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Local – Unemployment in South Africa keeps climbing, and more people are turning to social media in their search for work. Criminal syndicates have picked up on this, using fake job adverts to draw young South Africans into forced criminality, the Department of Social Development has warned.
Many of the adverts circulate on social media and promise legitimate work abroad. Instead, victims end up trapped in exploitative and abusive conditions overseas.
An increasing number of young South Africans have been trafficked to scam compounds in Myanmar after accepting what looked like genuine job offers in Thailand, the department said.
“Instead of employment, victims are taken across the Thailand-Myanmar border and forced to participate in cyber-enabled financial crimes under abusive conditions,” the department said.
Victims have reported being promised attractive salaries, free travel and overseas employment. What followed instead was long working hours, intimidation, violence and debt bondage. Many were also coerced into recruiting friends and family, helping traffickers expand their networks. Since 2024, several groups of South African victims have been rescued and returned home.
The department continues to work alongside DIRCO, SAPS, the DPCI, the Border Management Authority, the Department of Home Affairs and civil society organisations to provide psychosocial support and reintegration services to survivors.
Authorities Warn of Digital Recruitment Tactics
Traffickers in the Western Cape have increasingly turned to digital platforms to identify and exploit vulnerable people, provincial authorities say. Messaging apps and social media are being used to lure victims with fake job offers fraudulent modelling opportunities and romance scams.
Western Cape Minister of Social Development Jaco Londt said the crime often goes undetected because of how it operates.
“The nature of cyber-enabled trafficking is hidden and underreported. However, digital platforms have become a popular tool for traffickers to identify, groom, and exploit vulnerable people. This reinforces the need for greater digital awareness, public education, and collaboration between law enforcement, technology companies, and communities,” said Londt.
Young people have been urged to verify job offers through official channels, research employers and recruitment agencies thoroughly, and avoid relying solely on information found online.
