetrated by a fake recruitment agency.
The victims, drawn from different parts of the country, were lured by an online job advertisement promising attractive salaries and allowances for positions supposedly available in Tema, Takoradi, and Koforidua.
Applicants were instructed to submit their CVs and other documents to an email address provided by the company. They were later told to pay GHC650 each for hotel reservations, purportedly to secure accommodation for those outside Sekondi-Takoradi during the recruitment exercise.
However, when the day of the supposed screening arrived, the recruiters were nowhere to be found.
One of the victims, Lady Akos, who travelled from Weija in the Greater Accra Region, recounted her ordeal to Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, the host of Connect FM’s Omanbapa morning show.
“I’m a fresh university graduate. I’ve completed my national service and I’m currently seeking employment. There’s a group on Telegram where they post job opportunities. I received one from this company in question and applied. We were asked to present our Ghana Card, CV, certificates, and other documents to an email address provided.”
According to her, after the initial process, they were instructed to assemble at the Sekondi Methodist Park for document verification.
“I travelled back from Western to Weija to pick up my documents and went to the Sekondi Methodist Park, where we were told to present them. When I got there, I found others who had also come for the same reason. As time went on, more people kept arriving, about 30 of us in total were present,” she narrated.
But the recruiters never showed up.
“We waited the whole day, and nobody came. They had already taken our money. They sent an email saying they would provide accommodation and that all applicants must pay GHC650 each for hotel reservations and booking.”
Akos admitted that in their desperation for employment, many of them ignored obvious red flags.
“Because we were eager to find work, we didn’t pay attention to details. We would have known they were not genuine. They promised a monthly salary of GHC2,700 with allowances and annual leave,” she added.
Another victim’s parent confirmed that this was not the first time the same group had used this method to dupe unsuspecting job seekers.
“The same company scammed my son last month with the same modus operandi. They gathered at the Sekondi Methodist Park, and nobody showed up. Each job seeker was made to pay GHC650, and they have done the same thing this month,” the parent indicated.
The victims have since appealed to the police and other authorities to investigate and trace the perpetrators, warning that more unsuspecting job seekers could fall victim to similar scams if urgent action is not taken.
