VP suspects Opposition behind fake GECOM job site, warns public of data scam

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has raised the alarm over a fraudulent online portal falsely claiming to be the official recruitment site for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), warning that it could be a data collection scam and suggesting the possible involvement of Opposition parties.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Thursday, the Vice President pointed fingers at the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) – two parties in the Opposition coalition, for what he implied was a deliberate attempt at electoral manipulation and public deception.
“The Guyana Elections Commission has seen evidence of the existence of a fake link reporting to be GECOM online employment, recruitment portal for the upcoming General and Regional Elections and the first thought that came to my head is PNC – AFC. I’m very suspicious, so be careful you don’t get scammed and you apply to them for a job because they will take your data,” Jagdeo said.
Recalling events that occurred during the execution of the 2020 General and Regional Elections, Jagdeo highlighted that even if the parties were looking to hire polling agents their efforts would be futile.
“In 2020, they said the PPP bribe all the polling agents and they change the SoPs [Statements of Poll]. So, the people work hard and throw out their belly for APNU/AFC then and they just dump them off. They treated them badly – they will do the same again, so they are going to have a hard time finding people. Maybe this is one way of trying to get people to work for them,” he added.
The Vice President’s comments came hours after GECOM issued an official statement, confirming the circulation of a fraudulent recruitment link (https://tinyurl.com/gecom-gy-recruitment), which falsely purports to be the Commission’s hiring portal ahead of the General and Regional Elections.
In its statement, GECOM categorically distanced itself from the bogus site, stating “The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has seen evidence of the existence of a fake link… purporting to be a GECOM online employment recruitment portal for the upcoming General and Regional Elections. The Commission categorically states that it has not established any such recruitment portal.”
The Commission warned that any personal information shared through such fraudulent platforms could lead to serious consequences, including identity theft or electoral fraud.
Additionally, GECOM emphasised that acts of this nature—including the deliberate publication of misinformation and disinformation—are likely to emerge, especially in the lead-up to an election period. These efforts can disrupt citizens’ participation in the democratic process, cause confusion and mistrust, and ultimately undermine the credibility of Guyana’s electoral system.
To protect themselves, citizens are being strongly advised to exercise extreme caution and to verify the authenticity of any information they receive concerning GECOM’s operations and activities. In particular, people are urged to always check the accuracy of any link (URL) before clicking on it. Official GECOM communications will always use the verified website: www.gecom.org.gy.
Anyone who encounters suspicious content or has concerns is encouraged to contact GECOM on telephone numbers 225-0277-9, 223-9650 or 223-9653.