Alleged IT jobs scam lands in court

in brief The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken IT services and consulting firm Zanok Technologies to the Federal Court for allegedly taking advantage of people seeking jobs in the IT industry.

The ACCC alleged that the company placed advertisements on various websites such as Seek offering jobs in the IT industry. However the company wasn't offering real job opportunities, but instead IT training for which the unsuspecting applicants had to foot the $4,700 bill.

Although Zanok claimed that the applicants were guaranteed a job once the training was finished, the ACCC alleged that there was no surety of gaining a position and has lodged a case against the company and its directors Darley Stephen and Vanitha Darley for breaching the Trade Practices Act via deceptive behaviour.

The ACCC wanted the Court to order that the company had breached the Act and sought costs as well as injunctions to stop the company continuing its conduct. The matter will be heard in an interlocutory hearing tomorrow.

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Talkback 3 comments

    Take these SCAMMERS down!! Anonymous -- 15/05/09

    I have been reading about this company's sick operation. Its so filthy its despicable. Taking advantage of young graduates who are struggling to get and IT job and robbing them of $4700.
    Hope they get sued for the clothes on their filthy backs ! FILTH !

    "unsuspecting"??? IT graduates !!! - Oh come on Hrubyj Yobar -- 16/05/09 (in reply to #320136448)

    If the IT ?"graduates" who respond and sign up to this company's ministrations aren't smart enough to work out that it's a scam before they sign the dotted line, do you really want to hire them?

    Maybe the company's a front by ACS or IEEE to sort out the sheep from the goats.

    If they are supposedly graduates, just what did they just spend the last few years at a 3-y institution doing, if they can't analyse the situation presented?

    How come they were allowed to graduate, if they end up as charlies, poor dears, and sooo early in their illustrious career?

    Actually I think this story is all bullshit. Check the court lists. If it's true,what does that say about IT training in Australia that Zanok could use locals for fodder

    Selling Visas Anonymous -- 19/05/09

    Most of these 'training institutes' in IT (and theatre, music, film production, fashion, hair dressing, ...) are just selling 'student' visas. My company is swamped by resumes of these 'students' looking for 'work experience'. They are always quite happy to work off the books for cash.

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