Red flags to watch for
- •They ask for money. No legitimate employer charges an application fee, training fee, or "processing fee." This is the single biggest red flag.
- •Vague company details. If the listing doesn't name the company, uses a generic email (Gmail, Yahoo), or has no verifiable address, be cautious.
- •Unrealistic salary promises. An entry-level role offering R50,000+ per month with no experience required is almost certainly a scam.
- •Urgency pressure. "Apply in the next 2 hours or lose this opportunity" is a manipulation tactic, not a real deadline.
- •They ask for personal banking details upfront. Employers only need your banking details after you've been hired and signed a contract.
How to verify a job listing
Search for the company on the CIPC (Companies and Intellectual Property Commission) website. Check their official website for a careers page. Look them up on LinkedIn — legitimate companies have established profiles with real employees. If the job was posted on SPANi, check the source link to verify it comes from a real job board or company site.
What to do if you've been scammed
Report the scam to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and file a complaint with the National Consumer Commission. If you shared banking details, contact your bank immediately to freeze your account. You can also report fraudulent job listings to the Department of Employment and Labour.
How SPANi protects you
SPANi automatically scans every job listing for known scam patterns — requests for payment, unrealistic salary claims, and vague company details combined with urgency language. Suspicious listings are flagged with a warning so you can make informed decisions. We also only scrape from established job boards and company career pages, not random social media posts.