Kenya Forest Service warns of job recruitment scams

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has cautioned the public about fraudsters who are impersonating officials and demanding money in exchange for job opportunities and promotions.

In a public alert issued on Saturday, KFS revealed that scammers have been calling individuals, falsely claiming they have been shortlisted for job vacancies, then asking for money to finalize the hiring process.

Even current KFS staff have not been spared, with some receiving calls promising promotions in exchange for payment.

"Kenya Forest Service warns all members of the public and staff to beware of these conmen and to report any such phone calls to the nearest police station or KFS office for further investigation," the statement read.

One of the phone numbers used in these fraudulent activities is 0752021209.

The service has urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to such scams.

KFS emphasized that all job interviews and staff promotions are conducted through official channels and do not require any form of payment.

In a similar notice, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) has also flagged as fake a communique calling for job applications.

Taking to social media on Saturday, KURA stamped the advertisement as fake and urged the public to be vigilant and only trust communications shared from their official website, social media, and email.

"Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent job advertisement circulating in certain media outlets. We wish to clarify that this advert is fake and does not originate from us," an accompanying statement by KURA read.

"We strongly advise the public to disregard the misleading information and always verify official communications through our official website, social media platforms, or email."

In the fake notice, several job opportunities were outlined in 22 departments, including 42 public relations officer vacancies and 62 vacancies for Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) coordinators.

However, the email offering to reach out to the recruiters was conspicuously not the authority's official email, as it had no words affiliating it with KURA.

These two warnings come on the heels of several other government institutions alerting the public of similar employment schemes framed to extort jobseekers off their money.