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New Post 1/21/2010 11:36 AM
User is offline Jaco S. Botes
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CONSULAR OPERATIONS: CAUTIONARY MESSAGE 
Modified By Jaco S. Botes  on 1/21/2010 6:56:08 PM)

ICA has received numerous enquiries regarding recruitment efforts and letters from "Consular Operations - Gerrit van Vuuren"

In the ICA Code of Conduct we clearly state our position against "recruiters charging employees recruiting fees"

Consular Operations includes in their recruitment letters a DEBIT ORDER (or as they call it, a STOP ORDER) for US$ 500 per month!

This is to be signed BEFORE anything further is done. 

They further require hopeful recruits to register with "PECOSA", as so-called "(Professional Employees Council of SA)", and of course

a payment of R350-00 into a personal account.

We searched all governing bodies, and having worked in Iraq for more than 5 years, I have never heard of them, nor of any US company or UN body requesting registration with PECOSA as a prerequisite, or any other body for that matter.

I started communicating with Gerrit van Vuuren, and the response was that we will receive information regarding the company before or on 25 January 2010. This also cause me to think that a lot still have to fall in place, even if this is all legitimate.

There are no records of Consular Operation, no records of ANYONE ever actually working somewhere after being recruited by these guys.

If you paid anything to CONSULAR OPERATIONS, please contact us urgently at admin@icaonline.us

We are waiting for further information, but at this stage BIG RED FLAGS are waiving, so please be careful.

Cautionary Note:

Even if this is a ligitmate recruiting effort for a ligitimate contract, ICA-Online still has a major problem with any recruiting agency collecting money from employees as fees for job placement. Recruitment fees should be paid by the employing company, and forcing prospective employees to pay fees is bad for the industry, creates a system where resumes will be boosted to fit the requirements, and leeches on the desperation of people who are desperate for an income.

Should this turn out to be a scam, I will leave no stone unturned to bring the full weight of the law down on them.

Good luck and stay safe out there...

 
New Post 5/18/2010 10:00 PM
User is offline Jaco S. Botes
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Update: CONSULAR OPERATIONS:  

Our list of members who have paid money over to these guys are growing with leaps and bounds.

We have decided to provide George Fivas & Associates with a mandate to go ahead and assist one of the complainants to open a case of Fraud, alternatively Theft under false pretence. I will make the details of the Case number available, as well as that of the inestigating officer.

I will also go ahead and provide the details to them of all the members who indicated that they wish further investigation.

I will keep members up to date on this. Suffice to say, if you were thinking of buying into this scam, please don't!

Stay safe out there,

Jaco Botes

 
New Post 5/22/2010 2:37 PM
User is offline pinochio
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Re: Update: CONSULAR OPERATIONS:  

Name : Lynesh Maharaj

I have proof of payment to Mr. Jean Oberholster .

I wish further investigation and my contact details are :

L. Maharaj

0836305327

lyneshmaharaj@gmail.com

lyneshmaharaj@yahoo.com

 

 
New Post 5/22/2010 8:05 PM
User is offline Jaco S. Botes
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Re: Update: CONSULAR OPERATIONS:  

Lynesh ,

Your name has been added to the list.

We should have a case number early next week. I will send an email to everyone who emailed me with an update as soon as I have the info.

Good luck and stay safe out there...

 
New Post 5/25/2010 12:38 PM
User is offline Pierre Venter
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Re: CONSULAR OPERATIONS: CAUTIONARY MESSAGE 

Mmmmmm another sucker i paid the money and still waiting for this to come up ...............

 
New Post 5/25/2010 7:34 PM
User is offline Jaco S. Botes
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Re: CONSULAR OPERATIONS: CAUTIONARY MESSAGE 

Pierre,

You are not alone. Their latest "excuse" is that due to the "investigation by a non-regulatory body" they cannot place South Africans. This is almost comic, and it just proves to me that they will use anything to feed on the desperation of people who need employment.

Common sense should have them place their South African members as soon as possible, and thereby dispelling any rumour of wrong doing, and in the same instance "prove" that the ICA initiated investigation is not needed, and that we are therefor wrong. I would absolutely not mind being proven wrong, but their reaction just serves to prove our investigation is in fact well founded.

Their last communication to me was January 25 this year, and nothing after that. Copied below is my latest email to them, and it speaks for itself:

 

Jean and others,
 
I refer your emails below.
I have on numerous occasions requested basic info from you (CONOPS) in terms of your recruitment drive involving South Africans, in specific, because a number of those involved members of ICA.
 
My basic questions remain unanswered in terms of:
1.       The PECOSA mandate, Your Point of Contact at PECOSA, and proof of payment to them for membership fees
2.       Since when do “employees” pay “recruitment fees” (especially the sum of US$ 500 per month)
3.       How many people has CONOPS placed into employment since they started recruiting.
 
I have yet to receive any response to those questions. I once again confirm my statements regarding the law in South Africa.
 
