At least seven job seekers have lost R159 each after being scammed by a woman promising them work at a Port Elizabeth primary school.

The would-be workers arrived at Erica Girls Primary School on Monday expecting to start their first day of work as cleaners but were instead turned away by school secretary Michelle Beukes.

An advert for the fake jobs - which has since been removed - was posted by a "Mrs Stein" on the online classifieds website Gumtree.

After applying to the advert, the seven job seekers received an SMS with an instruction to pay R159 for uniforms. The SMS contained the school's address and requested the job hunters to send a copy of their ID to the school's actual fax machine.

Beukes said: "We feel sad for the ladies who are the victims of the scam. You should never pay money into a random account."

Pumza Hopo, 28, of Walmer, fell victim to the scam. "She took advantage of our vulnerability. My heart is broken. I was desperate for work."

She said after applying online for the job "Mrs Stein" instructed her via an SMS to pay R159 through Shoprite's money transfer service.

"I borrowed the money hoping to repay it back on Friday. The public must be aware of these scams."

Hopo reported the incident to the police station, but was told the case could not be investigated as she did not have the woman's ID number.

Linda Mqayi, 52, of Zwide, also lost R159 through the job scam and reported to the school on Monday.

"The staff then pointed out another lady, saying she also had a problem similar to mine. I then realised that we have been robbed," she said.

Police spokesman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the women should go back to their nearest stations and request to speak to the branch commander. "They must give a detailed account of what happened for us to investigate a case of fraud."