HOAX: This job advert at Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd) is a scam
This job advertisement claiming that Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd) is recruiting 124 trainees on a two-year renewable contract is a HOAX.
The job ad, posted on Facebook, further claims that the company is recruiting 68 cargo handlers, 32 dispatch assistants, and 24 stock takers.
Those who qualify for the job are expected to work in shifts — 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m or 7:45 p.m to 5:00 a.m for six days a week.
The job trainees will be paid a monthly salary of KSh 32,460 for three months, after which their salaries will be revised upwards. After the probationary period, the trainees will also be eligible for company benefits according to the post.
The company also promises to provide staff hostels to trainees who need accommodation. The cost of accommodation ranges from KSh 4,500 to KSh 9,200 depending on the package one chooses.
Interested job applicants are asked to send their application using the email address or post office box number provided. Some of the documents that the recruiter asks for are a typed or handwritten application letter, CV, a copy of the result slip or certificate, National Identity Card or waiting card details.
To check the legitimacy of the job ad, PesaCheck went to the Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd) website, but it was under maintenance. However, we managed to get screenshots of the job ad from a job applicant who approached us to verify the legitimacy of the job vacancies.
The job advert on Facebook indicates that Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd) is located on Airport North Road, Embakasi, JKIA. A search for the company on Google maps did not highlight any building on the pinned location of the company.
The location pin shows that the company is in the middle of Airport North Road, which is the first hint that Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd) is non-existent.
A ‘successful’ job applicant who received an appointment letter from Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd), revealed he was asked to pay Ksh 2,885 for the cargo handling certificate.
The applicant also shared the appointment letter with this fact-checker, and some red flags stood out. For starters, the format of the letter shares an uncanny similarity to another which was used in a fake job ad also debunked by PesaCheck.
The Human Resource Manager at Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd), is identified on the appointment letter as Hillary K. Bett. The fake job recruitment debunked by PesaCheck on 17 June 2021, revealed there were no vacancies at the Mara Ritz Palazzo as claimed. The application letter was signed by HR Manager — Hillary K. Kibiwott. Our research found no such hotel existed.
Moreover, while the two HR managers could be two different people, their signatures look alike.
We also checked the three phone numbers provided on the application letter on the Truecaller identification app and discovered that one was registered under Aeros Cargo, but the other two were registered under Mara Crescent.
On 28 April 2021, we debunked another job advertisement offering vacancies at Mara Crescent Hotel and discovered that the hotel was non-existent.
Additionally, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has flagged the job advert calling for applications at the Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd) as fake. A notice posted on KAA’s verified Facebook page states unsuspecting job applicants have been given fake appointment letters and told to pay registration, facilitation and cargo handling fees.
KAA also urged the public to report any vacancies advertised under the said company to the authorities.
PesaCheck has looked into a job ad posted on Facebook claiming that Aeros Cargo Flysen K (Ltd) is recruiting for various positions and finds it to be a HOAX.
This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.
Have you spotted what you think is fake or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.
This fact-check was written by PesaCheck Fact-Checker Naomi Wanjiku and edited by PesaCheck Chief Copy Editor Rose Lukalo. The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck Managing Editor Enock Nyariki.
PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: Code for Africa. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. PesaCheck also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit pesacheck.org.
PesaCheck is an initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie, in partnership with a coalition of local African media and other civic watchdog organisations.