If you recruited people for “contracts” and led them to believe that they “must” pay R350-00 registration fees for PECOSA, in order to be eligible for placement, it was blatantly misleading. It also constitutes fraud, which is a crime in South Africa.
 
Your lack of response to basic questions left me with no other option but to believe that you are not truthful, and I have in fact given George Fivaz & Associates a mandate to investigate. My point of contact there is Friedel Fivaz. You are most welcome to contact him.
 
Your excuses to your members that “allegations” of wrong doing is hampering your placement is feeble, and it confirms to me that you are still using members desperation for employment to suppress any questions
 
I have no “so-called” Modus Operandi (which in the sentence you used it, shows me an utter lack of knowledge of the law in South Africa).
My sole purpose is to protect the interest of my members. ICA has been running since 2007, and our main objective has never been profits, and I have personally been funding the web-site and back-bone out of my own pocket.
 
I am looking forward to your reply with interest, but ponder no real hope of receiving any meaningful response from you,
 
Regards,
 
END OF EMAIL
 
I will keep our members up to date as to the investigation and the process to be followed once everything is in place,
 
Good luck and stay safe out there,
 
Jaco
 
New Post 6/27/2010 7:09 PM
User is offline Jaco S. Botes
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Re: CONSULAR OPERATIONS: CAUTIONARY MESSAGE 

I just sent an email to all concerned parties in the CONOPS debacle.

I am placing a copy below for anyone who did not receive it, and for the interest of new members who may be contemplating of getting involved with CONOPS.

My email:

To All concerned,

I have in the past few weeks relied on people back in South Africa to step forward and have the courage of their conviction that they were lied to, and in fact conned by CONOPS.
 
The basis of the case against CONOPS is quite simple:
 
CONOPS fraudulently claimed that anyone wishing to be eligible for employment had to be registered with PECOSA after paying a fee of R350-00.
The fraud is based on the fact that PECOSA does not exist, and is not in any way affiliated to the official labour council of South Africa.
Further to this, the PECOSA registration fees were paid into the private account of Mr Jean Oberholzer. This should have been a red flag for anyone.
 
CONOPS actually deploying anyone does not change the fact that they are using fraudulent means to receive money from uninformed victims. Each and every person who paid money to CONOPS for PECOSA registration, constitutes a charge of fraud. This could potentially mean hundreds of fraud charges.
 
The fact that they have yet to deploy ANYONE (known to anyone...not just non-existent names on a list meaning nothing to nobody), purely strengthens the case of the fraud they continue to perpetuate against people who are desperate for a job.
 
It seems that for all the people who wished further investigation, we have yet to find anyone willing the lay an official charge of fraud at the SAPS.
Everyone seems to be hoping for a miracle and that they will be given a job regardless of common sense telling them otherwise.
 
I have on various occasion invited Jean Oberholzer and Gerrit van Vuuren to supply me with three basics, namely:
The Labour representative for PECOSA
Proof of Payment to PECOSA of the registration fees
Proof of deployment of ANYONE anywhere.
 
Their emails to me were mixed with excuses and counter claims that ICA is not mandated to investigate them. Not one single request for info was answered or provided.
Our mandate is simple. If we have one ICA member who were defrauded, we will act on it. The big BUT here is, that member has to officially lay a charge.
 
I state it here again clearly, and I dare CONOPS to take me to court over this.
CONOPS is a scam, based on a fraudulent claim of PECOSA registration and payment before being eligible for employment.
Please prove me wrong, although I have serious doubt that will happen.
 
The bottom line here is that until someone actually gets of their butt, and lay a charge of Fraud against CONOPS, I am unable to take this any further.
I even had one guy telling us that he cannot be a “complainant” because he has a criminal record. (Where some people get their excuses from is beyond me)
 
CONOPS will continue to prey on the desperate need of people in need of employment, which is the whole basis of their fraud.
 
I have publicly posted a warning on our web-site against CONOPS.
 
ICA at this stage has no choice but to step back and allow anyone who feels they have been defrauded, wronged or lied to, to step up and do something about it themselves. We cannot do it for them.
 
Should anyone officially lay a charge, please get back to me with a MAS number, and the details of the investigating officer, and we can then go ahead and inform all the others.
 
 
Best Regards,
 
New Post 6/4/2011 9:29 AM
User is offline Jean
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Re: CONSULAR OPERATIONS: CAUTIONARY MESSAGE 

 Jaco I can confirm that this is a scam I was caught by Gerrit van Vuuren and Johnathon Constable a year ago and I know of about 30 more people and also paid my R350.

Was supposed to go to Mexico.

Stay away from Consular Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
New Post 6/4/2011 9:32 AM
User is offline Jean
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Re: CONSULAR OPERATIONS: CAUTIONARY MESSAGE 

 If you need more proof of deployment leters and even a leter from the White house I can send it through to you

 
New Post 6/6/2011 12:30 PM
User is offline MaggieB
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Re: CONSULAR OPERATIONS: CAUTIONARY MESSAGE 

Jean,

Please send it through to us on admin@icaonline.us

It may just help everyone to see these guys for who and what they are.

Team ICA

 
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