The Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi has warned the public about fraudsters who are impersonating him on social media and communicating about supposed projects and funding.
In a statement, the minister said in the latest scheme, the scammers are inviting citizens and corporates of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) who are interested in developing their respective communities and organisations to apply for funding.
He said neither the ministry nor the Department of Employment and Labour has invited to help individuals or businesses with the funding.
The social media post claimed: “The SADC (Southern African Development Community) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) has utilised funding in the form of budgetary support provided to Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, among others, totalling €58 billion in the period of 2018-2022. Individuals are liable to get up to the amount of R20 million and cooperate (sic) organisations and NGOs could get up to the sum of R45 million."
The ministry and the department said they have not invited citizens or corporates to participate in any SADC or BRICS funding project.
"The citizens and business are warned not to fall prey to ’easy riches’," the ministry said.
Nxesi is not the only minister who has been targeted by scammers on social media. In July, the minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, warned of a fake and misleading Facebook page that impersonated him.
Nzimande said the impersonator misled the public into believing that they were communicating with him by soliciting money to support a “worthy course of student funding”.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE