“It may sound fairly harmless. What they want to do is remotely take control of that individual’s computer,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once they have gained access, the malicious actors can then use some of the victim’s computer’s processing power for their own needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Makhetloane said they could also be doing so to harvest data. He warned that the perpetrators were sophisticated and that many victims may be fooled by the fake job ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They always say send your resume, but they know that your resume only has a limited amount of the information that they need,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They’re going to ask you: ‘Hey, here’s a form. Fill in this form with as many of your details as possible, and also, please send us a copy of your ID and your bank information.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that their approach looked professional and sounds professional because the actors behind the scam were well-trained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You wouldn’t think that it’s a scam where they are harvesting your data,” Makhetloane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also issued a general warning about providing identity numbers in online job applications and said applicants should do further research first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“One thing we should realise is that a person’s identity number goes for a very good price on the dark web and they can use it for a lot of things as well,” Makhetloane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scammers using LinkedIn and Indeed <\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LinkedIn-sign-officeScaled.jpg\")
Editorial credit: JHVEPhoto \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMakhetloane also warned that this sort of scam and data-harvesting activity takes place on popular job and networking platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said these platforms did not have stringent requirements for registering a profile, enabling people to create fake profiles and run advertisements to harvest data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I always say to people, if you are applying for a job on LinkedIn, look at the person who posted that job and go after that person,” Makhetloane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said it was best to message the person who posted the job ad directly to ask for further details rather than just provide your details in an application form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Another site where people need to be careful is Indeed. Indeed has a lot of those data-harvesting job ads and also a lot of these fake job ads. Just be very careful, some of them are not real,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MyBroadband asked LinkedIn and Indeed about these claims, and a LinkedIn spokesperson said these kinds of job scams are an issue across the Internet. Indeed hadn’t responded by publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They are becoming more sophisticated. Scams of any kind are against our professional community policies,” the LinkedIn spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We take proactive action to detect and stop them. We continue to invest in features to help members identify more trusted job opportunities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online job and investment scams are rife in South Africa. The country’s most popular online chat app \u2014 WhatsApp \u2014 is also exploited by criminals to trick victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Makhetloane also warned that this sort of scam and data-harvesting activity takes place on popular job and networking platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said these platforms did not have stringent requirements for registering a profile, enabling people to create fake profiles and run advertisements to harvest data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I always say to people, if you are applying for a job on LinkedIn, look at the person who posted that job and go after that person,” Makhetloane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said it was best to message the person who posted the job ad directly to ask for further details rather than just provide your details in an application form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Another site where people need to be careful is Indeed. Indeed has a lot of those data-harvesting job ads and also a lot of these fake job ads. Just be very careful, some of them are not real,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MyBroadband asked LinkedIn and Indeed about these claims, and a LinkedIn spokesperson said these kinds of job scams are an issue across the Internet. Indeed hadn’t responded by publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They are becoming more sophisticated. Scams of any kind are against our professional community policies,” the LinkedIn spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We take proactive action to detect and stop them. We continue to invest in features to help members identify more trusted job opportunities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online job and investment scams are rife in South Africa. The country’s most popular online chat app \u2014 WhatsApp \u2014 is also exploited by criminals to trick victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n