No, South African retailer Mr Price not offering recruitment or readiness programmes through dodgy links online
IN SHORT: Ignore scam “recruitment programmes” using the likeness of South African retail giant Mr Price. The company advises users to always verify the authenticity of communications.
According to messages doing the rounds on WhatsApp, online applications are “now open” for the “latest Mr Price recruitment programme”.
Mr Price is a major South African retail group that sells clothing, homeware and financial and telecoms services.
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The message claims that Mr Price is currently looking for “over 300 unemployed people to train and employ”. It offers a monthly stipend of R7,500 with “no experience are needed” and “training will be provided for free”.
It asks readers to apply by clicking on an attached link. “Hurry up and apply now before spots run out!” it says.
The same claim has also been shared to Facebook.
Other similar job claims have been doing the rounds on Facebook, saying “Mr Price is inviting unemployed South African youth to apply for this work readiness programme” through a “JumpStart programme”. (Note: Other instances of the claim can be found at the end of this fact-check.)
Mr Price’s genuine JumpStart programmes aim to equip unemployed youth with “sought-after retail and manufacturing skills to help unlock career potential”, according to the retailer.
These suspicious Facebook posts also list requirements for those interested, such as being a South African citizen, having a “grade 12”, being aged 18 to 32, “must be unemployed” and having no criminal record.
They advise users to “apply ASAP” through an attached link.
Africa Check has debunked many scams claiming to be legit job adverts online, and these claims are no different.
Signs aplenty across both claims
The first red flag in both claims is the attached links.
The first claim links to a simple-looking blogspot website that asks the users to fill in personal information, a tactic known as phishing. The second claim takes users to a broken “careers portal” link.
Neither use the verified official website for Mr Price, or its careers portal.
Those seeking career opportunities at Mr Price should visit the company’s careers page instead of clicking on unverified online links.
Grammar and spelling errors are also a giveaway. Grammar mistakes like “no experience are needed” are not usually seen in legit job postings by large companies.
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Phrases such as “hurry up”, “apply now before spots run out” and “apply ASAP” are also telltale signs of a scam.
Scammers often use urgency as a tactic to get users to quickly fill in personal information or visit a website.
‘Verify the authenticity of the communications you receive’
Africa Check has previously debunked several similar scam job posts using the likeness of the retailer. Mr Price has also debunked scam posts using their name.
“Stay vigilant and always verify the authenticity of the communications you receive,” the retail group advises.
“If something doesn’t feel right, don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly through our verified channels or pop us a message at [email protected]. Stay safe out there!”
The retailer has also directly debunked the claims on the JumpStart programme:
“Please be aware that a fake WhatsApp is circulating, stating that Mr Price is hiring for JumpStart. Please don’t get duped by scams asking you to pay to attend training in our JumpStart, programmes. Mr Price Foundation will never ask you to pay for training or recruitment at any point. This does not originate from Mr Price Foundation or the JumpStart programme. Please do not reply to the WhatsApp or give out your personal details. Thank you.”
Received a message online and you’re not sure if it’s a scam? Send it to us on WhatsApp and we’ll try to debunk it for you, or read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them for some tips.
Other instances of the claim can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
