The Ministry of Labour says unscrupulous labour officers have put an advert on social media asking people who worked between 1990 and 2018 to collect K26,000 benefits from the labour office. The purported labour officers have created a fake website for the Ministry of Labour http://bit/LabourZM, contrary to the one created by Smart Zambia.

Ministry of Labour Permanent Secretary Barnaby Mulenga said the correct website does not have capital letters, and is [email protected].
“There is no such a thing going on, we would like to refute that as fake news which is alarming innocent members of the public.
“We are concerned because this particular information is on social media and people are being asked to forward to others asking for certain information,” he said yesterday during a media briefing.

Mr Mulenga warned people not to fall for this scam, adding that as a ministry, they handle cases and mediate between the employer and the employee. He said in cases where the employer is asked to remit money through the department for specific cases, and when those cases come up, the ministry does not advertise on social media.

“This particular one doing its round is bad; people should be mindful of the impact it can have even on their devices. We have been told that those who have tried to open have had their computers affected, it is locking screens,” Mr Mulenga said. He said he does not know the intentions of the person who has created the scam.

Mr Mulenga said members of the public who have queries on labour matters should call toll-free line 7010.
The permanent secretary also advised members of the public, especially those in provincial towns, to visit district offices when aggrieved.
Mr Mulenga warned that members of the public who forward fake things will be prosecuted.