Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila Football Club (TTM FC) based in Limpopo have risen to prominence of late with the purchase of a PSL franchise, but that has opened the door for scam artists to take advantage of the situation.
One such scammer came to the club’s attention on Sunday, when a Facebook post from a user with the display name of George Mphuphu Jonkers Muhlala laid claim to being an agent working with TTM FC.
Muhlala was attempting to pass himself off as a representative of the club attempting to recruit new players for the team who bought Bidvest Wits PSL status this weekend.
There were plenty of red flags in the post, but most concerning of all it emerged that Muhlala (real name not confirmed) was asking potential recruits for money.
For many youngsters from impoverished background, football provides an opportunity to lift themselves up by their bootstraps but prospective players are warned that scammers can take advantage of their desire.
TTM have warned that any and all trial invitations will come directly from the football club and not through an intermediary or agent.
“It has come to our attention that fraudsters impersonating football agents are targeting aspiring footballers across the country in the name of Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila Football Club (TTM FC),” a club statement on the scam reads.
“We have received queries from players asking if trial invitations were genuine. Any trial invitation for players interested [in joining] TTM FC would always be made directly from the club, and not from any agent. If you see a trial invitation, please confirm with the club.”
While South Africa’s more prominent club’s make use of extensive communications resources some of the smaller clubs have been known to operate in a manner that doesn’t always live up to the standards of professional football, opening the door for scammers to suck in young men and increasingly young women.
TTM say that the man in question has no connection to their club and never will they have also asked members of the public to report similar posts on social media to ensure that vulnerable people are not caught in the web of scammers.
https://twitter.com/TTM_Original/status/1272177465578971137?s=20
This particular scammer appears to only be after cold hard cash, there is a risk that young people could become victims of human trafficking after ‘agents’ promise them contracts with clubs both in South Africa or abroad.
In 2019 it was estimated that more than 15,000 children are trafficked into Europe every year with false hopes of making it as professional footballers.
southafrican.com
