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QNET: ‘Fake job offers destroying victims’ lives’

Fake job offers that inadvertently lure victims into human trafficking is a menace that must be fought because its destroy not only the lives of victims but communities, a lifestyle and wellness-focused direct-selling company, QNET, said yesterday.

Its Regional General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Biram Fall, who spoke during at the launch of a new campaign tagged: “Say NO” designed to educate communities about the dangers of fake job offers used by fraudsters to lure members of the public into human trafficking, lamented that scammers use the name of reputable organisations to perpetrate their evil trade.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines human trafficking as a global crime that trades in people and exploits them for profit. People of all genders, ages and backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. Traffickers use violence, fraudulent employment agencies, and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick, coerce and deceive their victims.

Fall said: “Human Trafficking not only destroys the lives of victims and communities, and it is regrettable that scammers often use the names of reputable companies such as QNet to promise fake jobs. We therefore believe that the private sector should support the efforts of states to tackle the vice, and the “Say NO” Awareness Campaign is our contribution. It seeks to empower communities with the knowledge and awareness they need to “Say No!” to the traffickers who want to rob them of their future.“

Across Africa and in Nigeria, reputable companies such as QNET, Coca-Cola and even the West African Development Bank (BOAD) have fallen victim to scammers who use their reputable names to deceitfully promise non-existent jobs to members of the public for purposes of exploitation. The lack of awareness about such scams and about human trafficking is therefore, a key challenge in the fight against the vice.

The Federal Government, in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has made sustained efforts to combat human trafficking. A United States Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report shows that Nigeria has been placed on Tier 2, reflecting significant governmental endeavours. The report indicates an increase in the identification of trafficking victims, rising from 935 in the previous reporting period to 1,634 in 2023.

Addressing the matter, Managing Director of Transblue Limited, the Nigerian partner of QNET, Akeem Ajisafe said: “The Nigerian government, in collaboration with NAPTIP and other relevant agencies, has shown unwavering commitment to combating human trafficking. Their dedicated efforts can be seen in the increased identification of trafficking victims, which showcases a proactive stance in addressing this critical issue. The Say NO campaign aims to amplify these efforts by educating the youth in Nigeria on recognizing and avoiding fraudulent job offers. Empowering the younger generation with knowledge is essential in fortifying our collective stand against human trafficking, and I believe this campaign will contribute significantly to that endeavour.”

The “Say NO” campaign shall be implemented in several countries, starting with Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Senegal. It consists of a public education campaign that will use radio, billboards, pamphlets and other activities aimed at sensitizing communities, especially in regions where the prevalence of fake job scams is high.

QNET has implemented several measures to prevent the use of its platforms to perpetrate fraud. This includes the implementation of customer identification technology that blocks users from buying products or referring customers from a country different from their own. With this technology, only users with verified identity documents can refer other customers, and those who are in breach of the company code of conduct are removed from the network. Any individual found fraudulently using the company’s name shall be reported to the authorities, and QNet will seek full punishment according to the law.

In addition to these, the company trains its Independent Representatives on its products, ethical practices and entrepreneurial skills, thereby empowering them to generate income for themselves and their families by referring customers to QNet.