by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – STELLENBOSCH Football Club are wary of criminals abusing social media to defraud the unsuspecting public money by offering non-existing trials at the Premiership side.
Some hopefuls have already fallen victim to the bogus agents.
Officials at the Western Cape-based premiership team raised concern that its name was being brought into disrepute.
“It has come to the attention of the club that there are continuous existing social media accounts on Facebook and WhatsApp which request payment for trials at the club using a contact name ‘Jason Rhoda’,” Stellenbosch stated.
“This is a scam,” the club emphasised.
The fraudulent scheme coincides with Stellies promoting to the senior team a number of players that have excelled in the junior structures, particularly the
Multichoice Diski Challenge (MDC) team.
The technical staff, led by head coach Steve Barker, recently promoted rising stars Jayden Adams, Kgomotso Chiwayo, Jamie Craak and goalkeeper Lebohang Nthene to the senior team currently campaigning in the Biologically Safe Environment (BSE) in Gauteng.
The article about the quartet’s promotion recently appeared on Sun Sport.
“Unfortunately criminal elements look at it from a different perspective. They use it (article) for their corrupt, fraudulent activities,” Rhoda, the MDC assistant coach, lamented.
Stellenbosch FC has in their debut season in the topflight premiership been inundated by bogus agents requesting payment for trials at the club.
This is the third time in the past month it has encountered such scams.
The so-called Rhosa’s Soccer Talent Discovery: The Dreamers and Believers and Stelli Camp ran similar rip-offs.
– CAJ News