Telkom has issued a warning to consumers to be wary of a recruitment scam that has been doing the rounds.
The recruitment scam involves online adverts that promise successful candidates a paid Telkom internship at the company, upon payment of a R90 "learnership fee".
The scamsters have been using online classifieds platform Gumtree to lure job seekers, promising a monthly salary of R9 894.33.
Telkom says it appears at this stage that the adverts have been targeting people in Bloemfontein, the Free State and Limpopo.
"We are appalled that these scamsters are taking advantage of people who are simply seeking honest employment. Of course, it is also very worrying that these con men are using the Telkom brand to conduct their criminal activities."
Telkom has launched an investigation into this fraudulent activity, and says it will pursue the investigation in close consultation with the SA Police Services.
Group communication head Jacqui O'Sullivan says people should be cautious when pursuing offers online. "[We] hope that our efforts to expose this scam will shield the public from further fraud of this nature."
This is not the first time the Telkom brand has been used by opportunistic criminals. Last year, fraudsters targeted Telkom customers by depositing stolen or fake cheques into their accounts and then requesting a refund, claiming the deposit was a mistake.
In 2013, it came to light that criminals had for some time been trying to acquire Telkom customers' personal details and Internet usernames and passwords via e-mail phishing scams.
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