Kenya: Don't Be Conned - Ads Offering Jobs At Coca-Cola in Kenya a Scam

31 January 2023
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Makinia Juma Sylvia

IN SHORT: Jobs at the beverages giant Coca-Cola might give you some financial security. But posts on Facebook claiming the firm is hiring in Kenya will only cost job-seekers time and money.

"COCA-COLA COMPANY is glad to inform the public that we are recruiting new staff," begins a job ad posted on Facebook in Kenya in January 2023.

Noting that the company needs more employees, the post promises openings in various positions, such as technicians, receptionists, cleaners, guards, storekeepers and warehouse supervisors.

Some of the requirements for those interested in applying are that people must be older than 18 and "well conversant with local dialect Kiswahili, English and local language".

The ad has been posted in several public groups with tens of thousands of Facebook users - but with different phone numbers. See here, here, here and here.

Many people responded to the ad, expressing their interest. But are these ads really from Coca-Cola, the multinational maker of Coke?

Clues of a scam

The ad's poor grammar is a sign it could be a scam. Another red flag is that those interested are asked to send a message via WhatsApp to a cellphone number, starting with "Coca- Cola".

It is also suspicious that while the ad is the same, different people have posted it on Facebook, giving different contact numbers.

There's no link in the ad to the official Coca-Cola Kenya office contacts, and the phone numbers given don't match any listed by Coca-Cola.

We also confirmed that Coca-Cola Kenya's verified Facebook page is not advertising any of the jobs listed in the post.

Africa Check contacted Coca-Cola to find out if the jobs were legitimate. The company dismissed them as fake.

"Kindly note that the above information is misleading and false. Any of our job related posts are usually posted on our official social media platforms. Stay alert."

For more tips, see Africa Check's guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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